Begonia Information Travels Too! Begonia Clinic The Begonian – September/October 2006 Sometimes (and some varieties of) begonias will react sharply to unfavorable conditions; in other situations (and with other begonias) there may be only an overall malaise or unhealthy appearance. 1. Temperatures Too High. Symptoms: Leaves feel and look dry, lifeless, not supple and alive. Plant wilts frequently, needs watering more than once a day. Few or no flowers at visual flowering time of year. 2. Temperatures Too Low. Symptoms: Plant "stands still" - lives, but does not grow or bloom. Leaves have a sickly color, feel limp. Soil takes too long to dry out. Plant may appear to be in good health one day, flop over and die the next. 3. Temperature Too Changeable. Symptoms: Unopened buds and leaves drop. Plant may suddenly collapse. Cause: Chill drafts in warm air, or extreme jumps from cold to warm – plant suffers "shock.” Occasionally results when plant is moved from warm, humid greenhouse to cool, dry home. 4. Light Too Weak. Symptoms: Stems limp, soft. and longer than normal with exaggerated spaces between nodes. Leaves lack fresh healthy color, look pale, wan; unhealthy sheen. Plant stretches toward the light, blooms little or not at all. Treatment: Cut back and start over; provide more light. Note: Plants, even with strong light, will tend to lean in the direction of the one light source. To preserve symmetry, rotate pots a quarter-turn every day or so. 5. Insufficient Sunlight. Symptoms: Plant bloomed well last winter, but hasn't a flower this year. Cause: Check last winter's weather reports. Were there fewer sunless days with dark, overcast skies? 'This year, how many clays of bright sunlight? Treatment: Tray a few bonus hours of artificial light beginning at dusk every day. 6. Sunlight Too Strong. Symptoms: Thin, brown spots on leaves - sunscald. Plant looks shriveled, stunted, leaves are reddish, even scorched. Treatment: To prevent sunscald, avoid water on leaves when plant is in sun. Otherwise, more plants out of strong sunlight, or provide some shade. 7. Air Stale, too Humid. Symptoms: Filmy mold forms around base of stems, particularly on cuttings rooting in closed propagation box. Leaves rot, starting at center and working out to edge. Stems become squashy and rot off. Soil is sour, seldom dries out. Treatment: Increase circulation of fresh air. Space plants well apart. Partially remove top from propagation box; keep propagating medium on the dry side. 8. Air Too Dry, Humidity too Low. Symptoms: Leaves continually drop; new leaves form. Leaf edges are crisp, dried. Flower buds don't develop, or fall before opening. Treatment: Provide more humidity. 9. Too Much Water, Too Often. Symptoms; soil is constantly muddy; roots and rhizomes rot. Healthy plants (especially hairy-leaved varieties) suddenly wilt, wither, dry at top. Lower leaves (particularly angel-wings) drop off as if cut from stem, leaving small tassel of new leaves at tip. Leaves have blistery, dropsy-type swellings (oedema). Treatment: Make sure pot has adequate drainage. Hold back water even to the point of wilting. Never water on dark, damp days. When plant looks ill, start new cuttings in a hurry. One small but firm and living section of rhizome or root can often be trimmed clean and started again in a propagations box. 10. Too Little Water, Too Seldom. Symptoms: Leaves and stems wilt. Well-formed flower buds drop off. Leaves (particularly summer-blooming tuberous begonias) wither and dry, without turning yellow first. Cause: Is soil too sandy? Is pot so full that water has no room to wait until it can seep down and soak the root ball? Are you watering thoroughly, so that excess runs out the bottom - or merely wetting the top inch or so? Do you water on a set schedule, or when plants actually need it. Treatment: Most begonias wilted from dryness will perk up amazingly fast when soil and pot are soaked in pan or bowl of water up to the rim. 11. Soil Too Heavy. Symptoms: Plant “doesn't do well,” barely survives. New tip growth withers, dries. Plant gradually dies. In hot, dray weather (and especially in summer-flowering tuberous begonias) the lower leaves yellow and fall off. Treatment: Turn soil out of pot, examine roots. Clean off any that look dark and dead. Repot in fresh soil. Prune back severely. If this is one. of the more delicate begonias, try it in a wire hanging basket lined with moss and a lighter soil mix containing more humus. Or try sphagnum moss. 12. Soil Too light. Symptoms: Plant requires too-frequent watering, has tendency to wilt several times a clay, particularly in hot weather. Treatment: mix soil that will hold more moisture, increase proportion of humus and cutting down on or omitting sand. If possible, use soil containing more clay. 13. Pot too Large. Symptoms: Stems grow flabby and wither. Plant may collapse. Roots rot and decay. Soil turns sour. Cause: Too much soil supplies more food than roots can absorb, retains too much water, admits insufficient soil. 14. Pot too Small. Symptoms: No new growth, especially in summer. Few or no flowers. Leaves sparse and small. Cause: Plant is starved for food and new soil. 15. Too Much Fertilizer. Symptoms: Accumulated white fertilizer salts on soil surface form a crust so hard it can cut tender stems. Leaf edges brown and crisp (particularly in summer-flowering tuberous begonias). Tip growth crisp, brown – first sign of “fertilizer burn.” When turned out of pot, roots look brown and dry, break off with small bits of soil. Treatment: Severe damage requires repotting in fresh soil, even flushing old soil from roots with hard water stream; and, of course, withholding fertilizer. For less serious cases, scrape off top layer of soil, flush water through from top to bottom, top-dress with fresh soil.

Begonia Information Travels Too!

