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Can you overwinter wax begonias?
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Posted by carrie630 z7bNC (My Page) on Fri, Oct 24, 08 at 9:40
| Below 32 degrees, my wax begonias shrivel up and die.
I am thinking of potting them up and trying to overwinter them in my garage.
Has anyone done this. I also have a loft (unheated) with a sunny window - I may try that.
They are not expensive to buy in the stores, but I want to experiment, but not waste my time if they are hard to do
Thanks so much for any replies
Carrie |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Can you overwinter wax begonias?
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| Yes, you can overwinter wax begonias if you want to. Provide bright light and a semi-warm area and they should do just fine. A cooler, darker place may be okay too but they won't thrive. |
RE: Can you overwinter wax begonias?
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| Thank you - I will give it a try just for fun! Carrie |
RE: Can you overwinter wax begonias?
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| More years ago than I care to admit, this was my first type of begonia. I don't know if it was the climate or just a different attitude back then in the dark ages, but they were considered houseplants, not bedding, and no one thought of them as annuals as so many do now. Just months after I was married--cliche alert, June bride--I had cut the leggy branches of the semp someone gave me and stuck the branches in a pot of soil, and they grew! Everyone who didn't run when they saw me coming got a pot of begonia for Christmas. And I was hooked on begonias for life! |
RE: Can you overwinter wax begonias?
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| Absolutely! My husband bought a wax begonia for me 36 years ago; it is still growing in my house, and I have given many "babies" away. In 1978, we had an ice storm (20 below zero, iced in because the roads were so bad), and we had just moved into an old farmhouse with no woodstove hooked up yet. When our electricity went out for a few days, every one of my houseplants (cactus and all) froze to death, except for this wax begonia. They are just incredibly easy to grow inside and out. D. |
RE: Can you overwinter wax begonias?
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| What a nice story Diane! It must be love that keeps it going. |
RE: Can you overwinter wax begonias?
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| My mom gave me a pot of wax begonias that had been hit by frost a couple of times. They looked horrible, just leafless stems. I stuck them in a corner of my greenhouse and watered them, and they came back nice and full! They are out there blooming right now! :-) Indyrose |
RE: Can you overwinter wax begonias?
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| can you cut them back when bringing them into the house or greenhouse? how about taking cuttings? |
RE: Can you overwinter wax begonias?
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| Yes you can cut them back fairly hard. If you cut them to the ground then that may be too hard - I would leave a bit of stem and a few leaves. Cuttings are easy too - this is a good way to make a bunch of them. They are very susceptible to mildew in cool damp spots like my basement. I spray mine with Neem oil and cut any leggy tops back hard but only after they show signs of new growth from the roots. |
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