Return to the Begonia Forum
| Post a Follow-Up
Question about dormancy
| | |
Posted by bradarmi IL 5 (My Page) on Thu, Jul 17, 08 at 14:50
| I have a fantastic tuberous begonia that was purchased from a local nursery in late winter in full bloom. I kept it in our sunroom, and it has been in flower since. In the last few weeks, the flowers have started to get papery and whitish, and have been falling off. A few leaves also have a green and yellow spoty appearance, resembling black spot on roses. I thought mildew, but our sunroom is cooled and while it is >90F outside, it is around 70F in the sunroom with lower humidity. I am thinking that although there is a fungal infection, it is also time for the plant to get ready for dormancy...and my continued watering has aggravated the mildew/fungal infection since the flowers subsided before the leaves looked so bad.
I plan to keep it shady and dry and let it go into dormancy so I can pot it up mid-winter.
Any thoughts? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Question about dormancy
| | |
I wish I could help you but maybe a good greenhouse person or maybe the local garden society could direct you.
Thanks
bls |
RE: Question about dormancy
| | |
- Posted by perlite z6, southern IN (My Page) on
Tue, Sep 30, 08 at 16:08
Your plan sounds spot on. I have some tubers just inherited from my Mom who recently passed on, and over the past 6 years or so I've fostered them for her in an attached garage whose temp goes perhaps as low as 55F. I'm not sure what one would do to force them. Have always kept them in their pots (I just barely cover the tubers) til I begin to see sprouts. Then I repot them in fresh soil for the coming season and introduce them to the outdoors as weather permits. Once in a while during the winter (less than once a month) I notice them and water the pots to keep the tubers from shriveling completely.
Recently I've begun to wonder if I'm planting them deeply enough, though. Perhaps the stems would be stronger if they were deeper in their pots.
I am a relative newbie with Begonias, and kind of gleaned this process from experience. Perhaps someone with more knowledge will pop in here.....
-perL |
|
|
|
|
