Tuberous begonia: the name and description of your favorite varieties for pots and open ground, photo species and the rules for growing this herb in the garden and at home

Tuber begonia is an ornamental plant with which you can decorate not only the balcony, but also any corner of the garden. The peculiarity of the plant is in long flowering, which lasts from early spring to late autumn.

In addition, a wide palette of shades of flowers will allow you to create a real floral arrangement on the flowerbed. You will learn about how to grow this beautiful plant in the garden and the rules for caring for it in this article. Also watch useful and informative related videos.

Botanical description and history

ATTENTION: Growing tuberous begonia at home is not so simple. Here you need to know all the intricacies of growing and caring for it. Decorative culture has several hybrid forms and is considered a perennial herbaceous tuberous plant for open ground. It differs in fleshy, juicy and branching stems.

Given the shape of the bush and the size of the flower, tuber begonia happens:

large-flowered (7-20 cm);
medium flowering (up to 7 cm);
small-flowered (multiflora);
ampelous.

The history of the origin of tuber begonia begins in the middle of the 19th century. At this time, hybrids created from two wild-growing begonias from Bolivia began to go on sale. Their name is Zeden.

After that, the hybrid was used to cross many types of begonias, including:

Veitchi.
Clark.
David.

At least 7 species of begonia were used to create modern specimens. In the culture, tuber begonia appeared at the end of the 19th century. The first terry forms were seen in Belgium in 1867-1870. Their founder is breeder Louis Van Gutt.

Names and characteristics of varieties for flowerbed and pot

For garden

You can create a colorful and original composition in the garden if you use the following varieties of tuberous begonia:

Crispa Marginata. This includes litter with fringed petals. The flowers are white or yellow, and the edging is red.
Camellia Flora. This species will be useful to those gardeners who wish to decorate the site with large, double flowers. The bush is small, compact, its height is 30 cm. Flowering lasts throughout the season.
B. Tubergybrida. Plant height 30 cm. You can get double and non-double flowers. The variety is characterized by an abundance of colors: white, yellow, pink, lilac. Flowers of different sexes: on the same bush, both male and female can bloom.

Indoor plant varieties

You can enjoy the furry flowering of tuberous begonia at home by planting it in a pot. The following varieties are suitable for this:

Chanson. This is a perennial plant, which is characterized by small double flowers of red, white, yellow and orange.
Margarita. Ampel culture, characterized by camelliform yellow buds, the size of which is 15 cm.
Opium white. This gentle beauty is not so mesmerizing with its beauty as an incredible aroma. Her leaves are smooth and shiny. Flowering begins in July and lasts until the frost.

Photo species

Here you will see what the main varieties of tuber begonia look like:

Rules for planting in the garden

The process of planting tuberous begonia in the open ground is a simple, but responsible business. The following recommendations can help:

The first thing you need to decide on the place. It must be protected from wind, direct sunlight. Choose areas with diffused light, as the plant may get burned under the open sun.
When planting several bushes between them, keep a distance. It depends on the size of the planting material. For large - 30 cm, medium - 20 cm, small - 15 cm.
Before planting, lightly water the soil, lay the planting material, grind it with soil composition and tamp.

How to plant in a pot?

As for tuber begonia the root system is superficial, then choose wide and shallow containers for it. Be sure to lay a thick layer of drainage, and charcoal on it. This is an excellent prevention of root decay.

For planting, you can use the finished substrate or prepare it yourself using the following components:

sheet land - 3 parts;
peat - 1 part;
humus - 1 part;
sand - 1 part.

Fill the pot with soil by 2/3, as the lower part is completely occupied by drainage.

After completing all the preparatory measures, you can go directly to the planting of begonia tuber, using the following action plan:

Peel the tubers from old roots.
To disinfect them in a solution of potassium permanganate. Hold for 30 minutes.
In the ground, make a deepening and place the tuber with the kidneys up.
Sprinkle a little loose soil, while not falling asleep kidneys.

Watch the video on planting tuberous begonia in a pot:

Lighting and location

Tuber begonia feels good in a carefully lit place, but only without direct sunlight. But even in partial shade, the plant grows poorly and develops.

In summer, begonia can be planted on a personal plot.. Then distribute them in the light shade of trees and shrubs. Indoor flowers feel great on windows facing east or west.

If in summer the begonia remains in the pot, then turn it, changing its position relative to the light. This will prevent dropping buds.

Soil requirements

The cultivation of tuber begonia poses certain soil requirements. It should be loose, fertile and with high acidity.

How to care?

