Pebbles for humidity- Polka Dot Begonia
Comments (6)
4 years agoRelated Discussions
inexpensive plants that need very high humidity
Comments (14)Watergal..Lord knows, "I've thought of many plans to do that myself." LMAO..Keep thinking, something will pop up. Read into it what you wish..(S) Family Forum.. Alan, 50.00 for an Anthuruium??? My goodness..I hope it's one happy plant.. Would you like to see some high-loving-humidity plants..check out Natural Selections Exotics. She sells some beautys, but the cost is higher than most plants I can afford. (I love her sales) If your Roseo-picta and Stromanthe tricolor are doing well, then yes, I'd say the humidity in your house is higher than average. Do you have a humidifer? How about a Hygrometer? You can find inexpensive and accurate hygrometers at Ace or most hardware stores..Buy a couple to place in separate rooms, and to compare temps/humidity..Every so often I set mine (3) in the fridge to test for accuracy.. 2 of the 3 are more than 10-years-old, bought at Ace Hardware @ 7.00 each. The third was bought online. I have a small gh, 8x12 in the back yard, so this hygrometer does its job..the hygrometer details indoor, outdoor and green house temps and humidity..if temps dip under 40 or exceed 100 an alarm beeps. WaterGal also suggested a Coffee tree..great idea..A couple more humidity-loving plants to experiment with are Gingers and Heliconia. Or Musa/banana trees..There's some lovely plants around, especially the blood leaf bananas. Alan, are you interested in plants that bloom/fruit? Certain height? Trees/bushes? Fragrant? I'm certain you and your significant other can work something out..Living in Il, our yard size is so-so..not huge nor small..Like I said, I have a gh out back..we also have an English Mastiff and a new addition, Coco, a Shih Tzu..There's room for everyone..Ppl, dogs, and plants..Since you're in GA, you can get by w/a decent sized gh, and if you're in the southern part of the state, the additional gas cost shouldn't cost an arm and leg. If you decide to get a gh, research..don't jump at the first one you see.. Paul, ferns are another great idea.. 20% humidity?? Wow guy, you need a humidifer, mister, indoor fountain and trays..LOL..J/K of course..I'd literally have breathing problems at 20%.. Perhaps the Hypoestes doesn't need much humidity..How does yours do in winter? Do you pinch/prune to keep compact?? Toni...See MoreCart jumped by a CAT (unmarked Begonia)
Comments (10)Somehow I missed your comment until now, Panda. I appreciate the interesting info, and please feel free to post whatever thoughts you have. That's what the forums are for! According to the Wiki article on variegation, Begonias have at least 2 types of reflective variegations. Fascinating plants, aren't they? Wiki: Some variegation is due to visual-effects due to reflection of light from the leaf surface. This can happen when an air layer is located just under the epidermis resulting in a white or silvery reflection. It is sometimes called blister variegation. Another type of reflective variegation is caused by hairs on parts of the leaf, which may be coloured differently from the leaf. This is found in various Begonia species and garden hy-brids." As you can see in the pics above, this plant had a few light pink blooms on it when I brought it home about 3 wks ago and is now starting to make fuchsia / hot pink blooms. Interesting. (Some strange punctuation added to avoid compulsive linking of my words to ads!)...See MorePolka dot plant
Comments (10)If you have space near a window, and enjoy fussing over a plant, it should do fine. If your daughter wouldn't mind if it goes outside for summer, that would probably be best. Juju, that's funny you mention Fittonia. My experience has been opposite but Fittonia was potted by itself until being added to this pot this spring. The polka dot plants have been in this pot since last May. Whenever a piece gets too tall for the 'attitude' of this pot, I just cut it off. Propagating the pieces is not guaranteed but usually takes. This pot is on the east end of covered front porch facing south, so gets direct light for a few hours in the morning. When I brought it inside over winter, it was in a south window under the porch roof, so about an hour of sun early morning, another hour or two late afternoon. Speaking of the pieces, I put 3 in this pot about a week ago. Since they're still so perky, I'm sure they have taken root, or are in the process of doing so. I just stuck them in the dirt until I thought they were deep enough, probably 1 1/2 inches....See MoreHELP with Angelwing Begonia 'My Special Angel'
