BEGONIAS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 234, 2 October 1937, Page 6 (Supplement)

BEGONIAS.

FOR BLOOM AND LEAF. Begonias are very popular, especially with those lucky gardeners who possess a glasshouse. Probably no other plant gives such satisfaction, with so little trouble, for such a long period. The blooms are gorgeous, and the foliage, with its almost velvet appearance, is quite charming. This, perhaps, applies to some varieties more than others, but if kept free of insects all begonias have The tubers may be started now. The best way is to shake all the soil from them, if this has not already been done, and to place the tubers in a shallow box on a compost of equal parts loam leaf soil and sand. Do not cover the tubers, and water them very sparingly; in fact, no water at all will be needed if compost is moist and the tubers shaded. When the shoots are above half an inch long the tubers can be potted into four or five-inch pots. The size of pot varies according to the size of tuber, but avoid too large a pot, for it is better to repot than to give too large a pot for a start. A light compost, consisting of three parts loam, two parts leaf soil and one part coarse sand, is suitable. A most important point is to provide ample drainage in the pot. The begonia needs a fair supply of water, but at the same time needs free drainage. As soon as the roots reach the side of the pots, and before they get potbound, give them their final shift, using pots of six, seven, eight, or nine-inch diameter, according to the vigour of the plants, but be careful not to overpot, and pot moderately firm. The soil for this final shift should consist of two parts fibrous loam, one part leaf mould, and sufficient sand to keep it open; and to this may be added some well-rotted manure, about one-sixth, or bone dust; a five-inch potful of the latter to a wheelbarrow load of comp<fet will be ample. To obtain the best results, all buds should be picked off as they appear, until the plants are well established in the pots in which they are intended to flower. When this stage is reached, weak liquid manure should be given twice a week. Be careful to shade the plants from hot suns, but only sufficient to prevent the leaves from being scorched. The flowers- of the begonia aTe very heavy, and it is advisable, except with the drooping varieties grown in baskets, to provide supports. A very useful one can be made by cutting off a wire twice as long as it is needed, bending it double, giving it two or three twists and then bending the ends apart to form a V. These ends need only be sufficiently long to hold the flower truss, the other end being pushed in the soil to hold it firm. Similar crutches can be made from light bamboo canes or flower sticks.