It's been awhile since I had this beauty--briefly--so I looked it up to be sure I didn't give bad information. It's classified in the Thompson Begonia Book as 'rhizomatous, unusual surface/unusual coloring'. Both the Thompsons and Mark Tebbitts say it's more challenging to grow than many, needs humidity around 60-70%, needs good light but not much sun, needs to dry slightly between waterings but never dry out (as you discovered!) I think in the wintertime the air is probably much drier than 60-70%--if you have a big glass bowl or a small fish tank you could put it in there--the Thompsons recommend a potting mix of sphagnum moss and perlite, and suggest a light feeding when it needs watering as of course that mix has no nutrition. It's a beautiful plant, and growing it in the memory of someone known as The Begonia Man makes it even more special! Growing it contained makes it very easy; I think it was one of too many that I brought home from a convention--did that more than once! Much better to get them in small enough numbers you can get acquainted with them individually.

This is very helpful--thank you so much!

I'm sure you're right about apartment humidity--maybe I should put a humidifier near it. I'll try feeding it a bit too--is 20-20-20 ok? And I can move it a little farther from the window.

Fingers crossed!

I wouldn't fertilize it until it is putting out new growth. If you must fertilize go 1/4 the strength to begin with. You might put a plastic cover over it if the humidifier doesn't work out. I use plastic covers over struggling begonias and they usually turn a goner into a winner (well, maybe not a winner but something with leaves). I just covered sizemorea and masoniana maculata with a humidity dome and both are putting out new leaves. I also covered goegoensis with a lettuce container because it lost its last leaf - I saw today that it has several new leafs coming on.

I use drinking cups over small pots (4" or smaller), lettuce containers over bigger pots (6" or so), and angel food cake covers for bigger pots. Anything bigger needs an aquarium or custom built frame.

Boy, do I know about the variety of plastic covers to keep things alive for the winter! Top shelf on my light stand has cake covers, a glass 'siamese fighting-fish' bowl, a dome tray cover--not a plant to be seen! Fortunately it's high enough I wouldn't be able to see much anyway. Sometimes when I run out of anything else I just lay a sheet of plastic over the top of them--it's amazing how much help it can be. Once I had to be gone for three months, and set up things to make it easy for my husband to just throw a bucket of water in the trays--except for one plant in a large lidded bubble bowl. When I came back everything was covered with some kinda bug--long time ago, don't remember, probably mealy bugs--except for the plant in the bowl. It went to a show about a week later and won a prize! Growing enclosed can be very good for some plants! Oh, should have said--they were on a light stand with timers. More reliable than the sun!

Thanks--I will wait a bit before fertilizing. It looks like it might be starting one new leaf now.

RE plastic covers: this sounds easy enough to do, but the plant seems to dislike having its leaves touched. They are slightly brittle, and if they get bumped or torn they tend to shrivel. So I guess I should find a big cover--like a clear plastic wastebasket. It won't look any more ridiculous than the time I had to put one of those plastic cones on my cat's head for a week to prevent her from scratching a healing infection. Buckethead Begonia! New fashion statement.

Thanks!

malsperanza,

How is your gehrtii doing now? I covered my goegoensis with a plastic cover (fruit salad bowl from the grocery store) after it lost its last leaf about a month ago and I now have at least 6 new leaves (the biggest may be 3 inches across) so I have high hopes for it.

An aquarium would be the best thing but that would run into lots of $$$$. I have 4 aquariums and 3 glass bowls now. My biggest aquarium has almost all my newest purchases (around 20 begonias) and is 120 gallons. This aquarium was around $200 at Pet-Smart so I don't think I would be buying too many of these. A ten gallon tank at Wal-Mart is less than $10 and is ideal for several small begonias or one medium sized begonia.

Hi, thanks for asking. Gehrtii is hanging on. I didn't put it in a plastic tent or hood because it seems stable... though no new growth just now--and it's so sensitive to having its leaves touched that I thought better not, at least not just yet. But because it's been cold here in NYC and the apt gets dry, I put a huge humidifier under it, blasting away at top vapor level, which seems to have helped a bit. (All the other plants are v. pleased with the humidity level, but my computer monitor bought the farm.)

But your success story suggests that I should try to rig a plastic cover that is big enough to not touch the leaves, and keep the vapor blasting up from underneath it. OK, I will try that. I don't really have room (or $$) for an acquarium, but I like Big Plastic Bowl: tres chic.

I'm also still trying to get the watering right. I've been watering heavily about once a week, and misting in between, which means by the 6th or 7th day the soil is quite dry. I think that's working, but maybe I will try every 5 days.

