Begonia semperflorens
Begonia
The BEGONIA comes from the tropical and subtropical areas of Asia, America and Africa. The plant received the name after Michel Begona – the governor of Sait-Domingo (the western part of an island Haiti) which was the notable appreciator of the flowers. Totally in the family of begonia there are about 1000 species. The begonia is extremely popular as an indoor plant because of the big variety of leaf’s painting and form, also beautiful colors.
All begonias have unisex (male and female) flowers. They can be pollinated artificially, and then from ovary there will turn out a fruit in the form of a box with very fine seeds which can be used for cultivation of begonias. Plants of a begonia can be divided in three groups: the tuber begonia in an underground part of a plant has tubers which are used for duplication; the leaf begonia has no tubers, but its rhizome is thickened, it is also used at duplication and the third group is sectional begonia. At these begonias the rhizome can not be used for duplication.
Species of BEGONIA.
Begonia can be a bush, a half-bush and a grassy plant. In house conditions more often you can find hybrid 
grades. There are used two kinds of begonias as a room begonia; these are decorative blossoming begonias and decorative leaf begonias. Decoratively blossoming begonias, in its turn, can be also divided in plants with a dying off foliage, and the following generation of blossom is grown up from tubers or (at sectional begonias) the plant runs into a condition of deep rest with which it should be provided. The other kind of decoratively blossoming begonias is evergreen begonia which keeps its foliage the year round. These begonias have less effective flowers.
Among the decorative blossoming begonias the tuber begonia is the most effective. These begonias can have double and not double flowers from white and cream up to brightly red color. The size of the flower is from 5 up to 15 cm. There are ample begonias they usually have small flowers.
BEGONIA TUBERHYBRIDA (a tuber begonia) is the most widespread hybrids among the tuber begonias. It has large leaves, up to 25 cm. in the length, the edge of a leaf resembles a nailfile, and it also has beautiful double and not double flowers on fleshy stalks. The size of the flowers is up to 10 cm. in diameter. Thus male flowers are large, and female flowers are smaller. Tuber begonias have a lot of flowers with a varicosity of colors.
Ample grades of a tuber begonia (BEGONIA TUBERHYBRIDA PENDULA) characterize with thin hanging down stalks and leaves. Many grades of a tuber begonia including the ample forms, can be grown up from seeds.
Another kind of decorative-blossoming begonias is Bushy begonia. The most popular grade in this group of begonias is BEGONIA SEMPERFLORENS (an ever flowering begonia or blossoming begonia as it can be incorrectly named). Its name can already tell about the long period of blossom. These flowers can be used as a garden begonia and as a house plant as well. In the room conditions the ever flowering begonia blossoms almost the year round, but with the years loses the decorative effect, therefore it requires to renew the plant each 2-3 years from the shanks. The ever flowering begonia has glossy leaves of a green or reddish coloring, fine double and not double flowers of white, pink and red colors. It can be grown up from seeds. Another bushy begonia differs with original colors, it is a fuchsia-kind begonia (BEGONIA FUCYSIOIDES). Flowers at it are collected in the inflorescences hanging down resembling the flowers of a fuchsia.
The decorative-deciduous begonias are usually grown up for the decorative leaves though some kinds of these begonias can even blossom. The leader of this group is the royal begonia (BEGONIA REX). Leaves of these begonias resemble a heart of a little bit wrong form and have up to 30 cm. in length. The leaf itself has
a non-uniform original coloring from red, brown up to dark-green. Royal begonia has flowers far less beautiful, than leaves and consequently they should be removed for not to spend plant’s force on the flowering and not to lose good look of the plant. Other decorative-deciduous begonias have the leaves of the diversified forms and colors. For example a spotty begonia (BEGONIA MAKULATA) has green leaves in a white speck and a length up to 25 cm. Cleopatra begonia’s (BEGONIA CLEOPATRA) leaves remind leaves of a maple. Masons begonia has leaves with a rough, warty surface and resempbe a leather of a frog. The tiger begonia (BEGONIA TIGER) is popular too. This plant for those who wants to save a place as little bushes of this plant grows no more than 25сm. Small leaves are of dark-green color with bronze outflow, there are light specks on the external party of a leaf. Garden begonias are usually presented by an ever flowering begonia. They are used in the open ground as an one-year plant. They grow well both in the sun, and in a penumbra. It is unpretentiously. It is well combined with many plants, it is long blossoms (since June up to frosts), and when first frosts take place it can be replaced in pots and be used as an indoor plant.
BEGONIA’S LEAVING.
