Interesting. I suspect the holes were there much earlier when developing and just enlarged as the leaf was growing. No signs of disease as the leaves look nice and healthy - just not show worthy in case you were going to put it in a show. You can cut off any leaf you do not like which will force the plant to put out new growth. Use the cut leaves to start some new plants!

BTW - this looks like B. 'Immense'. Easy to propagate and can become a monster in its own right.

Here was one of my biggest in 2015 and you will see it has leaf damage (from falling debris). The leaves of Immense are not the thickest I've seen so can easily tear.

Trimmed leaves of Immense (one of Selph's Mahogany and tenuipilia too)

Three months later (and some new introductions into the same pan)

Thank you very much! I appreciate the advice. I wonder what caused the original damage. Maybe it was the fertilizer after all. Regardless, very pleased that nothing is eating him!

Hi, I am having this exact thing with my Begonia Immense this year. I have grown these for 40 years and never had this problem. I am not convinced it is small damage that gets larger. I think something is eating the leaves when they are young and tender since I can see tiny holes appearing. I have looked at night with a flashlight with no luck. I have dug in the soil and I have treated with a systemic hoping to get it that way. I just got done going over a few leaves with a 10X loupe paying special attention to the bases of leaves and hiding places. Nothing. There are older leaves that are fine but all new growth this season has damage....makes me crazy. I am also seeing little light green spots on the leaves in a few places, smaller than paper punch size. These spots have a tiny brown center and it is all embedded in the leaf. Maybe larval stage or something evil? Still hoping the systemic will knock it out.

Roxanne,

Keep us informed if you find anything. I hope it isn't evil though. HAHA!

Okay here is the deal with these holes......Ahem.......

Spent all summer here diddling around with it. Today I dug up all rhizomes, removed leaves, roots, and soil, scrubbed with scrub brush, and let to dry. All leaves are shot full of holes just as in the picture above. Then I remembered my friend telling me how he "renewed" all his potting soil with mushroom compost so he did not have to buy more and I took his advise since I was putting this in my garden and did the same last year to my begonias before this all began.

I am convinced this is a fertilizer burn! Makes sense to me now. The rhizomes gained a lot of girth this summer and leaves were dark green and all was good except the holes.

So if any of this makes sense and you are having the same trouble there you go. I fertilize with Miracle grow several times in the growing season. I will just re-pot the clean rhizomes in fresh miracle grow potting soil and wonder all this fall and winter why I didn't figure it out sooner.

I thank you all for your support.

Hi I'm wondering if repotting in new soil fixed your problem. I've also had these plants for years - hand me down from my grandparents. Lots of offshoots. Currently two of my plants have leaves that are full of holes - one was propagated from the other, and I'm supposed to be giving it to a friend. My two other Immenses don't have this problem. Would love to know if you've solved it. I'm thrilled I even found this thread as it's so hard to fine info on begonia immense at all!

Yes! I'm a happy gal with nice happy begonias once again. I have 3 of them with nice new growth that is perfect. Just waiting for spring to pop around here so they will take off like they do every year. I actually cut up the rhizomes and gave them away and the new owner reported perfect new growth ...he has like 10 of them LOL. I kept top cuttings and they are perfect as well.

Thanks! So you repotted in new soil? (Miraclegro?) The ones in my office always fare the best - they seem to love the fluorescent light. I've only ever had them bloom in my office, never at home. Thanks so much for your help.

Bad news! Beginia Immense leaves all shot through with holes again. This apartment where I now live has AC. I realized the AC vents about 6 feet from the plants. If i move the plants they will not get enough light. I am wondering if the AC is causing this? It is very drying I know and I need AC here. It's not a bug eating holes. I am noticing that the leaves when seen backlit from the sunlight have places where there is less greening, Not noticeable otherwise. Wondering about a fungus of some sort. I was so sure it was a fertilizer burn but it is not. If I get anywhere I will report. thanks! Also thinking I may try a screen between the AC and the plants.

This is so disappointing! I did wonder over the summer if mine were too near the a/c and moved them to another room. I also tried completely repotting one, cleaning all the soil off the rhizome and roots. The other one was too big and so I dug around and replaced the top level of soil. No measurable difference in the two plants in the occurrence of holes. Keep in touch as you learn more. I reached out to someone on instagram who posts pictures of their Immense, but they haven't had it happen to them. I'm going to reach out to the Begonia Brigade, too. Will let you know if I learn anything. Good luck!