Begonia Clinic

The Begonian – September/October 2006

Sometimes (and some varieties of) begonias will react sharply to unfavorable conditions; in other

situations (and with other begonias) there may be only an overall malaise or unhealthy appearance.

1. Temperatures Too High. Symptoms: Leaves feel and look dry, lifeless, not supple and alive.

Plant wilts frequently, needs watering more than once a day. Few or no flowers at visual flowering

time of year.

2. Temperatures Too Low. Symptoms: Plant "stands still" - lives, but does not grow or bloom.

Leaves have a sickly color, feel limp. Soil takes too long to dry out. Plant may appear to be in

good health one day, flop over and die the next.

3. Temperature Too Changeable. Symptoms: Unopened buds and leaves drop. Plant may

suddenly collapse. Cause: Chill drafts in warm air, or extreme jumps from cold to warm – plant

suffers "shock.” Occasionally results when plant is moved from warm, humid greenhouse to cool,

dry home.

4. Light Too Weak. Symptoms: Stems limp, soft. and longer than normal with exaggerated spaces

between nodes. Leaves lack fresh healthy color, look pale, wan; unhealthy sheen. Plant stretches

toward the light, blooms little or not at all. Treatment: Cut back and start over; provide more light.

Note: Plants, even with strong light, will tend to lean in the direction of the one light source. To

preserve symmetry, rotate pots a quarter-turn every day or so.

5. Insufficient Sunlight. Symptoms: Plant bloomed well last winter, but hasn't a flower this year.

Cause: Check last winter's weather reports. Were there fewer sunless days with dark, overcast

skies? 'This year, how many clays of bright sunlight? Treatment: Tray a few bonus hours of

artificial light beginning at dusk every day.

6. Sunlight Too Strong. Symptoms: Thin, brown spots on leaves - sunscald. Plant looks shriveled,

stunted, leaves are reddish, even scorched. Treatment: To prevent sunscald, avoid water on

leaves when plant is in sun. Otherwise, more plants out of strong sunlight, or provide some shade.

7. Air Stale, too Humid. Symptoms: Filmy mold forms around base of stems, particularly on cuttings

rooting in closed propagation box. Leaves rot, starting at center and working out to edge. Stems

become squashy and rot off. Soil is sour, seldom dries out. Treatment: Increase circulation of

fresh air. Space plants well apart. Partially remove top from propagation box; keep propagating

medium on the dry side.

8. Air Too Dry, Humidity too Low. Symptoms: Leaves continually drop; new leaves form. Leaf

edges are crisp, dried. Flower buds don't develop, or fall before opening. Treatment: Provide more

humidity.

9. Too Much Water, Too Often. Symptoms; soil is constantly muddy; roots and rhizomes rot.

Healthy plants (especially hairy-leaved varieties) suddenly wilt, wither, dry at top. Lower leaves

(particularly angel-wings) drop off as if cut from stem, leaving small tassel of new leaves at tip.

Leaves have blistery, dropsy-type swellings (oedema). Treatment: Make sure pot has adequate

drainage. Hold back water even to the point of wilting. Never water on dark, damp days. When

plant looks ill, start new cuttings in a hurry. One small but firm and living section of rhizome or root

can often be trimmed clean and started again in a propagations box.

10. Too Little Water, Too Seldom. Symptoms: Leaves and stems wilt. Well-formed flower buds drop

off. Leaves (particularly summer-blooming tuberous begonias) wither and dry, without turning

yellow first. Cause: Is soil too sandy? Is pot so full that water has no room to wait until it can seep

down and soak the root ball? Are you watering thoroughly, so that excess runs out the bottom - or

merely wetting the top inch or so? Do you water on a set schedule, or when plants actually need

it. Treatment: Most begonias wilted from dryness will perk up amazingly fast when soil and pot are

soaked in pan or bowl of water up to the rim.

11. Soil Too Heavy. Symptoms: Plant “doesn't do well,” barely survives. New tip growth withers,

dries. Plant gradually dies. In hot, dray weather (and especially in summer-flowering tuberous

begonias) the lower leaves yellow and fall off. Treatment: Turn soil out of pot, examine roots.

Clean off any that look dark and dead. Repot in fresh soil. Prune back severely. If this is one. of

the more delicate begonias, try it in a wire hanging basket lined with moss and a lighter soil mix

containing more humus. Or try sphagnum moss.

12. Soil Too light. Symptoms: Plant requires too-frequent watering, has tendency to wilt several

times a clay, particularly in hot weather. Treatment: mix soil that will hold more moisture, increase

proportion of humus and cutting down on or omitting sand. If possible, use soil containing more

clay.

13. Pot too Large. Symptoms: Stems grow flabby and wither. Plant may collapse. Roots rot and

decay. Soil turns sour. Cause: Too much soil supplies more food than roots can absorb, retains

too much water, admits insufficient soil.

14. Pot too Small. Symptoms: No new growth, especially in summer. Few or no flowers. Leaves

sparse and small. Cause: Plant is starved for food and new soil.

15. Too Much Fertilizer. Symptoms: Accumulated white fertilizer salts on soil surface form a crust so

hard it can cut tender stems. Leaf edges brown and crisp (particularly in summer-flowering

tuberous begonias). Tip growth crisp, brown – first sign of “fertilizer burn.” When turned out of pot,

roots look brown and dry, break off with small bits of soil. Treatment: Severe damage requires

repotting in fresh soil, even flushing old soil from roots with hard water stream; and, of course,

withholding fertilizer. For less serious cases, scrape off top layer of soil, flush water through from

top to bottom, top-dress with fresh soil.