Temperature

For plants growing in open ground, the temperature is not critical (only if the summer is too cold). For home begonias, the temperature regime will be 18-23 degrees heat. In winter, the temperature should not be below +15 degrees (how to save tuberous begonia in winter at home, you can find here).

Watering

Humidification should be regular, but not plentiful. Between watering, observe a break during which the soil in the pot can dry by 1-1.5 cm. In hot weather, watering should be plentiful. But do not allow waterlogging, as delicate roots can rot. Apply settled and warm water to moisturize.

Top dressing

Mineral complex formulations are useful for tuber begonia. You need to make them 2 times a month from the beginning of flowering. But before this period, feed the culture with nitrogen fertilizers. But it is important not to overdo it with him, otherwise the begonia will begin to actively increase the green mass, but will not give out buds.

Pruning

Home and garden tuber begonia is growing rapidly, so pruning is indispensable. The first time it serves to give the bush the necessary shape. Trim the stems by 7-8 cm. As soon as all the side branches grow to 12 cm, trim their tops. This will allow in the future to form a begonia bush. For cutting, use only a sharp knife, as scissors can injure fragile branches.

Common diseases

With improper care for tuberous begonia, the following diseases can affect it:

Powdery mildew. This is a fungal disease that causes damage to all the underground parts of the plant. First, round whitish spots form on the leaves, and then they spread, forming a brown coating.
To combat the disease, use a solution obtained from 2 g of copper sulfate, 20 g of green soap and 1 liter of water.
Gray rot. Its development is affected by the microscopic fungus botritis. It is formed at high humidity and temperature. On the top of the plant, watery gray spots form, the buds are covered with mucus, the stems rot.
For processing use 1% Bordeaux. If the plant is severely affected by rot, treat it with a solution consisting of the following ingredients: topsin 0.05-0.2%, polycarbacin 0.4%, BMK 0.05-0.1%, foundationazole 0.05-0.1% and euparen 0.2%.
Ring spotting. Its development is influenced by a tomato virus. You can recognize the disease by yellow-green spots. Sucking insects carry the virus.
Treatment is rarely effective, most often the flower has to be thrown away.
Bacterial spotting. It defeats the back wall of the leaves, forming brown spots on them. For prevention, you can treat the flower with a 0.5% suspension of copper chloride.
Perform treatment every 12-14 days. It will not be possible to save the affected plant, destroy it, and thoroughly disinfect the soil.

About what diseases and pests can harm begonias and how to save a flower, read here.

Pest of tuberous begonias

The main pests of tuberous begonia are aphids, whiteflies and leaf nematodes. Let's consider them in more detail.

Aphid. This is a small insect with a length of 2.5 mm. It feeds on the juice of the plant, because of which the leaves turn yellow, the buds do not bloom, the flowers fall off.
Treat begonia with a 2-4% solution of green soap or tobacco (1 liter of water, 100 g of tobacco, leave for 2 days, add 2 liters of water).
Whitefly. This parasite is yellow in color with large white wings. Its length is 1.5 mm. It affects the leaves of the plant, because of which they lose their bright color. A soap solution (40 g of soap and 10 l of water) is suitable for processing.
Leaf nematode. These are worms whose length is 1 mm. Defeat the leaves, shoots, kidneys. Light green spots form on the leaves. Over time, the plant dies.TIP: For the fight using a solution of heterophos 0.05-0.2%. If the lesion is extensive, then remove the plant from the pot and burn.

Propagation Features

Tuberous begonia propagates in three ways: by seeds, cuttings and division of the tuber.

Seed propagation

This process is time consuming and time consuming. Since the planting material is quite small, then before planting, combine it with sand. Spread evenly over the surface of the earth and cover with glass to create a greenhouse effect. To accelerate growth and increase germination, the seeds should be pre-treated with a root stimulant.

Cuttings of tuberous begonia

From the mother plant, take a stalk 10 cm long. Plant it in moist peat. It is best to carry out such events in May, when the shoots are sufficiently developed, but still young. Watering the stalk is moderate, otherwise it may rot.

In detail about how to propagate tuberous begonia by cuttings, we described in our material.

Watch the video about the methods of propagation of tuberous begonia cuttings:

Tuber division

This method is the simplest and most effective. Divide the tuber only if each part contains at least 2 active kidneys. After division, treat the tuber immediately with charcoal or activated carbon.. Next, a normal landing is performed.

Conclusion

Tuber begonia is a unique plant that can be grown in open ground and in a pot at home. Only for this you need to choose the suitable varieties that will become your favorite. You need to take care of the tuberous begonia in a high-quality and regular way, so that as a result you get bright and lush flowering.