Since I posted over 3 weeks ago, my goegoensis has put on multiple leaves with a small plastic cover on it. The leaves should not be hurt by having a cover touching them unless it is too wet (hopefully that isn't your case). In fact the goegoensis is actually pushing the cover up. I have several other begonias doing the same thing such as soli-mutata, U309, taliensis, and many more. I will post some pictures tomorrow to give you an idea. I use wooden skewers (very cheap - maybe 100 for less than $2) to hold up covers on taller plants.

Here is goegoensis.

{{gwi:429325}}

B. rajah
{{gwi:429326}}

Some begonias started from leaf cuttings.
{{gwi:429327}}

With a cover on your plants you can turn off the humidifier; the plant will make its own humidity. I tried a small 2 or 3 gallon humidifier in my basement but it was too much work to keep it filled up. Also you won't have to water as much or hardly at all depending on how well you keep the humidity up.

My problem is finding the perfect, cheap humidity cover. I've played with plastic sheeting (drop cloth) but it is hard to see through, is heavy, and is a bear to cover and uncover. Right now I have one shelf encased in it with some slits cut at critical points just for watering. My newest thing is vinyl material which is lightweight, very clear, but harder to find.

Cane begonias due to their height are a real headache for humidity control. I'm playing with a vinyl case (the kind you get with quilts or bedsheets) over 'Looking Glass'. I just covered it this weekend so I hope to see a marked difference in two weeks. Plastic bags would be fine too but I don't have any that big laying around.

Hullo, just dropping by to say my Gerhtii is doing a bit better. Following the suggestions here, I made a tent out of dry-cleaning plastic draped over an old lampshade frame to cover it loosely, and have been misting it to make a moister environment. It has some new growth and is looking perkier.

The tent is ugly, so I'm hoping to remove it soon (for the summer), now that the heat in the apartment is off and the air nice and muggy.

Feeling encouraged, I bought some young gehrtii's and a soli-mutata from Firmly Planted. So far, they all seem to be doing well. (And I can recommend the service and good shipping of Firmly Planted, by the way).

I'm thinking it might be time to give all of them some 20-20-20 ... any thought on that?

Regards,
Mal

Yes, do feed it while it is growing. Most advice I've seen is 1/2 strength water soluble once a week or every time you water and/or slow release.

I always like to hear of a new place to get plants, so I looked 'em up. Garden Watchdog rates them very highly. Clicked on their site and they said they're sold out for the season. Oh drat! But thanks, they look interesting for next season.

I ordered the plants back in about February, and arranged by email to have them mailed after the last frost was over, which turned out to be late April.

I've also had good luck ordering from Glasshouseworks in Ohio.

Thanks for the feeding advice.

Hello,

A year ago I came here seeking help for my gehrtii. I followed the advice given here to put it under plastic. It's a hanging plant, so I tented it with dry-cleaner's plastic draped over a ring from an old lampshade. I left it in the tent for most of last year, until high summer. Thought you might like to see it now:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/malsperanza/2237489288/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/malsperanza/2236698731/

and the young gehertiis I got last summer and potted together:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/malsperanza/2237489600/

So thanks for your help! I hope the links work...

Those are really gorgeous! So glad you posted them. Always wonder how things go. And checking in here reminded me to try Firmly Planted again--they seem to be sold out of everything. (Didn't actually check *everything*, but lots.) sigh Ah well.

Congrats on growing your gehrtii so well. And I agree with greenelbows - thank you for giving feedback (so many never answer back).

Hello everyone,
I found this post by accident, but I am currently having a similar problem with a new plant of B. staudtii. It has lost most of its leaves, it only had two anyway, but the newest seems to be fine and growing. Perhaps its reacclimating to a new home. Besides I'm growing it in a ziploc bag until I move it to my terrarium. Bet the humidity level in the bag is near 100% if not saturated. My B. rajah loves it. By the way, I use plastic storage bags, Ziplocs, on a lot of my Begonias that want high humidity. Plus I start my leaves that way by placing the cut leaves in a pot of soilless mix with a light watering and then right into a bag. I rarely water them and I don't have to baby sit them every moment.

...actually, no longer struggling, but I do have another question.

Hi,

Here's another update on my beloved Gehrtii, which is no longer struggling but now huge and full of leaves. It hangs in a sunny south window, which it seems to like. One new question: the leaves are all big and healthy and there's plenty of fresh growth, but the leaves are a somewhat pale green. I have some photos, but they make the leaves look a bit darker than they really are. I'm wondering if the plant needs some fertilizer or food. I occasionally put a little 20-20-20 into the water, but haven't lately.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27872181@N02/2597838421/

Here's a set of photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27872181@N02/2597838427/in/photostream/

(the last 2 photos are of a different gehrtii that is not as pale, and sits a little farther from the window.)

I hope the links work...

Thanks!

Sorry--I messed up the photo links. Here they are:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/malsperanza/2597952371/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/malsperanza/2597952383/in/photostream/