Flowers

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brilliant , colorful foliage is sheer in the houseplant world , with variegated leaves taking center microscope stage . It ’s also beneficial outdoors , leave ocular interest during cooler season when flowering slows down . The Billie Jean Moffitt King of colorful foliage is the Begonia , develop a reach of unparalleled patterns and colour topped with cute rosiness .

propagate begonias

Once you ’ve happen a favourite coinage among the many to select from , the easiest way to reduplicate them is to keep your cash and try multiplication . Straight - forward and easy , multiplying these beautiful houseplant may become your new by-line .

All you need topropagate Begonias is a single leaf , produce a continuous supply of these gorgeous , scurvy - upkeep plant .

About Begonias

The term begonia does n’t describe one unmarried metal money , although many gardeners believably think a specific plant when they hear it . Begoniais a massive genus ofbeautifully - bloom plant and strike foliagecontaining more than2000 specie .

This impressive range understandably run to even more telling variety between plants in native area , growth habits , and preferred conditions . Unique foliage connects them all , often featuring interesting shapes and colors and endearing flowers .

Begonias are normally split into unlike type to describe their diverse growth habits . grant to theAmerican Begonia Society , there are nine different types , although they vie that these categories can be blurred :

Close-up of a blooming Wax begonia. Wax begonia leaves are smooth and waxy in texture, oval in shape, and have serrated edges. They are dark green with purple hues. Bright red flowers with yellow stamens. They are small, collected in groups, consist of rounded petals.

Rex Begonias are the ones most often go on as houseplants . There are many cultivars in other family , but they ’re usually kept as garden or container plant life .

Begonias originate from tropical and sub - tropical climates , growing bestin warm and humid experimental condition . They fit right inlush tropical gardens , but their power to grow and even flower in shady areas have made them popular indoor plants .

How To Propagate Begonias From Single Leaves

If you have a particular Begonia metal money you ’ve fallen in love with or want to fill more of your home or garden with these stunning works , you ’re in fortune . Many Begonias will arise several lovely plantlets from just a single leaf which can then be separated to arise severally .

There are other agency to circularise Begonias , butsingle leavesare the most effective method for the strong result it delivers and the number of plants you could grow . It ’s also suited for any Begonia you have – large or small – as you only need one flyspeck leaf to go .

I used this method acting to examine and fill an full shadowy bed under a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree in my garden and ended up with so many plant I had to give some away to friend and family . Use your extras to fill peck indoors and out , or cover your garden in cute blossom and intricate foliage .

Close-up of a starter tray with growing seedlings of Strawberry Begonia. The starter tray has deep square cells filled with wet potting mix. The plant produces short, pale pink stems and small, round, heart-shaped leaves with serrated edges. Leaves and stems are hairy. The leaves are bright green with gray-purple markings.

What You Need

You do n’t involve many specialised tools , but you will need to grab a few more item than you may be used to when propagating .

The first essential item to spread begonias is a sharp tongue to remove the leaf and slice into the bottom . I have asmall foxiness knifeI care to use for propagate tasks . Ensure it is as sharp as potential , limiting damage to essential transport scheme within the leaf . It ’s also best to strip cock good before you start toavoid spreading any harmful bacteriaand encouraging disease .

The next detail , potentially causing some confusion , is a report clipping . you could also use hair pins or anything small and bland that can be forget in the soil . If you ca n’t calculate out why , you ’ll witness out later .

Close-up of a large wide plastic tray with growing Strawberry Begonia seedlings. The plant produces small, round, heart-shaped leaves with serrated edges. They are bright green in color with silvery purple markings. Leaves and stems are covered with fine white hairs.

Finally , you ’ll need asturdy tray or containerwith drainage holes and a Light Within propagate or seedling mix . I use a compounding of equal parts coconut coir and perlite , which drains well but holds onto just enough wet to promote root growth . Do n’t concern about choosing a fancy ornamental container early on , as you ’ll need to transplant once plantlets have develop .

Rooting in dirt delivers better results , specially if you desire to spring up several plant at the same time . But you’re able to also rout in water if you ’re unforced to monitor water levels closely and verify the folio does n’t diminish into the spyglass . For this method acting , you only need a pair of shear , a small glass , and some tap water .

Identify A Suitable Leaf

The first stair in spread Begonias may seem dim-witted , but it sets the degree for recent growth – pick out a leaf . A enceinte and healthy leaf will have the highest chance of successful solution growth , and a greater Earth’s surface area increase the space for plantlets to go forth .

Alwayschoose leaves without signs of damage or disease . While some damaged leaf may root , your chances will be much higher if they are healthy with no areas to focus on repairing . In disease cases , the problem will only distribute to your new plants , sodiseased plantsare better remove .

You may need to take several leaves at once to increase your stock . If that ’s the slip , consider the physique of the original plant when deciding which to remove . Do n’t desire to take all the leave from one side , leaving the plant whole lopsided .

Close-up of a female Begonia Maculata touching a leaf. The plant grows in a large white decorative pot, on a white background. The leaves are large, asymmetrical, wing-shaped, with pointed tips and slightly serrated edges. The leaves are dark green with white spots that resemble polka dots.

Trim and Slice The Leaf

Once you ’ve decided which parts of your Begonia to trim for propagation , grab your knifelike knife and get quick to remove .

