angel-winged begonia cuttings in water?

19 years ago

My angel-winged begonia has long stems - dropped some leaves and flowers when I brought it indoors. I want to cut it back and root the cuttings. Is there anything special I need to do? How much stem goes into the water? Should all leaves and/or flowers be removed from the cuttings? Will the original plant sprout back if I cut it very short? Is the angel-winged the same as dragon-winged? I have just heard of that one and wonder if it is just another name for the angel-winged. Thanks.

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Comments (9)

sahm2Jordan
19 years ago
Hi! I'm not an expert on begonias or anything but I'd really suggest rooting them in soil. I tried to root begonias in water and they all rotted. I tried cuttings from the same plant in soil and 4 out of 5 started rooting overnight. The last one took 2 days. I also just recieved about a dozen begonia cuttings in trade and put them in soil. Over half began rooting overnight and the others have all started now and it has been since thurs. If you find that your cutting starts to wilt just put a clear plastic bag over for a 'greenhouse' effect and it should perk right up. ;)

Michelle
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sahm2Jordan
19 years ago
I would remove all flowers and just leave 1 set of leaves.

Michelle
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good questions, elsie. the soil mix should be fine for your canes. once they've established and seem healthy in their new location you can take cuttings of the canes. new leaves, roots and branches will grow from the nodes of the canes, so make sure that you have 2-3 per cutting. you can root in water, or you can root in a light mix--make sure it's not too wet or you'll have a rot problem. the older canes should grow new leaves/side branches from any nodes you've left behind. best to leave a couple, at least. in addition, new basal shoots will appear...maybe one or two a year from each of your rooted canes. good luck! -ming
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Begoniac
19 years ago
Cane stems root easily in water. Two nodes in the water should be sufficient, but pot them up as soon as they develop 1/4" roots.
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Begoniac
19 years ago
Forgot to add...they will root without removing flowers and leaves. I always remove the flowers anyway, since they begin to look ratty pretty quickly, but I only remove damaged leaves. Sometimes I just cut the damaged part off and leave the rest of the leaf. They used to tell us to remove leaves, but they found that it's best to leave them on.
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singnfool
19 years ago
I agree with you, Begoniac. I have started cuttings in water twice, now, and have not removed more than a couple of leaves at the base of the cutting so that there would be more area to root. My problem with putting them in soil right away is that I tend to over-water them and the potting soil gets mildewy. . . the angel-wing begonias I have are pretty tough and have lived through my over-pampering - thankfully. Begoniac, do you suggest any certain type of potting soil? Maybe that would help some of us to root our cuttings better!
Lanna
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mingtea
19 years ago
as a rule, i always like to use a lighter potting soil. mixing in perlite will help. alternately, if you have a humid environment, you can root in straight perlite/vermiculite mix and then move to a heavier mix. bottom heat helps, but i don't use it. canes with predominantly silver or pink leaves ('Maurice Amey,' 'Sinbad' etc.) are a bit more finicky than others and require a more humid environment. if you've had a rot experience, you all know not to overwater.

-ming
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susancarol
19 years ago
I'll just add my two cents. I've been successful rooting canes in water so I ordered cane cuttings from Lauray's of Salisbury. (She sells 50% off price for cuttings) Well, I lost "Nora Hanson" trying to water root but will have to say, I lost my nerve and just potted the rest of the cuttings in 50% AV soil and 50% perlite and they practically rooted overnight.

Good luck with yours. They're my very favorite plant these days!
Susan
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Brittany Bell
2 years ago
Can my angel wing begonia Brazilian lady live in a water bowl forever? Does it have to be in soil?
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hc mcdole
2 years ago
Brittany,

I don't know if your Brazilian Lady can live in water forever but it can live in water for a very long time if you change the water out before it "sours" (gets scummy with algae). You may want to check out hydroponics if you wish to try it out.

PS: This thread is over 16 years old. I would start a new thread to pose your question.
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