How to care for Rieger begonias
Let me share some experience on caring for Rieger begonias at home. How to care for Rieger begonias? The following editor will provide you with detailed answers.
I have been growing Rieger begonias for three years and have a bit of experience to share with everyone. The suitable temperature for the growth and development of Rieger begonias is 18°C to 22°C. The focus of home care is to keep warm in winter, and the minimum temperature should not be lower than 15°C. Since Rieger begonias are still growing and flowering in winter, they should be placed in a south-facing, sunny area indoors, such as a windowsill. However, be careful not to place them too close to heaters to avoid burning the branches and leaves.
In summer, when the temperature exceeds 28°C for consecutive days, cooling measures should be taken, such as placing them in an air-conditioned room or shading them during the afternoon. The potting soil should be kept moist but not too dry or too wet. Excessive dryness can cause the plant to wilt due to water loss, and severe cases can lead to the death of the entire plant. Overly wet soil fills the air spaces in the soil, causing severe hypoxia and affecting root respiration, which can also lead to death. Excessively wet soil also provides opportunities for fungal and bacterial diseases, which can affect the ornamental value of Rieger begonias.
For Rieger begonias, pinching should be done during the growing period to promote the growth of lateral branches and achieve a full plant shape. It is also necessary to remove extra flower buds in a timely manner to avoid excessive nutrient consumption that could affect the development of other flowers. For diseases and pests, dilute ginger juice with water at a ratio of 1:25 and spray to prevent soft rot and the germination of other pathogenic spores.
This article discusses the author's experience in growing plants in a closed balcony in the northern region:
I. The growth characteristics of Rieger begonias in home conditions: Rieger begonias are perennial herbaceous flowering plants with brown, irregular, woody corms underground, many fibrous roots at the bottom, and branches at the top. They start to bud in November each year and have a flowering period of half a year. After June, due to the warming weather, the plant enters a dormant or semi-dormant state. If it can survive the summer safely, new branches will sprout from the base of the stems after the beginning of autumn, entering the next care cycle.
II. Home care for Rieger begonias: Rieger begonias prefer a warm, humid, and semi-shaded growing environment. They are afraid of high temperatures and waterlogged potting soil. The most suitable growing temperature is 15°C to 22°C. When the temperature exceeds 26°C, the growth is poor, and the plant gradually enters a semi-dormant or dormant state. The relative humidity should be greater than 70% during the growing period and does not need to be shaded in winter. Based on these requirements, the potted flowers purchased from the market in winter can be placed directly on a window sill near the living area of a closed balcony, where the temperature, humidity, and light are all suitable.
Due to transportation and changes in the growing environment, the potted plants just bought may experience leaf and flower drop, which is inevitable. After half a month of care, they will improve, and then they can be managed normally. Water the plant when the soil surface turns white, approximately every 3 days in the Xi'an area.
Rieger begonias do not need to be fertilized during the flowering period. By May, they gradually enter a dormant or semi-dormant state, and watering should be reduced and fertilization stopped. In the summer, management and care are even more critical. First, cut off the withered flowers and leaves (but not the branches), move the potted plant to a cooler windowsill indoors, and strictly control watering, which is the key to surviving the summer. Many people think that withered leaves are caused by lack of water, but that's not the case. It's because the temperature has risen, and the roots cannot supply enough water to meet the needs of the leaves' evaporation, causing a water supply-demand imbalance. The plant has to protect itself by shedding leaves and entering a dormant or semi-dormant state to reduce water demand. If the watering is increased at this time, too much water in the potting soil can easily cause bacterial growth and rot at the base of the branches, which can then affect the Rieger begonia's corm and lead to the death of the entire plant. Therefore, watering must be strictly controlled at this time.
For example, for a pot with a diameter of 15 centimeters and a height of 13 centimeters, about 30 milliliters of water should be poured into the bottom of the pot every 10 days to keep the soil slightly moist. This way, the stem sections will not rot or the local rot will not spread downward. As long as the leaf edges are withered, but there are still a few tender leaves growing slowly, it means that the corm is not problematic and the base of the stem is fine.
With such care until the weather cools down after the beginning of autumn, the plant base will start to sprout new branches. When they reach a certain height, the old branches can be cut off with a sharp knife, and the watering amount should be gradually increased. After the new branches are basically shaped, only 3 new branches are left, and the rest are cut off to concentrate nutrients and allow the plant to shape up quickly. The cut-off new branches can be used for cutting. After October, the plant grows rapidly, and the potting soil should be kept moist and fertilized with a 0.2% compound fertilizer every half month. Since the potting soil of the Rieger begonias bought from outside meets the requirements, there is no need to repot for the first two years.
The detailed explanation above on how to care for Rieger begonias is for reference and suggestion only!