Begonia
There are about 1000 species of begonias of various forms - shrubs, climbing shrubs, herbaceous plants with upright, climbing or ampel shoots. Flowers of different sizes, many species can be considered primarily decorative.
Natural climatic conditions: subtropics and tropics.
The most common ornamental flowering species:
Begonia ampel * Hybrid. A tuberous herbaceous plant with long drooping shoots. Leaves may be pubescent, and bare, light and dark green in color. Flowers large, terry, in different colors( white, yellow, red, etc.).
Begonia borzovikolistnaya ♦ Large herbaceous plant( up to 60 cm) with creeping stalk, large palate-dissected leaves( which allows to consider it as a decorative species), reaching a length of up to 50 cm. Leaf coloring is decorative: green with an olive or brownish hueand silvery strips along veins. Flowers are collected in a loose brush on a long( up to 60 cm) peduncle, small, whitish-pink.
Begonia, ever-flowering( continuously flowering) ♦ Low-grown herbaceous forms. The stems are juicy, the leaves are alternate ovate or elongate-ovoid, small, shiny, light green or maroon, slightly asymmetric. Flowers depend on the variety. They are unpretentious.
Varieties: "Altrinhem Pink" - flowers are bright pink, small, numerous, collected in a brush but 3-5 pieces, height about 25 cm;"Rose Media" - flowers are pink, small, often single, growing about 12 cm;"Rose of Erfordi" - carmine-pink flowers;"Feuerkugel" - leaves and flowers are red, of different shades;"Shgarme" - carmine or carmish-red flowers, green leaves.
Begonia slender ♦ Low-grown, herbaceous forms. The leaves are larger than the previous species( up to 8 cm).The flowers are small.
Varieties: "Weiss Pearl" - white flowers, green leaves;"Carmen nana" - flowers are pink-red, leaves are reddish or bronze with red tint;"Nidrige Indianerin" - flowers are densely-salmon, leaves are red-bronze.
Begonia hybrid
The race Elathior Rigera includes large-caliber varieties known from the beginning of the XX century, the Elatior group, which are also highly resistant to fungal diseases. They are characterized by a very pronounced short-term( 9-hour light day before the development of axillary kidneys).The race of Gluard de Laurent includes compact, stunted plants with small leaves and flowers of various colors, blooming very abundantly. The most famous varieties: "Carolina" - flowers of dark pink color, "Competitor" - flowers of dense pink color;"Marina", "Egers Favorit" - flowers of dark pink color;"Rosemary" - flowers of pink color. Begonia tuberose ♦ Polyhybrid appearance. The stalk is juicy, translucent, the underground tuber is thick. Leaves are cordate, somewhat asymmetrical, regular, can have a different pattern. Flowers vary in variety: they can be simple, semi-double and double, of different colors, in size are divided into giant( about 20 cm in diameter), krupiotsvetkovoe( with a diameter of 8 to 10 cm) and multiflorous( many flowers, with a diameter of3 to 5 cm each).Sometimes groups are distinguished according to the shape of flowers: rosy, narcissus, pion-shaped, etc. Varieties( most famous): "Dark Red" - semi-spread, leaves bright green, large-flowered, terry flowers, dark red;"Dark Scarlet" - compact, leaves are dark green, multiflorous, flowers are terry, up to 4 cm in diameter, dark scarlet;"Yellow" - semi-spread, leaves light green, large-flowered, simple flowers, yellow;"Orange" - semi-spreading, large-flowered, terry flowers, orange;"Rose" is semi-spread, leaves are bright green, large-flowered, flowers are terry, pink;"Scarlet" - sprawling, large-flowered, flowers are terry, pink-scarlet;"Samon Rose" - sprawling, leaves are bright green, large-flowered, flowers are terry, pink. Requirement for moisture: a moisture-loving plant, but from excess water can perish. Do not use cold water for sprinkling and watering. During the rest period( in winter), begonia should be watered only after the earth's coma has dried completely. It is very important to maintain the stability of air humidity( without sudden changes).
Temperature regimen: It feels good in the range of 13 to 22 ° C, but does not like sharp and frequent temperature changes( it can discard leaves).He prefers stability or gradual change. The tubers are stored at a temperature of about 10 ° C.For the budding period, the temperature is desirable slightly above the average( 20 °), after bloom it can be reduced to 15 ° C.The seeds are germinated at a temperature of about 25 ° C.
Light mode: prefers partial shade. Straight rays reduce decorativeness. Many clearly expressed photoperiodism( short-day).At the same time, it is possible, by growing begonias in a long day, with observance of the requirements for the temperature regime and the correct lighting, to achieve blooming in the winter months. To do this, provide 14 hours of light per day in September-October( that is, two or two and a half months before flowering).For artificial lighting, a lamp of 60 watts is enough. The tuberous begonia, unlike other species, can be grown on southern windows.
Requirement for soil: for all begonias, a mixture of leaf, turf and humus lands with peat and sand in a ratio of 3: 0.25: 0.5: 1.5: 1 is suitable, but for some species, the deviating options will be even more favorable: for large bush plants it is desirable to increase the share of sod land;for young plants begonias are always flowering and slender does not include peat, whereas for begonia tuber it is necessary to maintain the desired acidity( pH 6-6,5).The fertilizing is moderate and exclusively during the active vegetation period, but in the case of a sufficient spring supply of dry fertilizer is not necessary. Tuber begonia to feed necessarily.
Reproduction: 1. Stem and leaf cuttings( you can use and parts of the sheet, but in this case, they must be treated with care, as they are prone to decay).On the leaf petiole it is desirable to make incisions in the areas of branching of the veins. Root leaf cuttings on sand or a mixture of moss and sand( 1: 4), pressing them to the substrate with pebbles( pebbles).The substrate must be sterile.2. By dividing the rhizome.3. Seeds( they are very small), which are sown without sealing. Seedlings appear in a month or two, they must be dived at least two times. Features: for most contraindicated turning to light. The premises where begonia grows are preferably ventilated. The rest period is well pronounced. In tuber species for a period of rest, the fading shoots are cut. For most species, pricking is mandatory.