Growing Spotted Leaf Angel Wing Begonia And Propagation

The beautiful Maculata begonia belongs to one of Begonia species. This plant was found in Brazil on 1982 by an Italian researcher. However this species came from Mexico, Asia, South Africa, and Central America. Begonia Maculata will grow best in tropical climates and humid subtropical.

Begonia Maculata or well know as polka dot begonias due to its foliage is a perennial plant that commonly blooms with beautiful pink white flowers for three times in a year. The white dots of the upper surface green leaves makes them look so dramatic.

Begonia Maculata is suitable for planting in a soil-mix of porous growing media with good drainage, which consists of a mixture of soil with sand and roasted husk or cocopeat. Keep maintaining the temperatures between 19 and 22 ° C with high humidity and keep the soil slightly moist, but don’t let it too wet. This plant requires special care. When they flowering, white to pale pink flowers will bloom. This plant will grow height up to 1.5 meters.

Maculata Begonia Care

Soil

Begonia Maculata grow best in a mix of soil, roasted husk and cocopeat like (best media planting for flowers). This plant is easy to root rot. So, you have to add a gravel at the bottom to create better drainage as an option.

Light

Spotted leaf begonias prefer a little shade than most indoor plants. Place them away from direct sunlight is recommended to keep its silvery-white leaves alive.

Water

For starters, the soil should be slightly damp, but not too wet. It’s due to spotted leaf angel wing begonia easy to root rot. Before watering, you can check the soil for moisture first by dipping your fingers in the soil – the tops should be dry to a depth of about 3 cm.

If you are not sure whether to water it or not, or wait until the leaves start to show signs of wilting which means bit water left in pot. When watering them, pour the water directly on the soil make sure the leaves are dry.

Temperature

Begonia Maculata is a tropical plant, so cannot thrive in winter. The ideal temperature is 65°F to 72 °F. This may be a tough problem for anyone who lives in a temperate climate such as Europe but don’t worry that temperature-related damage will not occur unless the temperature drops under than 15 degrees Celsius.

Humidity

Spotted leaf angel wing begonias require high levels of humidity, which is a big challenge for indoor plants. You may need to place it in the bathroom as this place usually have high humidity levels. Or else you can put it in your favorite spot, but be sure to put a saucer which filled water nearby.

Take a note: Don’t place the pot in a saucer filled with water, because this may wet the roots too. Keep the leaves stay dry as the plant is easy powdery mildew.

Fertilizer

If you are keeping begonia maculata, it is recommended that you fertilize it every two weeks to encourage healthy leaf growth. For best results, use half the required dose of a water soluble fertilizer according to the packaging instructions. In this case, if the packaging says you must use one cup of water to dilute the solution, use two cups of water instead.

Propagation of Begonia Maculata

You can grow new spotted leaf begonia aka begonia maculata plants from seed, but the easiest way to grow them is propagate them from cuttings.

Begonia Maculata: Propagation from leaf cuttings

To grow a new begonia maculata plant from leaf cuttings is cut of a few fresh leaves from your plant. Lay the leaves upside down and use sterile knife to cut them into neat slices.

Simply cut a few leaves from the main plant and leave at least 1 inch of petioles still attached to each leaf. You are able to use a mixture of vermiculite, peat, and perlite moss to make a nursery for your leaf cuttings, fill a small pot with moderately dry soil. Plant the leaf slices or petioles into the soil or moss, and store the pot in a plastic bag in a light, warm place away from direct sunlight.

Make sure the soil in the pot has a bit water to keep the cuttings moist. You will start seeing roots about three to four weeks.

Begonia Maculata: Propagation from stem cuttings

Begonia maculata can grow well from stem cuttings which are commonly called rhizomes. Rhizomes are long thick stems that can grow underground. Start by cutting the rhizome 1 inch long and gently pressing it into the pot with a fairly dry soil or moss mixture.

As with their leaf counterparts, make sure they are kept moist, but not soggy. Store in a warm and well-light place but away from direct sunlight until roots starts to grow about 5 to 7 weeks.

Begonia Maculata: Propagation from seed

Growing this begonia from seed is more difficult and takes time. If the seed comes from a hybrid plant, you will not get artificial baby begonias from the mother. This is because hybrids are a mixture of different varieties. In fact, you may not even get baby plants if you use sterile hybrids.

Maculata begonias can not tolerate cold climates, they will wither and die as soon as they are exposed to frost. So you have to bring it back indoors as soon as the temperature drops below 15 degrees Celsius. They do not like cold temperatures. Make sure to get them indoors in time, and they will thrive and hold on their beautifully.

Begonia Maculata is not the easiest houseplant to care for. It’s all about achieving the right balance of caring and being able to know and interpret your plant’s condition in the right way. But your hard work in well maintainance will pay off when you see the beautiful plant appear to adorn your home.

QnA:

Question

When should the plant will need to be watered more often?

Answer