Ammonia seed begonia

All the variety of species and varieties of begonia is easily divided into 2 main categories: those that attract only their foliage, and those that are capable of flowering. The most popular are the tuberous and ampelous begonias, as ideal inhabitants of apartments and country houses, unpretentious in caring for them, as well as being perennials. Growing begonias at home is subject even to an inexperienced gardener.

Ampelous begonia: photos and features of growing from seeds

For the cultivation of seeds of ampelous begonia, the soil is composed of peat, garden soil and sand, combined in equal proportion or with a slight predominance of peat. At the same time, its share can be reduced if one sows an ampel begonia in peat cups. Before planting the seed, the substrate is necessarily moistened through spraying; sprinkle calcined sand on top, which will act as an antiseptic. Seeds are not buried; it is also not necessary to pour them with earth. The bowl should be tightened with a film and placed in the area of ​​diffused light, where it will be possible to maintain a comfortable temperature for the seedlings of 20 gadus.

Despite the fact that ampelous begonia loves moisture, it is impossible to accumulate condensate on the film: for this reason, the containers are ventilated up to 3 times a day, and the film is changed daily. You can replace it with glass and just wipe it from the inside several times a day.

The emergence of seedlings is expected by the end of the 2nd week, after which the containers are kept open during the day and closed at night. When the seedlings are stronger, and 2-3 leaves appear on them, they should be tempered: carried out on the glazed balcony or left in front of the open window (but not in the path of through-air), gradually increasing the time of this procedure from 30 minutes. up to 6 hours

The transplantation of the ampelous begonia into the pots takes place 2-3 weeks after the appearance of the 3rd leaf on the shoots, the containers pick up small ones with a diameter of 15-20 cm. Some gardeners first move the shoots to pots with a diameter of 10 cm, but later they will still have to transplant into larger containers.

Ampel begonia often other species sits in pots not singly, but in the amount of 2-3 bushes, so that the resulting composition looks more lush. The distance between the specimens should be 10-15 cm. So that accidental damage to the roots does not occur.

Ever-flowering begonia: growing from seeds in open ground

Outwardly, the ever-flowering begonia is distinguished by medium-sized oval leaves of red color and fairly compact bushes with an erect stem: even the tallest ones hardly stretch more than 35 cm. For this reason, the flowering begonia is excellent for borders and rabatok, small flower beds as framing or filling plants. Begonia is grown very rarely in the open field, but it is well adapted to the conditions of the middle belt, so there are usually no problems with its planting or even planting at the dacha. The main thing is to choose the right time and find the right place.

Land for ever flowering begonias need sunny, but not blown. The stronger the shading on this area, the less abundant the flowering of the bush will be, and the stronger it will reach up. However, for varieties with decorative leaves, this is not the worst option, so begonia is considered a rather unpretentious flower. Tillage, including acidification, is carried out to a depth of 20 cm, which the plant root system will occupy.

Sowing ever-flowering begonias in the open ground is carried out in mid-June, when the night-time air temperature stays at around 10-12 degrees. Both seeds and tubers of this plant are dangerous frost. For this reason, it is sometimes better to tighten with a landing time, and also to dig up bushes for wintering in an apartment a little earlier than to hurry and inadvertently ruin the saplings. This is especially true of zones with a sharply continental climate.

Tuberous begonia: planting and care at home

• Tuberous begonia was originally focused on growing in open ground, but the climate of the middle band made its own changes, and most gardeners chose to relocate this flower to an apartment in order to save its life in the cold. As a result, today the tuberous begonia is a frequent resident not only of household plots, but also of balconies. Grow it at home is much easier than in the country, and the general algorithm is slightly different from what is prescribed to work with ampel or ever flowering begonia.
• The soil of the tuberous begonia needs a fertile, rich in nutrients, and here you can not be afraid to overfeed the plant - it will not bloom from this worse. An equal volume of peat, sand, and compost or humus is taken into 2 parts of ordinary garden soil, while they should be half as much as the main soil. In addition, do not forget to slightly reduce the acidity of this soil by adding a little ash or lime. And at the bottom of the pot after small pebbles as a drainage it is necessary to pour charcoal, which will also serve as a material that collects moisture and prevents rotting of the roots.
• It is not necessary to feed the flower during planting, except for liquid potash-phosphate fertilizer, but during its growing season organic and mineral fertilizers will be added - the begonia takes food from the soil actively, and there is no place to take in the closed space of the new batch. But watering the flower is needed only during the growing season, when the bushes need to be watered in the morning and evening, the rest of the time, the stems of the begonias are sprayed and slightly moisten the soil with a spray gun. Water for irrigation should always be warm.
• Tuberous begonia should be planted in pots with great care: at any age it has a very fragile stem that can be easily broken. For this reason, the seedling is buried in the ground so that the lower part of the stem is 5-6 cm under the ground, which must be compacted near it. If you put tubers, not seedlings, into the substrate, also deepen them to the specified height. At the same time, the pot for the tuberous begonia is chosen with low walls, but rather a large diameter, since the root system is superficial and will expand greatly in breadth.
• In the case when the tuberous begonia is planted in a long box, implying the proximity of several bushes, keep a distance of 30 cm between the specimens so that they do not intertwine with the roots and do not interfere with each other in growth and development.

Growing begonias from seeds is practiced less frequently than from tubers or grafting, but the results with this method of planting a flower are just as good. Be sure to consider the love of the plant for the sun, its intolerance to the latched soil, as well as the need for watering only during the flowering period, and any type of begonia or variety will grow freely in your apartment or in your summer cottage.