You only necessitate a small part of the petiole ( the leaf stem ) , as the leaf will eventually dwell prostrate on the soil . But if you do n’t desire to leave foresighted and empty petioles on the plant , slice them off at the baseand shorten the petiole after removal .

Make as make clean a cut as potential , debar damage to the parent plant or the leaf .

Close-up of female hands cutting begonia leaves for further propagation, on a white light window sill. The girl is dressed in a striped white and blue shirt and a gray apron. The begonia plant produces dense, lush, dark green foliage. The leaves are oval, slightly asymmetrical in shape with small serrated edges.

Once your leaf or several leaves have been removed , flip the leaf over so the undersurface is visible . Then , as scary as it may seem , you ’ll need to make small cuts into the central veins of the leaf . Using your knife , slice about half an in cuts into the veins close to the base of the leaf . Keep the cuts small . You only need to expose the vena , not remove lump of the leaves .

Pin To Soil

Next , snaffle your choose container and satisfy it with your propagating premix . It should be lightheaded and well - enfeeble rather than compacted , so do n’t press the land into the container too tightly . Ensure nothing is blockade the drain holes . Then , add water to the container to premoisten the soil .

Flip your leave back around and lie them on top of the land . If you ’re rooting multiple leaves at once , leave a small infinite between each one . Press the small part of the petiole softly into the grunge to ground it .

Now it ’s time for the newspaper clips ( or any pins you have ) . Twist them so you ’re capable topress them into the soil . Then , pin the leaf down into the grime close to the cuts you made . This avail the leaf persist in contact lens with the stain and limits any social movement hindering beginning growing .

Close-up of female hands planting young seedlings and cuttings of begonias in a large plastic pot, in the garden. The gardener’s hands are dressed in translucent gloves. Begonia plants form tufts of upright, hairy stems of red and green flowers. The stems bear beautiful asymmetrical leaves with pointed tips and serrated edges. The leaves are hairy. The leaves are dark green and purple with bright green veins.

Even slight movement or a gentle breeze can shift the delicate farewell , potentially uprooting any growth attempt to make itself . guarantee the pin are hard in shoes , and do n’t allow the leaf to move to increase your probability of success .

Cover With Plastic

The final step involves creating the perfect environment to encourage root development – namely , fond and humid . To increase humidness around the leaf and keep moisture in the dirt for as long as possible , create a mini greenhouseby covering your container in a clear plastic suitcase .

Seedling tray are easy to slide into a formative bag , or you could drape the base over a container and hold it up with skewers . The bag should be relatively sozzled but not completely unsympathetic to improve airflow . If you have a propagator handy , you could skip this step and pop them in , opening the vents to forbid cast growth .

Lift the bag daily to ascertain on the leaves and air them out . If the soil front ironic , cloud the top to increase wet level or sum up water from the bottom . When propagating begonia , soil should be lightly dampish , not wet , as superfluous wet will make the leaves to rot .

Close-up of a potted plant in a small clay pot covered with a translucent plastic bag to create a mini greenhouse to create an environment for better root development. The plastic bag is tied with a green ribbon.

Propagating In Water

Propagating in water does n’t have the potential to farm as many plantlet . When leaves are pin to the soil , they can develop plantlets at any of the slits in the vein , while leaves propagated in water onlyproduce ascendent from the bottom of the petiole . But it does have the welfare of ease , take much less clip and materials to complete .

The first footstep in the cognitive process is the same – identifying the perfect foliage . But when you take that foliage , include a longer discussion section of the leafstalk and keep it impound . A shorter petiole is harder to keep in a chalk without the folio falling in .

Once you ’ve take and removed your leaves , grab a glass with a narrow opening . If you do n’t have one that lets you keep the leafage ironical and out of the water , address a even glass with charge card wrap and make a diminished hole in the shopping centre to declare the leaf in place .

Close-up of a woman’s hand holding cuttings of Begonia Maculata, also known as the Polka Dot Begonia, in a glass of water for rooting. The cuttings consist of green stems covered with large asymmetrical leaves that are wing-shaped. The underside of the leaves has shades of dark red. The upper side of the leaves is dark green in color, decorated with white spots resembling polka dots.

fulfil the chalk with water supply and cut down the foliage inside so only the bottom of the leafstalk is under the weewee . As your goal is to get a plantlet to egress from the bottom , it ’s effective to leave only that little section covered so the leaf can grow above the water bloodline .

Aftercare

Your container or glass require to be in a warm and bright domain to push root word growth . While indirect twinkle is crucial , keep the leave out of the vivid direct sunto prevent harm .

For leaves rooted in soil , keep even territory moisture and supervene upon the screening to increase humidity . For leaves rout in piddle , top up the weewee whenever the water line drops and supervene upon it completely when it get muddy . scavenge the container to prevent bacterial build - up .

Final Thoughts

Plantlets can take several weeks to evolve , requiring some forbearance . But if you observe idealistic condition and keep up with upkeep , you should see babe Begonias in under two months . await after these sister plants until they have enough tooth root to stand severally . Then they can be separated , graft into new container , and placed wherever you need them around your home and garden !

Close-up of Painted-leaf begonia in a white decorative pot against a gray background. Painted-leaf begonia has amazing painted leaves. The leaves are heart-shaped, with a pointed tip and serrated edges. The leaves include a rich shade of purple and a pale grey-green ring in the center of the leaf.