To make the garden area cozy and festive at the same time is a creative task. Multicolored tuber begonia planted in the garden, with proper care, becomes its chic decoration. Consider the features of its breeding, tricks are simple and accessible even to a novice gardener. Perhaps begonia will become your favorite garden flower.
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Varieties and types of plants
Experienced gardeners have been familiar with begonia for a long time. This is a plant that was obtained by breeders from several types of flowers. It is better to buy begonia in a specialized flower shop. It can grow in the form of a bush, grass or ampelous plant. It is decorated with both a balcony and park beds.
It is possible to determine in what conditions begonia will develop best in appearance and variety. Flowers vary in tuber parameters, sizes and characteristics of bright petals and the general shape of the bush. From a distance, some of them resemble camellias and roses, daffodils and peonies with their inflorescences with terry, scalloped, corrugated edges.
The roots of any begonia are sensitive to cooling and drought.
There are up to four types of tuberous begonia and many of its varieties:
- large-flowered (height from 7 to 20 cm): "Golden ball" (yellow inflorescences); "Kelblutrot" (red inflorescences), "Marmorata" (white terry inflorescences with a pink strip on the edge), "Picoti" (pink, white, yellow with a pink edge);
- middle flowered (height up to 7 cm)
- small flowered (multiflora loves well-lit places)
- ampelous (hanging bushes require a lot of light): "Chanson" (perennial with small terry inflorescences).
At home, caring for begonias is not complicated. Watering is carried out around the perimeter of the pot.An ideal place for its cultivation would be the window sills of the east and west. In the course of development, faded shoots, leaves and male nondescript inflorescences are removed, in which seeds ripen if necessary.
Planting begonias in the open ground in the garden
It is possible to place tuber begonia on an open area in the garden only after frosts have passed, in the central regions - not earlier than May. But let's start in order.
Experienced growers recommend purchasing strong and dense tubers with buds in trusted stores, starting in February. They should not have physical damage, mold. Healthy planting material perfectly lays in a cool room until the moment of disembarkation.
Before planting, the dead roots are eliminated and the tuber is placed three quarters in warm water with fungicide for etching for 30 minutes (take the proportions in the instructions for the preparation).
For germinating a flower with superficial roots, a shallow pot or container with expanded clay, brick or large crushed stone drainage is suitable. It is better to fertilize the soil immediately with mineral components. Ready-made earthen composition can be bought at the store. If you cook yourself, then take: two parts of leafy soil, part of humus, peat and sand. Tamping the ground for begonias is not recommended.
The interval between plants is maintained at 10 centimeters, and up to the edge of the tank - 5 centimeters. The convex side of the tuber is placed deep into the soil for root formation, and on the concave part that is left on the surface, the buds will grow.
It is not recommended to create greenhouse conditions for the plant, as the tuber quickly adapts to external conditions. The place for germination is suitable light without direct rays, ventilated without drafts, the temperature is necessary from 15 to 17 degrees.
Young begonia is gradually accustomed in the street and garden, daily taking it to the open balcony or directly to the garden. This way of adapting colors is the easiest.
Planting in the spring in a flowerbed and covering plantings with various materials is a more energy-intensive option for a gardener. Although it also has a right to exist, especially if you live next to your garden.
A part in the garden is chosen semi-shaded and windless, the soil is prepared nutritious, loose, breathable.
In forming the landscape design of the garden, it is imperative to take into account the characteristics of the begonia variety.
Large bushes are planted from each other, recommend at a distance of not less than 30 myself. For medium-sized specimens, it is enough to leave 20 cm. The interval for small varieties is 15 cm.
Care for tuber begonia at home
Watering, fertilizer, top dressing
So begonia took its place in the garden. It's time to care for flower plantings. During the growing season, bushes prefer abundant morning watering, but not around the tubers, but around them.
In late May and until mid-October, begonia blooms profusely. Each large bush bouquet needs support, since the shoots of flowers are brittle. Plants require moderate irrigation during flowering.
A good development, an increase in the number of inflorescences is facilitated by the introduction of organics and mineral additives. Feeding is carried out up to three times during the whole season.
Diseases and Pests
Tuberous begonia - a delicate plant, tasty for all pests in the garden and park. It is often struck, especially in greenhouse conditions: thrips, nematodes, greenhouse aphids, whiteflies, scale insects. You can prevent attacks by treating begonia with prophylactic agents (it is important to follow the dosage according to the manufacturer's instructions).
Compliance with the regime of watering, lighting and the correct composition of the soil will eliminate the need to treat begonia. Violation of even one point leads to damage to the bushes with powdery mildew, gray rot, bacterial or annular spotting.
In this case, it will be necessary to destroy the fungal microorganisms with special solutions: Fundazole, Topaz, Bordeaux liquid, copper sulfate.
How to propagate tuber begonia at home?
You can get several begonia bushes in various ways: seeds, tuber division or cuttings.
Her seeds are small, so they are sold in a soluble shell, and the resulting houses are mixed with sand. It is recommended to sow without sprinkling in containers with drainage and nutrient soil in the middle of winter so that the tuber begonia has time to please the flowers in the summer. In early October, a tuber will be formed. The container is covered with a lid or film, maintain the temperature in the room about 25 degrees. After 14 days, seedlings will appear, and if there are two true leaves, the seedlings will be dived into separate pots.
Large specimens of tubers over two years old before spring planting are segmented with a sharp knife into several parts, leaving several live buds on each. Sprinkle fresh surfaces with charcoal, and then place in boxes with soil.
Consider the most difficult way, using cuttings to propagate tuberous begonia. To do this, in spring or autumn shoots from the tuber of the mother plant are twisted, sprinkled with charcoal and dried “wound”. In order for the roots to appear faster on the stem, they create conditions, like in a greenhouse: the sprout placed in the soil is covered with a plastic bottle. After about a month, the begonia stalk will give roots, it is moved to the pot. Further care occurs, as with any other domestic plant.
The period of rest of the tuber begonia
With the beginning of autumn, watering of begonium plantings is significantly reduced, feeding is completely stopped. The aboveground part gradually dies. After falling off all the leaves, the tops are cut off. After 14 days, the tubers can be dug up to go to a dormant period.
Tubers are well wintered in containers in which sphagnum or peat moss is placed. In a dry dark room they keep the temperature no higher than five degrees. At least twice during the winter, it is recommended to look into the boxes and remove rotten or dried out specimens.
Young bushes that have grown from seeds in the first year do not lose their shoots and leaves. They are dug up until the first frost with a lump of earth in boxes up to 15 cm high. For them, they choose a bright room with a temperature of no higher than 15 degrees, and throughout the winter period they monitor the humidity of the earth. With the advent of natural heat, the bushes will actively grow. Before moving to the garden, they are planted in pots and adapted to street conditions.
Garden location and combination with other plants
A gentle and relatively wayward begonia in the design of a garden or park is used quite often. Tuberous begonia blooms to the very frosts, maintaining a bright well-groomed appearance of the site.
The garden will be given originality by compositions using flowerpots, in which begonia develops well. Borders and rabatki can consist of bright strokes of begonia inflorescences in combination with other flyers or decorative leafy crops. Thanks to their color diversity, you can draw whole pictures and compositions on the garden plot.
The garden beauty is unpretentious to the neighborhood and gets along well with lobelia, lobularia, surfinia, Iberis, primrose, daisy.
