Spring News Article
Spring News Article
Contact: Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor
University of Vermont
If you are looking for a colorful, attractive flower to grace your garden, try the begonia. It is easy to grow, does well in shade, needs moderate care, and will reward you with a lovely display of blooms all summer long.
Tuberous begonias come in shades of white, pink, red, yellow, orange, and salmon as well as bi-colors. The large flowers are usually double and may be six inches or more in diameter. Plants generally grow 12 to 18 inches tall.
Depending on the variety, plants may have camellia, ruffled camellia, or rosebud type flowers. The hanging basket form has smaller, more numerous flowers than the more erect types.
Tuberous begonias do best in a location that has partial to full shade and well-drained soil. However, they also make excellent patio plants in containers.
Prepare the site by incorporating organic matter such as peat moss or compost into the upper eight to ten inches of the soil to improve plant performance. Add fertilizer at rates recommended by a soil test or, if you do not have your soil tested, mix in 10-10-10 or another general purpose fertilizer at the rate of one pound per 100 square feet before planting. The plants will need to be fertilized with a surface application once a month at the rate of one pound per 100 square feet.
Purchase only high quality, firm tubers. Tubers can be started early indoors one month before the frost-free date for your area by planting them in flats or pots filled with a 50:50 mixture of moist peat moss and perlite. The depressed side of the tuber should be facing up. The tubers should be sprouted at 70 degrees F in the dark.
As soon as the shoots develop, cover the tubers with more peat moss, and move to a bright location such as a sunny window. The young plants should not be transplanted outdoors until all danger of frost has passed.
When planting, place the tuber just slightly below the soil line as they rot easily when planted too deep. A minimum 18-inch spacing is recommended to allow the plant to fill out properly. After planting, do not cultivate around the root system or fibrous roots will be damaged. Plants should be watered when the soil begins to dry. The tubers will rot if they are overwatered. Try to water in the morning if possible so that any moisture that gets on the foliage will have time to dry before evening. Wet foliage increases the chance of disease.
After the first fall frost, dig the tubers and remove the foliage. Dry the tubers for a few days, and store them overwinter by placing them in dry peat moss or sawdust in a paper bag at about 50 degrees F.
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