Comments (1)Looks like some kind of fungal issue. It could be mildew but I don't see it in these photos. Mildew is a real menace on some begonias including big polka dotted canes. Remove the worst leaves, keep your soil somewhat on the dry side, spray with fungicide if it doesn't improve. I often remove all the leaves to get rid of infected leaves and spray the stems with one of the following: Neem oil (which has a pungent smell), Milstop (expensive and only found online thus far), Orchard spray is my newest weapon which is sulfur and pyrethrin. There are others so read labels and consider which is safest for you. Some folks use other homemade solutions but I am not much for those. You could cut it to the ground and make new plants with the tops as well. If the roots are healthy they will put up some new canes eventually....See MoreRelated Professionals
Ashburn Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Chattanooga Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Kyle Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Springfield Landscape Contractors · Andover Landscape Contractors · Canyon Lake Landscape Contractors · Deerfield Landscape Contractors · East Lake-Orient Park Landscape Contractors · Fountain Valley Landscape Contractors · Metairie Landscape Contractors · Natick Landscape Contractors · Palm Beach Gardens Landscape Contractors · Snoqualmie Landscape Contractors · West Haverstraw Landscape Contractors · Belle Glade Interior Designers & Decorators- 4 years ago
I agree with Paul. I had filled all my trays with gravel (probably 250 trays or more) in the past (I would have to guess 1,500 pounds or more). After a few years, they had dirt, leaves, and other debris caught in the gravel. It wasn't worth it and I spent hours carrying tray after tray of gravel outside to toss. A waste of money and time.The biggest thing on the "big polka dot" begonia is to not water it heavily. Give it some good light and keep an eye open for mildew (the bane of begonias and the big polka dot types are very susceptible to mildew). The other possibility is to get a cane begonia that is not as prone to mildew (the silver streaked or smaller polka dots are fairly disease resistant).
Here is my own seed grown maculata hybrid (I gathered some seed pods off my old mother plant which checked out this year). This hybrid is much easier to keep disease free.
Two canes that are too big to put under lights so they stay close to a light shelf.
The one on the left is a NOID and probably a seedling I let grow. The one on the right is 'Lana'. Both fairly easy. I do not do deep watering in winter unless I was going to go away for a week or more and then I hate that too.
Avalanche that I had problems with in the past probably because it didn't get enough light and I kept too wet. Looks so much better this year.
Some begonias (mostly) under lights. The left side has lights on from 8AM until 8PM. The right side comes on at 8:01PM and goes off at 7:59AM so I don't trip the circuit breaker.
Some of the other canes.
Valida on the left (not a cane but shrub or thick stem) and a polka dot cane on the right (no name) that I was about to lose for a few years until I stopped watering it heavy in winter.
4 years ago- 4 years ago
- 4 years ago
hbiscus909,
I usually don't go by wilt to tell me when to water. If I do see wilt then I know 1 of 2 things that caused it (usually one of two but there may be others). First one is it is dry and needs water and the second one is the roots are rotting because it is wet and stayed wet.
I try to keep them on the drier side in winter for the most part and check them at least every other day. Think of it this way - spring showers which may only last a few minutes but enough to revive thirsty plants.Fireflush with some debris (probably from the foliosa above it)
foliosa is in the lights and self pruning this way but I don't want to find another spot for it (yet)
U402 is in the lights too but the blooms on this stem are okay.
These begonias share the same pan and shelf as an agave. I rarely water agaves in winter but they still need it from time to
3 new seedlings I've managed to keep alive (usually I can germinate seeds of begonia easily but growing them on is too difficult because I water them too much)
Two are on the sides of this one.
some new leaves around the basement
new leaf of Judy Cook
U508 new leaf
Taconite new leaf
taller canes go on the floor outside the light stand. That includes the bear paw fern on the right edge.
Paul MI