Trailing Begonia Houseplant-How To Grow & Care For Beautiful Begonias
Begonias are flamboyant perennials for bedding, pot, and hanging basket decorations. They are typically fragile and colorful. They are a little old-fashioned reputation, but the bold new varieties are very different from the dainty plants that were usually used in bedding schemes. Some are planted for their stunning, eye-catching foliage, while others are grown for their profusion of long-lasting, beautiful flowers in neon colors that are perfect for pots and hanging baskets. All begonias thrive in indirect light, so they are a wonderful addition to a patio or border that receives shade. Read further to know about how to plant and care for Trailing Begonia houseplant.
Planting Trailing Begonia Houseplant
(a) When and Where to Plant ?
- Plant trailing begonia houseplant after all danger of frost has passed. They are very sensitive to frost, and temperatures as low as 50 degrees can hurt them.
- Choose a spot that gets some shade or filtered sunlight. Morning sun and afternoon shade are best, especially when it’s very hot.
- Try a variety with dark leaves or one that says it can handle more sun—plant trailing begonia houseplant in a place with good airflow to stop powdery mildew from happening.
(b) How to Plant-Trailing Begonia Houseplant ?
- Plant wax type trailing begonia houseplant transplants 6 to 8 inches apart and other plants based on how big they get when they grow up.
- You can start tubers indoors by putting them in a shallow tray with moist potting mix, hollow side up, and leaving an inch between them.
- Put the tray in a dark room and water it just enough to keep the potting mix moist but not soggy.
- Once the sprouts are about an inch tall, after about 4 weeks, move the tubers to a place with bright light—plant outside only when frost is no longer a risk.
Care of Trailing Begonia Houseplant
(1) Light
Abundant light is essential for growing big, multistemmed plants with lots of flowers in trailing begonias. If you’re growing the plant outside, put it in a position that receives some shaded morning sun, but stay away from direct afternoon sun because it could burn the plant.
The best location is beneath a large tree with many branches that offer changeable sun and some shade. Keep this trailing begonia houseplant inside in a sunny area, like in an east window where it receives some morning sunlight.
The begonia receives too much light if the leaves begin to fade and turn light green. Move the trailing begonia houseplant to a more shady location. Move the plant to a brighter location if the stems grow excessively long and there are large gaps between the leaf emergences.
Water
Trailing begonia houseplants do best when the soil is evenly moist, but it’s important not to overwater them because that can lead to constantly wet soil, which can hurt the plant and, if not fixed, might kill it.
If you’re growing a plant indoors, water it when the top inch or two feels dry to the touch. Then, let the pot drain all the way. Don’t put the pot on a saucer full of water because this can cause the roots to rot.
If you grow a hanging begonia outside, you need to water it whenever the top of the soil feels dry. During the summer, you should check on this every few days because hot weather can cause the soil to dry out quickly.
Whether it is grown inside or in the garden, a begonia slows its growth during the winter when it rests. This means that you should water trailing begonia houseplant less during the winter.
Fertilizer
Fertilizing a hanging begonia every other time(once a month) you water it helps it grow and bloom during its active season, usually from early spring to early fall. Use a balanced formula, like 20-20-20, and dilute it to half strength, or about 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of water. Check the product label for more specific instructions.
Before flowering starts, usually in early summer, you can switch to a high-phosphorus formula to help set more flower buds and speed up flowering. For example, use a 15-30-15 formula and mix 1 tablespoon into 1 gallon of water for garden plants and 1/2 teaspoon per gallon for houseplants.
Check the product label for more information. Feed the trailing begonia houseplant every week or two until it stops blooming, usually in the fall. Please don’t feed the plant during the winter so it can rest.
Trimming
As the season continues and the stems of trailing begonias in hanging planters get longer, they can start to look straggly. You can get bushier growth and more side branches by often pinching back the growing tips.
You can do this with your fingers or pruning shears whose blades you wipe with rubbing alcohol between cuts to keep plant diseases from spreading. Make a trailing begonia houseplant look better by trimming the stems to make them different lengths. Remove some old stems from a plant that is getting older to encourage new growth from the plant’s base.
Most begonias don’t have major disease problems, but they can be bothered by a few pests, like the fluffy white mealybugs. To get rid of these bugs, touch each one with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol.
This will kill the bug. Spider mites, which make web-like coverings on the leaves and flowers, might also attract the plant. Kill these bugs by spraying the trailing begonia houseplant with an insecticidal soap mixed with 5 tablespoons of water per gallon. Do this as often as every two weeks.
Frost and Trailing Begonia
- If you keep a hanging begonia outside all year and you think there might be unusually cold weather or even a little frost, bring the plant inside until the weather warms up. A freeze could kill the plant.
- You can also leave this trailing begonia houseplant outside, but to protect it, hang a light cloth from the planter’s hook, so it covers the whole plant, or put the planter in a large enough plastic bag to cover the whole plant and tie the bag open ends to the planter’s hook.
- When you take off a covering, be careful not to hurt the stems or flower buds of the trailing begonia houseplant.
Design Ideas for Trailing Begonia
- Wax begonias provide a dense, vibrant border for flower beds.
- Trailing kinds look fantastic in containers, window boxes, and hanging baskets.
- As a focal point for a container, utilize upright types of trailing begonia houseplant with distinctive foliage.
- Mix-and-match plants with distinct leaf colors, shapes, and textures to create a distinctive container arrangement.
- Choose darker-leaved cultivars or ones with enhanced heat and sun tolerance for sunnier locations.
(Also Read-5 Ivy houseplant every plant lover should grow)
Conclusion
Hang trailing begonia houseplant in baskets on either side of your front entrance for a colorful welcome home, or dot them throughout your patio to offer a luxuriant color explosion in various settings. Trailing begonia houseplants produce a bountiful show of flowers throughout the summer, regardless of whether they are exposed to full sun or partial shade.