What kind of pot is it in? How fast draining is the potting mix? Usually a clay pot with fast draining soil will improve the plight of the regal rex. Repotting might cause a few days of stress but usually they pick back up if you give it enough humidity. Try a plastic lid on top or a baggie and leave it on until it has rooted well. Keep giving it more and more normal house air until it is fully weaned out of the humidity dome.

Do not despair over the leaves collapsing (take the healthy ones off and propagate for insurance) - it is the roots and rhizome that you must make sure are not rotting or drying up - a delicate balance at times trying to revive a plant in decline.

Just checked the stem/tuber. Mushy and gone. Originally I had the plant in an orchid bark (finer grade)/ African violet/ Perlite type mix. Rather quick draining. Everything was fine if I was able to water the thing daily.

But daily watering does not fit my hectic schedule and also having to do that with over 100 other plants, forget it. I'm going insane.

I tried to mix it in something similar minus the orchid bark and cut back on the perlite. It still dried up even in that mix, so I went to revive it. I likely overwatered it in reviving it. The plant was badly wilted before I watered.

It seems like I am having a huge bout of root and crown rot with my African Violets as well. Perhaps there happened to be some kind of pathogen or contamination with the soil I used. After all some of it was a few months old Schultz type mixes. It seems I have horrible luck with schultz soil mixes. I don't know when I'll learn. It's the only stuff I can find locally and can obtain. That is unless I wish to pay high shipping costs and order online.

Possiblities:

- Overwatering in attempt to rehydrate dried caked soil?
- plant was already dried up beyond saving???
- Not enough aeration in soil mix?
- high salinity in soil mix and hard water causing burn?

- I am beginning to strongly suspect the last one being a problem. I'm noticing a number of plants being girdled by orange stuff even if I don't fertilize. I suspect high mineral content in the city tap water is also harming my plants.

That said: the Begonia is dead.

;( Leaves taken are still limp. Only one is showing life but rot took half of it,

This post was edited by fieldofflowers on Fri, May 23, 14 at 4:50

No idea on what the problem may be. It does sound like that the repotting caused it to go in swift decline. I suspect it was from overwatering. Typically the experts recommend letting it dry out somewhat between watering.

It seems like you should be fertilizing unless your potting mix had slow release added in.

Rexes can be finicky but even if they only last a season or two for a lot of folks does not mean you shouldn't enjoy them when you can. Consider other alternatives to rexes that look like rex but don't have the rex parentage in its line.

Hugh McLaughlin comes to mind - always colorful and hard to beat no matter what the season. Robert Golden is another easy care rex like. Judy Cook is extra large, silvery, and stands up to Miami heat.

Here is one of mine Hugh begonias.