My Begonia rex and dragon wing are suffuring from the same thing! I don't know what to do, first I thought it was potassium deficiency, then i thought about bacterial holes or fungus hole, not sure yet about what is indeed the source of the problem, have you came into a conclusion? A resolution?

I am growing this plant exactly like I have for the last 40 years. I have a wonderful east window and the leaf development is excellent there so I know it's a good spot for it. The leaves that have come out this winter have fewer holes than they did last year. I am noticing that it all begins when the leaf is very small and just unfolding. There will be a darker red spot and soon it will kind of crack all by itself here and there than as the leaf grows the holes get larger. I thought maybe it is the AC that is 6 feet away. I have redirected the flow so it doesn't hit the plant anymore. I still get holes. I am stumped. Using quality fresh potting soil and when needed I use Miracle grow fertilizer. Thought I had figured it out last year as a fertilizer burn but that wasn't it. Keep us posted. This begonia I have is a begonia immense and it gets huge and beautiful....very satisfying to grow till now,

Move it outdoors in a big pot this summer and don't obsess over some small imperfections in the leaves unless you are putting it in a flower show. Leaves come and go. Here was one of mine in an 18" pot a few years ago with some damaged leaves. Enjoy it for what it is.

It does okay indoors as well but space is limited.

a mixed pot one summer with it, Caribbean King, and Kong Coleus.

they do so love to be outside but where I now live I don't have a shaded spot, only full sun which is great for some things. Yeah, I try not to worry about it but this plant is so wonderful and this hole thing really bugs me.

I think I am going to somehow treat for fungus. I don't know how yet and I never have treated any plant for it but that may just be it. There are no bugs and the small damaged leaf gets a sort of dry crusty edge around the hole that has developed. Then there is this.....I am sensitive to chemicals now and "they" are adding them to everything now days. Nothing is sacred. Perhaps some simple natural thing that has been in potting soil has been found to be cheaper if a man made chemical replacement has been used? We can never know this because we don't eat potting soil and so it would be a perfect way to utilize a chemical replacement without complaint. Hey! My geraniums are fabulous!

@ hcmcdole - I am so envious of your beautiful begonias. You certainly have a gift.

mine were having those cracks that enlarged later with growth indoors in NY, but when i took them to FL into higher humidity, it all went away. may be the plant is kept too dry and or this is some sort of nutrient deficiency. it's not bugs or fungal.

This makes sense to me, this is the driest apartment I have ever lived in. It's killing my sinuses and my throat. My plants dry out very quickly, I have never had to water so much. I think I need to just let it go now that something finally makes sense. Thank you

depending on the size of the plant, if it allows it..you can take a florist open sleeve cellophane bag (the stiff kind) or just clear plastic from the supermarket and position the pot inside with top open. it'll look sort of like a bouquet :)..it 'll keep a somewhat higher humidity around the plant, especially if you have dense growth with top leaves shielding the bottom. i do this when they are tented and i need to allow them to adjust slowly to open air.

but sometimes i just leave them like that for a long time.

I used to do this too, leaving the cellophane sleeves on for a few weeks while the new plant adjusted to the indoors. I don't do this anymore as it often masks other problems - dropped leaves ripe for fungal issues for one, fungus gnats that often follow. I take the sleeves off fairly early when I bring them home these days.

I think this was my last sleeved plants (florist azaleas from Walmart) that I kept the sleeves on for a couple of weeks at most.

My last buy from Home Depot online - delivered to house with free shipping over $45 was for two hydrangeas. Sleeves went off as soon as I got them out of their boxes. Just a week ago.

I used to have them sleeved at the nursery for a few years but gave that up as well. Here was my pickup truck in 2016 - no sleeves.

even all the way back to 2014 - no sleeves. (Sleeving didn't cost any extra BTW)

But in 2009 I did. Just too much work if you ask me with very little benefit.

i always sleeve for car transfer when boxing. it's much easier to load/unload without damage. i pack them very tight then, otherwise you need too many boxes..

I learned the trick from Harmony to open the box from the bottom and then they all slide out nice and pretty. When I used to have them sleeve the pots in the past, it was a hassle to remove or roll down the sleeve to show the beauty of the plant.

Anyhoo to each their own.

As Hamlet once said "To sleeve or not to sleeve, that is the question".

LOL! if only..I have many more..like "FL or NOT FL?!"...