Begonia Growing Tips for February

By Brad Thompson

Fertilizing: Many of your begonias will be starting to grow again this month. especially towards the end of the month. You can start fertilizing again now, particularly those begonias that are actively growing. This can be a good time for your once or twice yearly application of Nutri-cote.

Cleanup: Now is a good time to get things cleaned up and ready for this years growing season. Get your empty pots cleaned up so they are ready to use. Empty the mix out of pots where the plants have died over this winter. You can reuse this mix for other types of plants such as impatients. Don’t reuse for begonias because the mix has broken down too much and is too heavy to use again for begonias. Also keep picking up dead and diseased leaves so you can keep diseases under control.

 Pests: Watch for aphids, this is the time of year they start appearing. Cuttings and plants that you brought indoors should be inspected for mealy bugs which you may have brought in with them. Now is a good time to inspect your outdoor begonias for all types if pests since they have dropped leaves and are easier to inspect.

Mildew and Diseases: This winter is supposed to be dry but even cool weather and damp mornings is perfect weather for bortrytis. This appears as rotted or gray wooly patches on leaves. It can be controlled with a fungicide like you use on powdery mildew. Removing all infected leaves right away and keeping dead leaves picked up will also go a long way towards keeping it under control.

Pruning and Pinching: I usually start pruning after the middle of February especially if it has been warm. Optimally you should have all your begonias trimmed by the end of April. Start with the hardiest canes first. Any plants that are tender or struggling shouldn’t be pruned until later. An easy rule of thumb for the novice or hesitant pruner is to prune plants that have already started to put out new growth. Begonias that are actively growing will fill out much faster after pruning than those that are semi formant.

Watering: This time of year is the easiest time of year to overwter and kill your plants. Wet soil and colder weather is a deadly combination. Rainwater doesn’t seem to have the same bad affect as overwatering with a hose. We are starting to see some rain so hopefully you’ll get a watering break for a while.

Repotting: Any plants that haven’t grown like you thought they should, especially after being moved up to a larger pot should be put back into a smaller pot for the winter. This includes plants that appear to be struggling, but don’t get carried away, only remove the extra loose mix don’t tear into the roots.

General Notes: As you are pruning your begonias root the cuttings or share them. Don’t just dump them if someone can use them. Begonias that you consider too common to waste time with cuttings can be used in other ways. Instead of indivually rooting cuttings of something like Ginny or Richmondensis, which nearly everyone has, root many together in a pot of mix to make a couple of larger plants. You can use those plants in other areas of your yard where you may need some filler.