Begonia advice please :)

Hi,

I had a begonia potted plant last year, it was planted out then became distressed in the autumn. I dug it out and brought it indoors. It lasted for a month then faded away, nothing left at all. I emptied the pot out on earth and left it at that. Eight months later the begonia is growing again, where I emptied the pot :-o

In this hot spell, how often should I feed / water it please - I don't want to over-water it, I know begonias don't like soggy conditions.

Many thanks,

Ric

 

As far as I know that's what Begonias do die of then come back , mine was left out all winter no sign of them until early spring, i water all the time but i have lots of plants round them.

 

Thanks. Water and feed information please.

 

There are different kinds of begonia mainly, and putting simply, either the fibrous rooted ones or the tuberous ones.
Both can over winter but do it in different ways.

 

The fibrous rooted ones tend to be treated as annuals though.

 

Many thanks,

A year on and the begonia has resurfaced! :-o Three leaves about the size of a 50p piece. At what stage should I start feeding it please - and with what especially?

It 'dies' each November and comes up again in June, it was planted out in May 2015, it was a potted hospital plant. I was told to bring it indoors at the end of summer, which I did, then it wilted away to nothing. It is now growing where I emptied out the pot on a spare patch of earth. I no longer dig it out and bring it indoors in November, it seems to be quite happy where it is.

Bests,

Ric

 

Two years and still going well - it is amazing to me how this plant resurfaces year after year

 

Its the tuberous type, I'm guessing it doesn't get much frost where it is located.
Might be worth giving it some TLC.

 

Thanks,

What sort of TLC please?

When it wilted away to nothing in 2015 I went right through the potted earth looking for the reason, I couldn't even see a root. The whole plant just vanished both above and below ground level. I can't understand how it regenerated itself from nothing, I just emptied the potted earth out onto a vacant patch of soil. Seven months later, up springs the begonia again! :-o

Very little frost here, the begonia is also in the lee of a fence and greenhouse, so sheltered.

 

There must have been a tuber, possibly quite small, if you grow it on and keep it frost free but dormant over the winter for a couple of years it will increase in size, giving you a bigger plant each year.

 

Thanks, the only thing I found in the potted earth when I sifted through it was a large healthy earth worm Should I feed the begonia please? Not right now of course because the earth is quite moist here.

 

I have 3/4 that have come back for the last 3/4 years now, I mentioned it in the GC they said it was down to milder winters a few plants are doing it.

 

If you take the single female flowers off the double male ones will get bigger.

 

No thanks Pete, I am just so pleased to see the same plant come back again. I really thought that plant had withered away to nothing indoors, died. My eyes popped out when I recognised its leaves coming up seven months after I emptied the pot out behind the greenhouse, it just seemed like a miracle. :-o