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Tuberous, how to tell when to dig up?
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Posted by linnea56 z5 IL (My Page) on Mon, Nov 17, 08 at 14:55
| When leaves fall off the stems, is that the time to dig them up?
I have both a purchased basket and 2 I started myself from tubers. Both were blooming heavily but now have stopped and the leaves are falling off. I was watering them at first but now have stopped.
I did a search here on methods and ran across a post saying the baskets she bought had rooted cuttings rather than tubers. That would explain why the one I bought last year and tried to save had no tubers visible when I tried to dig them up after the stems fell off. I found nothing and assumed they had rotted very quickly. How can I tell? Just assume if I bought it already made up it is from cuttings? Or feel around with my fingers? I can store the whole basket if that increases the odds.
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Tuberous, how to tell when to dig up?
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| Any chance the basket begonias were Reiger types, instead of tuberous? That's what I mentally picture with that discription. I'd think that tuberous cuttings would have formed tubers by fall. You're also saying that the two tubers you planted did not maintain tubers underground? |
RE: Tuberous, how to tell when to dig up?
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| In years past I grew Reigers as houseplants; I remember them having shiny leaves. These look much like the leaves of the ones I planted as tubers, just a shape difference. Leaves are a bit hairy. I’ve been letting these dry out, I hope that is the right approach. They have stopped blooming now, still have leaves; though the biggest ones at the bottom have all dropped off, and some minor branches have dropped off. I don’t know if they have tubers, I’m afraid to try digging them up too soon. The ones I planted mayself as tubers have now had the stems drop off completely, so I guess that means I can dig them and see if there is a tuber left under there. |
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