To enjoy a longer blooming season from his colorful, velvety tuberous begonias, a South Dakota gardener gives his tubers a boost by starting them indoors.
By the time frost danger is past and it is safe to set them outdoors, the begonias have grown well.
It is not unusual for some of them to be showing buds by the time they are set into their summer “bed.” This method has lengthened the blooming season by as much as two months.
Tips During Blooming Season
In a locality where the blooming season is short enough at best, this adds considerably to the enjoyment these flowers give him and the many visitors who come to see his flowers.
1. Moving Of Tubers And Sprouting
Two weeks before the desired planting date (Wollner likes to plant about March 1), the tubers are moved from their cool winter storage to a warm dark room to coax them into sprouting. When the sprout is well started, they are ready for planting.
2. Rooting System
The sprouted tubers are planted in shallow containers filled with peat moss. They are covered except for the lips of the sprouts.
After planting the tubers are well watered, then not watered again until the moss seems dry. Hoots develop from the tops and sides of tubers.
By the time the plants have stretched to a height of several inches, the root systems will be well developed, and the plants will be ready for transplanting into plant bands.
3. Banding And Potting Of Plant
Plant bands are made from strips of roofing paper 4” inches wide and 17” inches long. The strip is folded into its 4” inch square with the extra one inch used as overlap and stapled to make an open-bottomed square band.
Bands are arranged in flats and filled one-third full of the potting mixture. Walther Mies four parts oak leaf mold, one part well-rotted barnyard manure, and three parts sandy loam.
The begonia Clumps are cut apart, leaving the peat moss undisturbed around the roots. Then they are set into the bands, and more potting mixture is poured in to fill the band.
4. Watering Process
After planting, light watering is in order. They are not watered again until the soil shows dryness.
As the plants grow, more frequent watering will be necessary, but the rule of “don’t water until the soil is dry” is followed.
The plains grow happily in their hands until frost danger is past, and they run to be set not into their summer bed.
5. Begonias Under Sunlight
The begonias don’t like full sunlight, so they are set in a semi-shade on the east of the house and in open light on the north of the building. Plant bands are removed.
The soil dump is set into a load of sufficient size in the bed, and the earth is formed around it.
Begonias are set with the points of the leaves facing in the direction one wants the blossoms to face.
6. Blooming of Begonias
Begonias started this way have a longer blooming season than tubers planted directly in outdoor beds since they can be started as mud as 8 weeks sooner. They will bloom until frost.
Waltner sometimes plants the starter begonias into puts instead of plant bands, then sets the pot and all outdoors.
This allows the blooming begonias to be taken indoors in their pots in fall to lengthen the blooming season by several weeks before the tubers are “pm to bed” for their dormant winter period.
44659 by Elma Waltner