Contents of the article:
Unpretentious plant - room begonia - uses special beauty and fame. Few people can leave this flower indifferent. How to grow and care for room begonia, what are the popular types of room begonia, how to prepare the soil and transplant begonia correctly, you can find out by reading this text.
The Begoneas family includes more than 800 plant species originating from Southeast Asia, Brazil, Africa and the island of Madagascar. In nature, the size of the plant begonias vary from 5 cm to 3 meters.
The variety of forms and varieties of this flower is striking in its diversity. Flower growers know that this flower is known not only for the variety of varieties and species, but also for its growing conditions. Begonia is grown both outdoors and at home. Indoors, as a rule, they plant a hybrid species of room begonia.
Types of room begonia are:
- decorative blooming, eye-catching irresistible beauty of flowers;
- decorative leafy, having a diverse shape and color of leaves.
Popular types of flowers of room decorative-flowering begonia
Bushy begonias:
- Coral begonia is a large plant with decorative leaves 10-15 cm long, with white specks and bright pink flowers;
- Begonia room bright red - a fairly large plant with shiny, smooth, egg-shaped leaves. Inflorescences of rich red flowers have the shape of a panicle.
- Begonia room ever flowering - a low plant with round light green leaves, 5-6 cm long. Flowers of white, red and pink flowers that bloom almost the whole year.
Tuberous begonias:
- Begonia Elatior is a tall plant having the shape of a bush up to 35 cm in height, decorative toothed green leaves and flowers of various colors reaching 4-5 cm in diameter. Very lush and long blooms.
- Begonia Lorrain - plant height reaches 50 cm. Exotic roundish, dark green leaves, up to 8 cm long. Flowers of pink, red and white.
A popular species of room decorative and leafy begonia.
- royal begonia - has an unusually decorative coloring of leaves that fades from red to dark brown. The length of the leaves reaches 30 cm. One of the most popular decorative leafy begonias;
- tiger begonia - up to 25 cm tall, bush-shaped. The leaves are rather small, dark green, with specks of light shade.
How to care for room begonia?
Care for room begonia is not difficult. This plant is not capricious, but still it also needs some care.
Begonia belongs to the light-loving plants, but direct sunlight is contraindicated for it, as it burns the leaves.
Begonia needs to be located near the window, and if there is no such possibility, then provide her with shading.
The maximum comfortable temperature for begonias in summer should not exceed 22-25 ° C, and in winter time - 15-18 ° C.
Watering is very important for room begonia. This plant is not suitable as dry soil, and too wet. For example, in spring and summer, home begonia should be watered as often as possible, but without pouring it in order to prevent stagnation of water. Determine the time of watering is not difficult. It occurs when the soil dries to a depth of 1-2 cm. In addition, watering should be done with settled water.
Humidity is important for home begonia. Since the homeland of this plant is the tropics and subtropics, it loves high humidity. If other plants can be provided with such a climate by spraying, then it is contraindicated for begonia.
If the begonia is sprayed, then its leaves will be covered with spots. But there is a way out. It is enough to put a pot with a flower on the moss, wet peat or place it in a shallow container with water.
Do not forget about plant nutrition. Begonia needs feeding 1-2 times a month. Fertilizers containing nitrogen are used only on ornamental deciduous species, since nitrogen promotes leaf growth, but slows down flowering. But fertilizers with phosphorus content are suitable for decorative flowering.
It should be added that indoor begonia favors fresh air, therefore the room in which it grows is periodically ventilated. It should not be forgotten that begonia is afraid of drafts that can lead to its death.
From the blooming begonia can not take your eyes off. This she thanks for taking care of her. Begonia blooms for a long time, but not forever. Time passes, the flowers wither and crumble, the leaves fade and dry. There comes a time of rest and sleep. Now, watering the begonia should be less frequent, and the air temperature should be cooler - up to 14-16 ° C.We prune all dried parts of the plant and prepare for transplanting.
How to replant indoor begonia?
The soil for begonias can be prepared independently. This plant prefers a light substrate. It is prepared from a mixture of leaf and sod land, rotted humus, sand and peat. It is important to pay attention to the fact that the leaf ground should be slightly more than half of the total volume of the pot.
Room begonia does not require frequent transplantation, but if the roots are already cramped, then transplantation is necessary. Usually, begonia transplants start in March.
Carefully remove the flower from the pot, clean the roots of the old soil and place them for some time in the solution of potassium permanganate. Potassium permanganate helps protect the roots from fungal diseases to which room begonia is predisposed. Next, cut off all damaged roots and placed in a new container with the ground.
When transplanting plants, do not spill the pot to the top. The soil is added later, as the roots grow. After transplantation, indoor begonia requires increased attention and care. In the first month, watering should be frequent and carefully protected from direct sunlight.
Diseases and pests of room begonia
The plant house begonia is not resistant to fungal diseases. Having noticed that the plant begins to fall ill, the affected areas should be removed. Begonia can also be affected by pests. Her enemies are aphids and spider mites. At the early stage of the disease, it is recommended to rinse the plant in a soapy solution. And for serious treatment it will be enough to treat it with a fungicide preparation, in the manner indicated in the instructions for use.
