Well the problem with standing water is contamination. If you had covered it with foil, plastic wrap, etc. to exclude germs, I think you can keep it for weeks in the same water. Just my own thoughts though.

You are probably as well off or better by potting it up.

Here is what I have done in the past.

small syrup bottle but what you don't see is the bottle and leaf were inside a lettuce container with a lid.

Mix and match (succulents, canes, etc) in perlite

Thank you for sharing your pictures. Such beautiful begonias you have! They seem to be quite resilient. Mine was in fact covered with a plastic bag to retain humidity, but I frequently took it out to peep at it. I’m a helicopter plant parent. I have hope that mine will survive, but I’m stumped as to why it hasn’t made roots.

That is strange that it hasn't put roots on. Once in a while a cane just sits there but most root without any fanfare. Almost as easy as coleus.

I just came upstairs after doing pictures, a little watering, and some more cleanup of the plants I brought inside before Halloween. I still have my big pots under the deck, several pots of canes under trees, and some plants to dig up and store for winter (bananas, dahlias, and elephant ears (Alocasia and Colocasia).

This is one I got at Longwood Gardens in Philly late September. They labeled it as Corallina but I doubt that.

Our climate differs a lot from most growers, we've been heating the house for about a month now. Which means, for my conditions, I have learned to take a cutting and drop it into a sealed baggie with a little water in the bottom, and hang it somewhere until it feels firm thru the baggie. I guess in other words for someone with my conditions, keeping a cutting firm enough to prop means keeping it in water. Water roots, by the way, supposedly are not as strong or healthy as others but I have never noticed any difference.

Remove that poor looking leaf. Either it will die or get the message to start rooting and growing.

Baby leaf just fell off!! I went to do as you suggested and it dropped when I picked up the pot. Fingers crossed that good things are happening under the soil.

It wasn't looking too good. Is it near a sunny window? That may help it start to grow.

Yes, it’s living in a sunny window. I’d like to find a clear dome to keep it under as well so that it can enjoy some humidity too.

Put a baggie over it or stick it in a fish tank or tall vase and cover with plastic wrap.

My 2 cents, Kitty. I've had cuttings in water that looked just as bad. Eventually they root. I RARELY lose a begonia cutting in water.

It will more than likely root in your pot. My only advice: don't overwater.

hc mcdole, got it! I went to a few nurseries to see if any had angel wing begonias like this one (silver spots on the leaves)... so far none have what I’m looking for. Certainly none as nice as yours either.

Kyle, ooh I’m hoping my cutting doesn’t rot in the soil. What’s the longest it has taken for your cuttings to root?

I'm not really sure. Hard to tell when roots start forming when cutting is in soil. You'll know everything is OK when new leaves start unfolding.

Kitty,

I'd check some online stores for what you want or wait until spring when nurseries start stocking their tables with begonias again. Winter is not a good time for house plants except holiday favorites (poinsettias will be hitting the stores soon if not already there) I did notice Thanksgiving cactus on some shelves already this weekend.

Try some of these stores: eBay, Steve's Leaves, Logee's, Taylor Greenhouses, Kartuz, Accents for Home and Garden, The Violet Barn (no canes that I know of), and a few more.

I remember a comment from Tracy McLellan (who was a botanist-writer who studied the B. dregei types in S. Africa and wrote about them in The Begonian) to the effect that two cuttings put closely together in your medium (water or moss) have more chances of rooting as they share the rooting auxins.

Good point Woe. I also find by housing several terrarium type begonias together do a lot better together than being in their own "ecosystem".

You can use willow cuttings as well as a lot of rooting hormones come from Salix. I've never used this but it is available if you want rooting hormones and don't want to buy it. I never use rooting hormone on begonia cuttings as begonias root fairly easily.

Do a web search for this: "using willow cuttings for rooting hormones" I just did and had over 21 million hits using Bing. I suppose Google would return something similar.

Woebegonia, that’s an interesting tidbit.

hc mcdole, you’re right about that. I’ve seen lots of Thanksgiving cacti.

!!!!!!!!!! I’M FREAKING OUT!

I did a bad thing. I couldn’t sleep so I got out of bed and dug up my begonia cutting instead. I expected nothing, but the bottom of the cane is full of tiny but THICK juicy ROOTS! There’s no way I’m falling asleep now, I’m just so excited about this!! I used a rooting hormone before sticking the cutting in soil and I’m attributing the rapid progress to it. This cutting was potted less than a week ago.

I know we’re not out of the clear yet. I really hope none of the new leaves succumb to whatever disease took baby. I’m rooting for this cutting so hard!

Ain't it awesome? So happy for you.

Just monitor for moisture and let nature take its course. If you coddle it too much, you might "love it to death". You should see some new shoots hopefully in a couple of weeks, at least new leaves.

Thank you, Kyle! I hope I have more good news to share soon.

hc mcdole, totally right, it’s time for me to step back (that’s the real challenge).

Is it a baby boy or girl? HAHA! Looking good.

Thank you! He’s working very hard!

Good morning from baby leaf!

We may have spoken too soon. I noticed a bleary pink blemish on his side. That’s how previous leaf started to look before whatever it was took over the entire thing.

edit: it’s the spot closest facing the window, could it be a bit of sun blush? It appeared slightly depressed to me, but that could be the pressure exerted from the sheath it’s emerging from. I haven’t taken it out of this plastic bag-tent in my great effort to avoid disturbing it too much. There’s a good amount of condensation in the corner of the bag when I check it in the morning. If this is a fungal or bacterial disease I imagine that condensation could allow it to be transmitted easily from mom leaf to baby?