Begonia is quite unpretentious, this plant is steady against illnesses, but for good development and beautiful appearance it requires a correct leaving. First of all it concerns humidity of air. All begonias demand high humidity of air. To provide the necessary humidity it is recommended to put a pot in a damp peat or on a tray with water but the pot shouldn’t be in a water. For this purpose fill a tray with a pebble or put a pot on turned plate. It’s better to spray the air around of a begonia, but thus you need to watch, that drops did not get on flowers and leaves.
Moderation is the basic requirement for such flower like a begonia. Its leaving includes a moderating of temperature, preferably about 20 degrees in the summer, and in the winter not below 15 degrees; also it is desirable a bright diffused light, but not straight solar beams. While winter in the morning and in the evening you can put your begonia to the place shined by the sun for few hours. (The ever flowering begonia is an exception. It well transfers both a shadow and a bright sunlight). The watering should be moderated too. The ground should be damp, but not wet.
Since spring till the autumn during the growth and flowering you should water in process of earthen lump drying, and in the winter the watering should bу reduceв. The plant is expedient for fertilizing during the period of vegetation not less than two times with full mineral fertilizers. You should delete female flowers right at the beginning of their development To prolong terms of flowering of a begonia (especially tuber species). (Female flowers not double with 3 blade seed box under cupleaf). It is necessary to break new buds, in September to improve formation of tubers at tuber begonias that the plant did not spend force for flowering.
DUPLICATION of the BEGONIA.
All begonias duplicate well by stem or leaf shanks, and by a division of a bush. Tuber begonias duplicate by tubers or seeds. The begonia duplicate by tubers in the following way: you should get the tubers from the ground in the autumn, then cut stalks, clear them from the ground and store in the sand or in the peat so that tubers did not dry up, at the temperature of 8-10 degrees. You should plant the tubers in pots from February till May, depending on when you would like plant to blossom.
To shoot, they have to be put in small pots with the sandy ground where tubers should be deepened only in a half. You should water it very moderately. Germination goes slowly (about several weeks). First there come the roots and only then runaways. As soon as runaways could be seen, you should cover the tubers with the ground and replace it on a light warm window sill. The duplication by seeds is troublesome enough. The best term of crop is from December till March. You should sow it in flat dishes with the leaf ground, with a mix of such ground with peat and sand or directly in a peat. Begonia’s seeds are very small, so you don’t have to dig them and can only slightly press them down. The shoots appear in two weeks. You should dive 2-3 times.
The grown up begonia should be planted with the earthen lump in a small pot. Such plants blossom in 
July-August, and by the winter have time to form tubers. Leaf begonias easily duplicate by leaf’s shanks or bush’s division at replacing. For a leaf shank you can take a leaf from the basis of a plant. The desirable length of a shank is not less than 5 cm.; the rooting will go better if use fitohormones. Dig the shank so that the leaf not touches ground. Then the ground needs humidifying and pressing around of a shank. The stem shanks and the leaf ones are implanted in the same way, but the stem shank should be not less than 7 cm in length. The shanks need to be planted in the ground as soon as possible, don’t let a cut to dry up. The best time for shanking is the spring and the early of summer.
BEGONIA. ILLNESSES And WRECKERS.
At errors of leaving the begonia can dump leaves and buds. The most likely reason of it is a lack of a ground moisture and air humidity around your plant. Thus tips of leaves first become brown and, if the watering isn’t regukated, start to fall down. A pale leaves’ painting testifies that illumination is not good enough. At excessive humidity, especially at the lowered temperatures, the begonia can be stroked with grey decay. Thus there is a light mould on leaves which is caused by a fungus. You should remove the stroked parts of a plant, and process with the fungicide the remained part. The mealy dew is also a fungoid disease. Because of this disease a white taint covers the leaves. Distribution of mealy dew is promoted by dry air, sharp fluctuations of temperatures and drafts. You should pollinate the stroked plant by the ground sulfur or spray with the collide sulfur dissolved in water.
A mixture should be of 1 percent concentration. It is necessary to process a plant on an open air. The temperature of air should be not below 25 degrees. It is possible to process a plant with fungicide too. The most widespread wreckers who settle on a begonia is the web tick (red spider) and a plant louse (very small insect) both the tick, and a plant louse live on a underside of a leaf and eat its juice. The tick can be destroyed by spraying and washing the bottom part of leaves with a weak soap mixture of tobacco or with a soap mixture of dalmatic chamomiles. It is possible to process a plant with the preparations containing pyrethrum or insecticide. The tick extends quickly in warm dry air. The plant louse can also be destroyed by the preparations with pyrethrum. Processing should be repeated until the complete destruction of wreckers.
