Caring Techniques for Bulbous Begonias
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When planting bulbous begonias in a pot, you need to choose a pot that is 5cm larger than the bulb. The most commonly used pot size for bulbous begonias is a plastic pot with a diameter of 14cm x 12cm or 16cm x 14cm. Use a substrate mainly composed of peat, with a breathable porosity of 15% to 20%, and there is no need for a second potting. The physical and chemical structure of the substrate can last for 5-6 months without causing any side effects. Place the plant on a layer of substrate in the center of the pot, with the bulb 5cm to 6.5cm away from the pot opening and 9cm to 10cm of space from the top of the bulb to the bottom of the pot. Fill the area around the bulb with the substrate, pressing it down with your fingers, and make sure the surface of the bulb is completely covered.
After potting, maintain the temperature in the greenhouse at 16°C to 21°C and do not let it drop below 16°C. Prevent direct sunlight, as excessive shading will result in long flower stems and few flowers. During this period, keep the cultivation conditions as consistent as possible to achieve the best results. Large changes in cultivation conditions will hinder plant growth and further affect the flowering period.
The success of cultivating bulbous begonias mainly relies on timely attention and observation, mainly to determine the timing of watering and to monitor for pests and diseases. When watering, you need to feel the weight of the pot or check the moisture of the substrate 2.5cm below the surface with your finger. Watering must be thorough. Additionally, from May to June, the mites that affect bulbous begonias are quite active, and low humidity promotes the occurrence of pests. Therefore, it is important to closely observe the back of the leaves with a magnifying glass.
> Shaping and Flowering Management
Bulbous begonias are naturally shade-loving potted flowers that prefer shading and high humidity. They need to be shaded from the end of March to October and should not be exposed to direct sunlight. The shading facilities use a shading net with a light transmission rate of 30%-60%, mainly using 50% light transmission. Bulbous begonias prefer cool temperatures, with a low temperature of 16°C to 18.5°C being the best. In glass greenhouses, the temperature drops quite rapidly at night during the growing season, but the minimum temperature needs to be maintained above 13°C. Modern bulbous begonias have very soft leaves and are easily injured by direct sunlight. The breathability of the bulbous begonia substrate is quite important, and it is best to maintain a pore size of 15% to 20%. The height of the greenhouse needs to ensure sufficient ventilation. When the plant has grown large enough, the growing point needs to be pinched off.
Two weeks after potting, a stake needs to be used to support the main stem of the bulbous begonia. Insert a 60cm long stake, 1.3cm in thickness, behind the stem in the substrate to provide support for future growth. The main stem thickens quickly and often requires loosening the binding rope to avoid injuring the main stem. When tying the rope, it should be tied to the internode and not to the node to prevent the rope from cutting into the stem as it thickens. As the potted plant grows larger, small sticks need to be used to support the side branches. This treatment may continue until June.
The cultivation type of bulbous begonias is one main stem with two side branches. This type is easy to handle, does not occupy space, and the flowers face the same direction. All strong basal branches should be removed when they exceed 5cm to 7.5cm in height. When there is more than one main stem, the flowers face different directions. Generally, the direction of the flowers of the bulbous begonia is consistent with the direction the tip of the leaves on the stem is facing. The flowers of different main stems face the same or opposite directions. When there are more than four main stems, the flowers face in all directions. Each stem has a 120-degree viewing angle, so that four flowers can be admired from all angles. Any inward-facing stems should be removed if possible.
The stems of bulbous begonias are juicy and fragile. All flower buds should be removed until there are 5-6 leaves, up to 8 weeks before sale. From 8 weeks to 4 weeks before sale, remove all flower buds larger than 3cm in diameter. In the 4th week before sale, check and remove any flower buds larger than 5 centimeters, including the growing points of the side branches. After that, all buds on the main stems and side branches should be left to develop into good flowers. Any smaller flower buds will be retained to form flowers. The largest flower bud left on the plant (diameter of 3cm) needs 5-6 weeks to fully open.
There are two lateral flower buds on both sides of the central male flower, which are usually female flowers. These side buds should be removed without touching the male flower. Removing the side buds allows the central male flower to grow larger. When the male flower bud grows larger, a stake is needed to support the flower head. All side branches, when they reach 7.5cm in length, should have their stem tips removed.
Most large-flowered bulbous begonias form flower buds in the leaf axils, which continue to develop and eventually form flowers. Generally, the first four leaves will produce side branches and form flowers, while the leaf axils above the fourth leaf will form flowers but not side branches. For most varieties, flower stems grow from the fourth to the fifth leaf axil. A bulbous begonia with two side branches will form the most attractive potted flower. In fact, the larger the flower bud before flowering, the larger the flower may be. Good lighting and low temperatures help delay the opening of flowers.
Theoretically, it takes 5-7 weeks to form a flower bud with a diameter of 3cm to achieve the largest flower diameter. On average, it takes 42 days to form a flower for the best effect. The required growth time for the flower bud to reach its maximum size varies by variety but mainly depends on the climate in the following four weeks. After the climate cools down, a 5cm flower bud may fully open within 4 weeks. Two weeks before flowering, remove the growing points on each main stem and side branch to direct the plant's nutrition to the growth of the flower buds. When the climate is warm and there is sufficient light, large flower buds will open earlier, by up to two weeks.
Two weeks before flowering, stop all foliar fertilization to prevent scorching of the flowers and the formation of spots. The petals do not like high humidity, and the air humidity should be reduced to 50%. This is true for all color varieties, but red is the worst, as high humidity will cause the edges of the flowers to turn brown. Touching the flowers of bulbous begonias, especially red ones, will leave spots.
The experience and knowledge of caring techniques for bulbous begonias shared above hope to give you a bit of help after reading this article!