Begonias are beautiful flowers , often planted in pots on balconies and terraces. They bloom until autumn, and with little effort, we canwinter the begoniasso that they bloom beautifully next year. Find outhow to overwinter begonias , which species are suitable for this and whether it is a good idea to winter begonias at home. Here are allsecrets of begonia wintering !
Prepare begonias for wintering in autumn
Which begonias can be hibernated?
Among begonias grown on terraces and balconies, two species are the most popular: constantly flowering begonia (Begonia semperflorens) and tuberous begonia (Begonia tuberhybrida). Continuously flowering begonias are considered annual plants in our climate and are not suitable for wintering
Only tuberous begonias are suitable for overwinteringwhose tubers can be stored over the winter. For wintering, we choose he althy specimens of begonias, with no signs of disease and no visible damage, spots or rotting. Such tubers will be the best for wintering and the plants will certainly bloom in the second year.
When should begonias be moved for wintering?
Tuberous begonia is a plant that is sensitive to frost. In our climate, it cannot hibernate outside, thereforebegonias start hibernating in late autumn at the turn of October and November , right after the first frost. Then we take the begonias out of the ground together with the root ball and place them in a dry place.
When the leaves are dry and the stems easily detach from the tubers,carefully clean the begonia tubers from old soil . So prepared, they will be suitable for wintering.
Under what conditions do begonias overwinter?
Begonia tubers are overwintering in boxes in dry peat or sandand stored at 5-10 ° C. We can overwinter them in a garage, basement or other dry room that does not need to have access to light. However, it is important that the temperature never drops below 0 ° C.
Beginning in February, we start spraying begonia tubersat 18 ° C. To do this, place them tightly, one next to the other, so that the upper side of the tuber with the resting eyes is facing up. You can recognize it by a slight dimple, and on closer inspection - by small buds. After arranging the tubers, sprinkle them lightly with a mixture of peat and sand in a ratio of 1: 1, this time rearranging them in a bright place.
When the begonias produce their first shoots about 10 cm long, we plant them individually into pots with a diameter of 10 cm. In May, when the risk of frost has passed, after prior appropriate hardening (i.e. gradual accustoming the plants to the conditions outside), we canplant begonias in pots on balconies and terraces
MSc Eng. Joanna Białowąs
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