2018 Pre-Orders

September 01 2017 | Posted in News

2018 Pre-Orders Begin Now!

Place your begonia bulb pre-orders for our??2018 Harvest before the season begins. Pre-orders for our 2018 begonia crop harvest begin now and go until we start shipping in February. Jumbo bulbs are ??limited on availability until we actually begin our harvest. We had a successful 2017 harvest and look forward to what the 2018 season brings. Thank you to all of our loyal customers who made 2017 such a success! ??Pre-order ??now and receive your begonia bulbs in February 2018 when we begin shipping!

Growing Begonias in Pots – How to Grow Begonia Bulbs

August 06 2015 | Posted in Begonia Tips, Growing Begonias, News

Growing Begonias in Pots

Growing begonias in pots is easy! Here’s our step-by-step visual of what growing begonias in pots should look like week-to-week.

1. Plant bulb in moist soil.

2. 1-2 weeks: Keep soil moist, not wet. Ideal temperature is 70-75?? F.

3. 2-3 weeks:??This is when the first leaves typically begin to appear. Ideal temperature during the day is 65-70??F.?? Ideal temperature during the night is 55-60??F.

If planting multiple begonia bulbs, at this time you should orient the leaf points towards the rim of the pot. Flowers grow in the same direction of the leaf points, so it is important to do so to make room for the blooms.

4. 3-4 weeks

5. Water and Fertilize: Clear water should be used for every third watering. Standard 20-10-20 fertilizer should be used.

6. 5-6 weeks

7. 7-10 weeks

8. 10-14 weeks: This is when the first blooms should begin to appear.

9. 15-20 weeks: This is when your begonias should be in full bloom!

Prevention of Powdery Mildew on Tuberous Begonias

June 25 2015 | Posted in Begonia Care, Begonia Diseases, Begonia Tips

Prevention of Powdery Mildew on Tuberous Begonias

Prevention of ??powdery mildew or treating powdery mildew on tuberous begonias is a subject of great interest with begonia growers. Basically it comes down to prevention. Powdery mildew is in the environment and begonias are susceptible to it. Luckily there are plenty of non-toxic ways to prevent powdery mildew and if needed some chemicals as well.

Good Cultural Practices:

1. Start with good clean free draining potting soil. Plants are healthier in good soil. An unhealthy weak plant is more susceptible to powdery mildew.
2. Good air flow is necessary. Do not crowd plants for many reasons.
3. Do not over fertilize. Powdery mildew spores germinate best on new succulent growth. Slow release ok.
4. Give plenty of light; moisture and shade incubate powdery mildew. Begonias grow better in bright filtered light anyway. Unfortunately full sun all day is not possible, but some sun is better than none.
5. Some varieties can be??more susceptible.

Green Preventatives: Spray these once every couple of weeks. They are preventatives, not cures.

1. Any milk ??? at 2 to 3 parts water to 1 part milk is effective.
2. Neem tree oil – coats leaves preventing germination of spores. 2 tablespoons per gallon
3. Horticultural oils – does the same coating process. One teaspoon per gallon.
4. Baking Soda – 1 tablespoon per gallon. Careful, burning can occur especially when mixed with horticultural oil.
5. Copper sulphate & calcium hydroxide; AKA: Boudeaux Mix. Is somewhat toxic.

Following not trialed on begonias.

6. Potassium bicarbonate ??? like baking soda, but may actually eliminate fungus spores.
7. Mouthwash ??? Generic ethanol based mouthwash. 1 part to three parts water.
8. Vinegar ??? 2-3 tablespoons of Apple cider vinegar mixed in 1 gallon of water. May burn.
9. Soaps ??? Safers Insect soap and many other brands.
10. Sulfur ??? Safer Garden Fungicide, Bonide Sulfur Plant Fungicide. Must use more often.

Chemical Prevention:

1. Chlorothalonil; Trade names: Ortho MAX, Bonide Fungonil, Gardentech Daconil, Bravo, Echo
2. Triforine; Trade names: Funginex, Ortho Rose Pride
3. Triflaxystrobin & Triadmefon: Trade names: Strike (was Bayleton)
4. Tebuconazol; Bayer Advance Disease Control
5. Miclobutanil; Immunox

Use all with protective clothing and follow direction on labels.

Growing Begonias Month by Month – January

January 06 2015 | Posted in Growing Begonias Month by Month

Growing Begonias Month by Month – January

This is the first month of the tuberous begonia year!

Planting Begonia Seeds

January is when most begonia growers sow seed. You can successfully grow begonias from??seeds that are started as late as February and March. Learn more on how to successfully start??begonia seeds.

Planting Begonia Tubers For Early Bloom

Tubers harvested from plants that went dormant early in the fall can now be stated indoors. Starting begonia tubers indoors in January will produce blooms early in the season, sometime in May.

Planting Begonia Bulbs – How Many Tubers Per Pot?

November 19 2014 | Posted in Growing Begonias

Planting Begonia Bulbs – How Many Tubers Per Pot?

The best performance of tuberous begonias is achieved when a relatively large pot is used, 8??? or larger. Good root systems will result from using large pots and frequent drying of soil will be avoided. A good rule of thumb for upright begonias is to choose a pot 4x the diameter of the tuber.