Plant Problems
Do you have begonia in your garden this season that just wo n’t seem to blossom ? There are really several cause why this may happen . In this article , certified master gardener Laura Elsner walk through the primary reasons begonias may struggle to flower , and how to fix it when it materialise .
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Begonias in full blossom are one of my favorite lot in summer gardens . These nicety - do it flowers produce blooms in all sorts of sizes and colour . Begonias are by and large easy to care for , and some varieties actually make great houseplants .
But when they are not growing in their ideal condition , begonia will stop blooming . There are a few common reason this happens , and the good news program is that most of the causes are treatable if caught early on .
So , if your begonia are n’t flower this seasonlike you ’d expect , with some adjustments you should be able to get themshowing off their beautiful prime again shortly . Let ’s take a look at the most coarse reason your begonia may not be blooming , and how you’re able to both prevent or fix the problem !
You Picked The Wrong Variety
I am going to get this one out of the direction first . While all begonias blossom , many kind are not know for their bloom . The rhizomatous potpourri are make out for their beautiful foliation .
This includespopularrex begonia varieties . These varieties might put out a few stalking of small white flowers , but they are not the tumid rosettes of blossoms that tuberous varieties have .
tally your variety and verify they are a blooming miscellany . hazard are if the foliage is very colored , the flush are not going to be spectacular .
The best blooming varietiesare tuberousandfibrous ( aka wax ) begonias . Or there is a combination of the two known as rieger begonia . pick out one of these variety show for the best begonia blooms .
You’ve Been Watering Too Much
Begonias have tuberous stem that hold on to water . They are very sensitive to overwatering . They become a floppy droopy mess when they get too much water . It will alsocause all the blossoms to cast off off .
To sort out this , look into the ground and ensure it is evenly moist but not wet . If it is soggy , quit lachrymation immediately . Let the dirt dry out out .
If your begonias are in a container , verify the container has drain holes in the bottom . Also use a potting commixture for dirt , not black earth or garden soil . This will help oneself the dirt absorb and run out moisture so thecontainer does n’t get too soggy .
For garden begonias , verify to better the dirt with plenty of coir or peat to make the filth capable to retain water and drain the surplusage . If you take a handful of your land and squeeze in your hand , if it persist in a ball of putty , it need to be amended with coir or peat .
It should just crumble away after the soil is squeezed . You might have some naturally boggy orbit in your garden , this is not a suited location to embed them . They do not tolerate being in standing H2O .
Too Much Sunlight
Begonias areshade - bonk perennial works , too much Sunday and they will burn up and not bloom .
If the farewell are crispy and the plant is stunt , take a looking at the amount of sun they are getting . Shade plants like4 - 6 hour of direct sun . I find former morning Lord’s Day or late afternoon sun is just . The strong mid good afternoon sun can burn them and they wo n’t bloom .
There aresome begonia varietiesthat can take more sun . The Cocktail series of wax begonias feature glowering bronze leaves that can tolerate more Lord’s Day than the regular light-green leaf salmagundi .
There is also the Solenia series of tuberous begonias that can take more sun than other varieties . Choose these for planting in sunnier areas .
You Haven’t Watered Enough
I conceive over watering begonias is far more detrimental to begonias than under water them . But there is a level where begonia will shrivel and shrink and cease to bloom if they are too dry .
Soil should feel evenly moist . Not ivory ironical , andnot soggy stiff . The easiest agency to see is to just sink your digit into the soil .
If it feels dry add water if it is still moist , leave them be . I would see to it day by day and then eventually you will find a pattern and can stick to a watering schedule that cultivate .
Not Enough Sunlight
While begonias are known as specter flowers , they actually ask some verbatim sun to get blooms . rich shady pockets of the garden are not a suitable location for blooming varieties .
4 - 6 60 minutes of sunlight in the morn is ideal . If you do have a very shady area in your garden try anon - blooming variety of begonia . Rex begonia have intricate leafage colors and patterns and unremarkable blooms . They light up up the shade with no blossoms at all .
You Used The Wrong Soil
Begonias likelight soilfilled with lots of organic affair . They do not care heavy mud soils and soil with little to no nutrients . If you get the grease mighty , you will have lovely blooms all season .
Forbegonias in containers , stick with a potting intermixture . This is unaccented and fluffy and the everlasting growing medium .
For garden begonias get your garden soil lighter and fluffy . Considermixing in peat or coirand some compost , seas soil , worm castings , or manure to your garden beds before embed . This will insure a prissy lightsome soil for them to thrive and blossom in .
You Skipped Deadheading
Deadheading is the appendage of removing dead or dying flowers from plant . This will trigger the plant to create more blooms . For begonia Itrim the flower stalk downto the near larger stem .
The begonia will shoot out more flush once the old unity are remove . The more you pick the one-time blossoms the more Modern blossom you will get .
You Don’t Fertilize
The secret sauce to flowering annuals is fertiliser . I fertilize once every 10 - 14 solar day . I use awater - soluble 20 - 20 - 20 blendand water my begonia with it .
This will really pump up the blooms . specially for begonia in container , they use up the soil nutrients quickly in a container environs .
Make indisputable to irrigate your plant before fertilizing . fertilize dry plant can burn the plant .
You’ve Over Fertilized
Ok , so plant food is good , so why not use more ? Too much plant food can be damaging to plants and prime .
you could end up with sight of leaves and long-shanked development butno blooms . Or you’re able to even burn a plant with too much plant food . Stick to fertilize one every 10 - 14 days .
Do n’t fertilize newly plant begonias , give them a week or more to build tooth root .
You Have a Pest Problem
Check for pests if you are encounter less efflorescence . If you see sticky leave and they are shroud in a filmy web , it isspider mites . Spider mites envelope the leaf and blossoms of begonia and they will stop bloom and eventually succumb to the infestation if it is not treated .
sound begonias are less potential to be touch on by pests . Keep them in their ideal sun and soil conditions , and keep them evenly moist . But if you are already deal with a wanderer touch infestation the honorable thing to do is to get an insecticidal soap spraying and spray according to the package counsel .
I have seen wanderer mite infestations that are so bad that sometimes I will just pull the plant and begin again .
Begonias can also be overrun withmealybugsoraphids . Treat the same as spider mites . Prevention first , then treat with insecticidal easy lay . For mealybug , you may also practice a cotton mop in rubbing alcoholic drink and dab it directly on the mealybugs .
Again , if the infestation gets really defective it might be time to extract them out and cut your losses before they circularize to neighboring plants .
You Have Powdery Mildew
Begonias are particularly susceptible topowdery mildew . They wish louche moist condition and so does powdery mold . If you notice a white powdery substance on your begonias that can be wiped clean , chances are this is the job .
Begonias will struggle and lay off to bloom when struggling with a engagement against powdery mold . maintain them in their ideal growing conditions will help reduce mildew . Also , fend off tearing in the eventide and spraying weewee now on the foliage .
leave the leaves blotto overnight is a breeding ground for powdery mildew . If you have mildew on your plant there are a variety of antimycotic useable at garden centers , and there are moreenvironmentally friendly DIY solutions .
Final Thoughts
Begonias are beautiful blooming plants . When they are healthy and in the correct condition they willbloom continuously all season long . If they are n’t blooming take a flavour at these 11 tips and see if you’re able to figure out the reason they are n’t blooming . Once youcorrect the problemthey should go back to blooming .
