How beautiful the porches of the houses, decorated with flowerpots with plants, look! Among the plants that will please you with their flowering from the beginning of summer and until autumn frosts, the ampel begonia is very popular. Many beginning florists do not risk buying begonia seeds and are engaged in growing begonia themselves, preferring to buy ready-made plants in pots. Thanks to the advice of experienced florists gathered in this article, you will learn how you can start growing ampel begonia on your own.
How to plant an ample begonia?
To begin with, we buy seeds that are usually sold granulated to facilitate planting. We prepare a suitable container: it can be a small box or a peat tablet. Sow the seeds of begonia better in February or early spring. Then we take an earth mixture rich in humus and wet from a sprayer. Planting of seeds of ampel begonias should be made on the surface of the ground, not falling asleep on the ground, but only by moistening and covering with glass or polyethylene film. If you grow begonia ampel from seeds in a peat tablet, then you can place it under a glass.
A container with seeds should be placed on a window sill or under a lamp so that light falls on the plant. You do not need to clean the little guy, only occasionally air the plant, accustoming to fresh air. Sprout begonia begins not earlier than 14 days later. To ensure that the seeds do not die, you need to monitor their growth: a few days later the seeds are thrown off the shell and uncover the cotyledons. You can not allow the plant to dry out, water the seeds as the soil dries out, or can be poured.
About a month after planting, after the strong leaves appeared, begonia should be transplanted into pots.
How to care for ampel begonia?
According to experienced florists, it is easy to grow ampel begonia, but still, in order that they do not ache and delight you with lush flowers, several simple rules should be observed.
For growing both home ampel begonia, and garden varieties, fertile soil is required, which has a weakly acid reaction. In summer, the flower requires abundant watering, while in winter it needs to be watered as the soil dries out.
For abundant flowering and growth ampel begonias need to be fed. In early spring, fertilizers with a high nitrogen content can be introduced into the soil, and in the flowering period, begonia should be fertilized with mineral fertilizers for flowering plants. In summer, you can feed the flower with organic fertilizers, but not more than 2-3 times per season, given the fact that only moist soil needs to be fertilized.
Ampelic begonia is well tolerated by temperature changes, but the optimum conditions for cultivation is the temperature of +18 - + 20 ° C. Begonia, which is grown at home, loves fresh air and airing.
Begonia prefer scattered sunlight or partial shade. If the flower is grown under insufficient light, then the shoots are stretched and the flowering of the flower can stop. For begonia, the ideal place for growing is a glazed balcony or veranda: there is enough light, there are no gusts of wind and it's easy to provide airing.
Taking care of ampel begonia, do not forget to remove faded flowers and dried leaves. In the spring, you can arrange a warm shower, but after this you can not put begonia in the sun.
Also, you need to ensure that the plant is not sick or has not been attacked by pests. The most common diseases are caused by gray rot or powdery mildew .
Reproduction of ampel begonia
The best way to propagate begonia is propagation, which can be carried out throughout the year, but it is better still in the spring. With the overwintered plants, cuttings should be cut about 10 cm long and put in water. After 10 days, when the cuttings sprout roots, the plant is transplanted into a light fertile soil and covered with a packet. In one pot with a diameter of 10 cm, you can plant up to 5 cuttings in order for the begonia to be lush and beautiful. Many novice florists are interested in the question of whether you need to pinch ammonium begonia. If you want the begonia to blossom especially magnificently, then you can pinch the tips of the shoots. But then begonia will begin to bloom 2-3 weeks later.
As you can see, planting and caring for an ample begonie is quite a simple matter, but the result will surpass all your expectations.