Angel Wing Begonia Houseplant Care Tips
For those of you who really like houseplants that have beautiful leaves, you can grow begonias in the garden at your at home or in pots. What family are begonias in? the answer is Begoniaceae. Interestingly, all plant members of the Begoniaceae family are commonly called begonias. With more than 1,500 species, begonias are included one of the largest genera of angiosperms. You have to collect them.
There are many types of begonias. Like;
- Begonia rex caracas,
- Begonia rex aurora,
- Begonia rex raspberry,
- Begonia marmaduke,
- Begonia rex silver,
- Begonia rex green,
- Begonia new york swirl,
- Begonia rizomatus,
- Begonia silver angel wings,
- Begonia helen teupel,
- Begonia rex mixture,
- Begonia rex fireworks ,
- Begonia rex jurassic watermelon,
- Begonia stained glass, and many more.
The main attraction of the begonia plant is their own leaves. Unlike other plants that have plain green leaves, this begonia plant has various colours of leaves.
Variant of begonia’s foliage colour:
- Green
- Brown
- White
- Pink
- Gray
- Orange
- Blue
- Black
- Yellow
- Red
These colors are on the leaves of the begonia plant and form such as hues in certain patterns that are very gorgeous and charming that can attract anyone who sees them.
The shape of speckled foliage appears on glossy green leaves on surface with red tints or backing and looks like angle wing so that’s why this begonia named the angel wing. Many begonia angel wing offer many sizes and heights.
Well, begonia x coralline, or sugarcane begonia, is known to be one of the easiest begonias to grow indoors. And also there is an angel wing begonia plant for most indoor situations. Growing begonia angel wings indoor can provide a dwarf plant such as for a table, or a large floor plant like a shrub that up to 5 feet tall.
The houseplant angel wing begonia grow well in soil-moist, but not soggy soil. Let the soil dry between waterings. You can put the angel wing houseplant begonias with indirect sunlight. The right lighting and giving fertilizer will promote flowering when you plan to grow angel wing begonias indoors
Feed your begonia with high nitrogen houseplant to promote larger leaves when growing angel wing begonia for foliage and healthy growth. And you have to understand the nitrogen requirements for plants you are having that makes it easier to meet their supplement needs
But if you want to grow angel wing begonia for flower, the fertilizer type is different than planting begonia for foliage. The fertilizer is needed for flowering of angel wing begonia is slightly higher in phosphorus than those grown for foliage.
Basically, begonia is one of easy plant to grow. To thrive them, you can take care of these plants with the tips below!
Soil
Begonias grow well with humus-rich planting media. The planting media is neither too wet nor too dry. In addition, and don’t let waterlog. When watering them, flushes through the pores of this planting media. You can make a porous planting medium using humid soil, not clay. Then also add enough rice husks or sand as a soil mixture.
Light
Plants that have broad leaves like begonias really likes sunlight. These plants will thrive when exposed to direct sunlight but to avoid the leaves burn you can give them sunlight 6hours in a day. The leaves will be lush with a bright color. So as much as possible, you should plant this begonia in the open that can get the maximum sunlight. You don’t have to plant it directly in the ground, but you can also use pots or polybags.
Water
Begonia plants need more water. This water will be used by begonia plants to carry out the photosynthesis process. Given the wide leaf size and lush posture, begonias will photosynthesize optimally. You have to water it regularly to support the photosynthesis process. So water this plant with water every day to the planting medium directly.
Fertilizer
Apart from water, begonia plants also need a lot of nutrients as a provision for photosynthesis. As time goes by, the nutrient content in the growing media will deplete and decrease drastically because it continues to be taken up by the plant roots. You must replenish it by re-fertilizing every 1 month. Use NPK fertilizer to support leaf growth. And depending on the cultivar, begonia wing angel flowers in late winter through fall due to that fertilize every two weeks. Some may bloom several times throughout the year.
Pests
Plants that have such beautiful leaves, such as begonias, are generally very susceptible to attack by pests from the flea group. For example, the mealybugs that attack begonias by sucking the fluids contained in them. Mealybugs will attack in large numbers. As a result, plants that are attacked become thin, stunted growth, and wither. To fix this easily, get rid of these white fleas swarms using a mosquito repellent spray.
Repot
In spring you can repot begonias every year. Then move to a larger pot each year. And add gravel or broken pot fragments to the pot to help well drainage.
Begonia is one of the decorative plants that can be used in shade as well because of the low need for sunlight, so it can also be used as an indoor houseplant. Now that you have learned how to grow angel wing begonias with different cultivars. All of them are attractive, beautiful and low maintenance when you planted in the right areas and right way. Another thing that begonias unique have is they will grow so well in a pot out of your home, you can read this how to care begonias in a pot outdoors easily.
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