I hope I’m wrong, but I’ll know by tomorrow at the latest. Hope this is just new plant mom paranoia.

If your cutting is putting out a new leaf it is more than likely rooted and doesn't need the bag. If it ever did. I'd take it out of the bag. hc may correct me if I'm wrong.

I would open the bag some before taking it completely out so it can get used to drier air. I agree the bag is not needed for a healthy growing cane but in this case, I would be very hesitant from going from one extreme to the other.

I thought begonias enjoyed humidity as a general rule. It has certainly kept me from fiddling with the cutting. The bag is cracked open now!

Kitty,

It depends on the type of begonia. Most take normal house air just fine. Most will grow better in a humid atmosphere but the containers take up a lot of space and cost more too. The ones you really want to put in a humid environment are 1) the ones from the steamy jungles and 2) the very young and weak - kind of like an incubator for babies and chicks. If you get into propagation then a humid enclosure is almost a must for indoor growers. If you grow outdoors in summer (provided you live in a humid region) or in a greenhouse, then you will not need any enclosure.

This was September 14

It makes a lot of sense that you’d have to incubate them as babies. I love the variation in colors and patterns in your tray. What are they called? I’ll be very happy when Spring rolls around and I can start looking for some of these varieties in person.

Most of these are rhizomatous. I have several U400 (silver with green streaks), Plum Paisley that isn't too plum right now, maybe 3 or 4 Curly Silver rexes (I don't even know if that is the name or not), Silver Queen in the back, 4 or so of U503 (green glossy leaves which are some of the newest ones I put in this tray) and many more. I also have a couple or more leaves of brevirimosa (pink leaves that are cane like species).

This is U503 (dark green to almost a purple tint) growing at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens (this was in October). The small leaf growing beside it is Begonia elaeagnifolia.

U400

Thank you, hc! It’s the brevirimosa that caught my eye. I really love the coloring.

It’s hard to tell if there has been any change in baby leaf. I did notice that the node near the soil line has gone from brown to lively red, so maybe we’ll get another shoot?

Time will tell how it will do. I would recommend not watering until it looks dry, feels dry, or even shows signs of wilt. I had one cane last year that was touch and go so I really had to resist the temptation of watering it until I saw one of the 3 signs I mentioned.

I think it is one of the canes in the back.

Yes, I think we’ll have to wait it out. So far it hasn’t deteriorated as rapidly as our first leaf. I will keep the watering light.

How hot does it get? Can you sense it with your hand or better yet put a thermometer of some kind at the pot? Light should be okay but heat might be a problem.

I didn't realize I had moved some begonias outdoors last year this time of year - this was April 21, 2017. We've had two mornings back to back (Friday and yesterday) that were 34 on our deck. Today it was 62 and never got above that with all the rain. GRRR! I was wanting to start moving some of the bigger plants outdoors this week but it looks like rain most of the week.

Anyway, your begonia should have more growth by now. Check your soil - see if it is too wet, too dry, too old, too shallow, etc.

Your plants are looking so lovely. It’s getting warmer, today it’s low 80’s. The glass doesn’t get very hot, but I will have to pay more attention to how it feels during the day.

I’ve been watering very cautiously and only when the cane starts to look a hint shriveled. I don’t see any roots poking out the bottom, but maybe it would enjoy being in a slightly bigger pot, and fresh soil?

Glass may not be hot but it can act like a magnifying lens when the sun is hitting it directly. Normally it is not an issue.

You probably shouldn't see roots out the bottom unless you are bottom watering. If the bottom stays too wet then roots will rot in that zone. You might unpot it and look at the roots to see why they aren't growing to fill the pot.

Here are some cane cuttings from last year. You can see the roots are extending to the bottom. I used cheap clear drinking cups (12 or 16 oz)

I just unpotted. My roots aren’t looking as robust as yours and they reach only 1/3 way down the pot. Hmm.

I repotted into fresh mix in the same pot. Maybe I’ll move it into a shadier spot.

That sounds like the problem then. Do not overwater. Dribble water in the mix when it looks/feels somewhat dry. When the plant starts actively growing then you can water more. I hope this will get this begonia growing strong!

Until then enjoy the springtime blooming plants. This is Azalea Encore Autumn Twist. Weird that part of it has a solid color bloom.

Native cross vine (Bignonia capreolata)

two different clematis

Peony

I’m having a rough time with this little one. He’s not thriving at all. Here are the latest developments:

We lost our oldest leaf and are down to one. I took a closer look and noticed that the distance between nodes is so, so short. The cane has barely done any actual growth.

I didn’t have any clear Solo cups so I hacked at a plastic jar until it had a drainage hole and was of comparable height to the plastic pot our begonia is already living in. I depotted and took note of the roots.

Once I shook off excess dirt, it was clear that the plant hadn’t make any progress filling the pot. How do these roots look to you guys?

I moved it off the western windowsill and now it lives next to my thriving pothos, who I hope will provide the little one with some motivation to do better. No more direct sun, but he is in close proximity to very bright southern-facing balcony.

Please add some more soil to over the exposed node and hope that more roots start appearing. The roots you showed looked pretty weak and I was hoping to see some further up. The soil looked a bit dry too - keep it moist but not soggy wet. Wishing you lots of luck.

HC, maybe she should spray that old soil off? And repot?

That's a good idea too Kyle. I usually do that if there appears to be root rot.