BEGONIA
Name: Begonia was first introduced in Santo Domingo in 1690, botanist Charles Plyumero. Description of her did Linnaeus and named in honor of the old governor Michel begonias.
Description: The genus includes over 400 species, native to tropical and subtropical areas of America, Africa and Asia. Begonia - a perennial herb, often woody shrub with fleshy (succulent) or succulent stems and leaves. Stem erect or decumbent, herbaceous, fruity, with a strongly marked nodes. Number of internodes (10-12) corresponds to the number of leaves. The roots are well branched, individual species are formed tubers. Inflorescence - panicle complex with an ever growing lateral buds. In the axil of each leaf of the main stem, from the fifth and sixth, the inflorescence is formed, consisting of three - five male and female flowers. Apical (terminal) flower always male.
Begonia flowers are heterosexual, irregular (zygomorphic), with brightly colored perianth. Male flower consists of four rounded and elongated-oval petals and two sepals and two hulled, lightly colored bracts ovate. Female - four or five petals, calyx of three free sepals and two bracts. In tuberous begonia flowers are large (5-15 cm), the non-stop flowering - small (2-3 cm). Lower-celled ovary, pistil has three pairs of fused and helically twisted blades stigmas, the surface of which is covered with fine needle-like papillae. Fruit - a winged-celled capsule, cracks along the side seams. The seeds are very small, orange-yellow, with cells on the surface. Despite its small size, the mature seeds differentiated direct embryo without endosperm.
In ornamental horticulture generally use begonia always in bloom (V. semperflorens Link et Otto) and tuberous begonia (B. x tuberhybrida Voss). Recently, there are seeds of flower shops and more new varieties of begonias.
Landing: for planting is best to take the young weekly tubers 5-6 cm in diameter. They are round and the top slightly dented. Older tubers larger, flattened with foams outgrowths of old stems.
Before planting, remove them from the remains of the soil and carefully cut a lot of dried up roots. Young tubers are sometimes a little wrinkled, but they are quite suitable for planting. For decontamination and restoration of turgor they are immersed for one hour in a solution of acid potassium-manganese (0.05%) at room temperature.
Rearing generally begin in mid-March. They bloom in about 3 months. If a lot of tubers, they should be planted in boxes. The substrate is peat with the addition of chalk or hydrated lime at the rate of 50-70 g in a bucket of peat. Boxes filled with peat half, laid the tubers at a distance of 5-8 cm from each other and filled the gaps between them so that the tops above the surface, peat lightly compacted and moistened with a solution of complete mineral fertilizer. (1-1.5 g per 1 L). The first time the water or solution when watering should not fall on the center of the tuber. Boxes with tubers contain a bright spot in the 18-22'S. On sunny days place to shadow, which whiten glass in greenhouses. During the period of rearing spend 4.3 feed. First - 4-5 weeks after planting, the subsequent 2-3. It is advisable to alternate feeding with organic and mineral fertilizers. In early May, the boxes take out in warm greenhouses place to shadow and provide good ventilation. About three weeks before planting in the ground plants begin to harden. Planting in the ground, balcony boxes and containers hold until after the spring frosts.
Tuberous begonias are better developed at moderate temperatures and some humidity. Planted them at a distance of 20-25 cm, buried tubers 1.5-2 cm well to fertilization during flowering.
Cleaning: the first frosts are a signal to harvest the tubers in storage. Aerial parts are cut to 2-3 cm shears, digging shovel or a garden fork, without clearing the soil from the roots, tubers are placed in boxes and transferred to a warm ventilated area. About 2 weeks remove the remains of the shoots, which by this time are easily separated. The tubers are dried and stored in the basement at B-10 ° C and humidity of 80-85%. The intervals between tubers sleep peat and if necessary placed second layer of tubers.
Diseases and pests: the correct observance farming and growing conditions begonia weakly affected diseases and damaged by pests.
Reproduction: begonias are usually propagated by dividing the tubers, cuttings and seeds.
When dividing the young tubers first germinated. Sprouts them laid out in a warm room for moist peat. Once awake kidney tubers cut into 2-4 parts, sections powdered charcoal and sulfur. "Delenki" with slices of dried-grow as potatoes and whole, but start to do it in 2-3 weeks earlier, as several divisions inhibits plant growth.
When propagated by cuttings grow fallopian tubes begin in January at 20-22'S. About a month later cuttings break out and press lightly at the base. For summer flowering enough to leave on tuber with 2 germ. Damaged areas sprinkled powdered charcoal and sulfur. After a light drying cuttings planted in sand and peat land to a depth of 2-3 cm slices preferably charcoal powder with the addition of growth factors. Boxes with cuttings regularly moisturize shadow place and kept at a temperature of 20 "C. rooting usually occurs 20-30 days, after which the cuttings are planted in boxes with a mixture of leaf compost, peat and sand (2:1:1 or 3:2:1 ) at the distance of 8 cm from each other and put on a bright place. As the young begonias fed organic fertilizers. On permanent planted more often. Generally, they do not have time to form tubers suitable for winter storage, and cultivated as annuals. valuable varieties are grown in pots that the summer pinned to the ground. Plants in late August to make room and grow until November (the flowers are removed), and then cut off the stems and tubers in pots placed in winter storage.
The most effective method of propagation - the seed. Crops produced in late December - early January. Seedlings usually bloom in the beginning of the landing ground. The seeds are very small, 1 g to about 50,000, so they sow not closing up, in shallow bowls or boxes with a mixture of sifted leaf soil, peat and sand (2:1:1) if peat sour, add hydrated lime (50 - 100 g of a mixture in a bucket.) Ultrafine begonia seeds germinate well if the substrate is to pour it on the snow and scatter the seeds. When it melts it will pull a little seed in the substrate, and will be what we need. To disinfect the substrate moistened with a solution of manganese-acid potassium (0.1%). Crops under glass and contain up to the first pick, evenly moistened warm water (about 30'S) from the pallet. Seedlings appear in 12-14 days. Raise the first glass, and a few days removed completely. Diving under 2-3 real leaves. A month later, a second pick. Two weeks after the second pick, mullein begin to feed every 7-10 days with the addition of potassium nitrate (1 tablespoon per 10 liters of infusion). In late April - early May, diving at 7-11 cm pots on the same instance. Begonias at any age safely tolerate transplant, but it is necessary to protect them very brittle leaves. Further care is the same as for plants grown from tubers. The effect of sowing date on flowering and seed production of begonias ...
Tuberous begonias - short-day plants. Instances, retardation or received from late planting, it is advisable to plant a flower bed and a separate mid-July for 3-4 weeks completely obscure the opaque material from about 18 to 9:00. This increases the size of the tubers in about 1.5-2. It is recommended to do with plants propagated by cuttings. Promotes maturation of tubers and remove flowers.
Use: begonias are used in flower beds, perennial borders and as pot plants. The popularity of these plants due to abundant and colorful blooms during the frost-free period. Combine well with many low annual flowering and ornamental foliage plants.
