How to Care for Rieger Begonias
If you want to learn about the care of Rieger begonias in a home setting, how to maintain them, let's take a look together.
Rieger begonias are a general term for a variety of winter-blooming begonia breeds resulting from the hybridization of Soport begonias with many bulbous begonias. They are characterized by a full plant form, large flowers, abundant blooming, rich flower colors, multiple blooming cycles per year, and strong disease resistance, making them excellent indoor potted flowers.
Rieger begonias prefer a warm, humid semi-shaded environment, are not cold-tolerant, and also fear high temperatures. They require high air humidity and grow well in humus-rich, loose, and well-aerated slightly acidic soil.
During the hot summer, the plant growth slows down or completely stops, entering a dormant or semi-dormant state. It is advisable to first remove the withered flowers and leaves, and shade 50% to 70% of the light; control watering to keep the soil slightly moist to prevent root and stem rot caused by overly wet potting soil, which can even lead to the death of the entire plant.
When the weather cools in autumn, the plant begins to sprout new branches from the base. When they reach a certain height, cut the old branches from the base with a sharp knife, and increase watering to promote plant growth. After the new branches are basically shaped, keep 3 new branches per pot and cut off the rest to concentrate nutrients and help the plant form earlier.
After October, the plant's growth rate accelerates. In addition to keeping the potting soil moist, you can apply a compound liquid fertilizer with a concentration of 0.2% every 15 days.
In winter, the plant requires ample sunlight, and the temperature should not be lower than 10°C. During the seedling stage, when the plant grows to 4 leaves, pinch the top to promote the growth of lateral branches, making the plant form full, and remove extra flower buds in time to prevent excessive nutrient consumption from affecting flower development. Remove yellow and diseased leaves as needed.
Rieger begonias are short-day plants. When the daily sunlight duration is over 14 hours, the plant is in the vegetative growth stage; less than 10 hours is the reproductive growth stage, which is conducive to flower bud differentiation, thus achieving the goal of flowering. This method can be used in production to adjust the flowering period.
The detailed introduction on how to care for Rieger begonias mentioned above, have you understood it?