Already present on the balconies of our grandmothers, tuberous begonias are a sure value. To speed up the recovery process and obtain flowers early, it is necessary to give them a little treatment.
Precautions and preparation: the keys to success.
The tuberous begonia, as its name indicates it, have a tuber which constitutes the reserves of the plant. This one enters in dormancy during the cold season.
This begonia, native of South and Central America, is a cold one which does not support the too fresh temperatures for him under our latitudes. It is thus advisable to take some precautions and not to rush it to ensure the success of its culture.
The bulb must be wintered with the shelter of the frost and the dry one in order to preserve it in a perfect health. A soft restart will have to be implemented in spring, before being able to install it definitively in a pot in the shade and with the shelter of the great winds.
Afterwards, this easy plant will only require a limited maintenance and will bloom profusely for many months.
When and how to proceed?
It is a question of "waking up" the tuber in dormancy a little prematurely to obtain an early bloom.
- At the end of March/beginning of April, take a box and fill it with a very light mixture composed of half sand and half peat or potting soil. Add charcoal powder to limit the appearance of any cryptogamic diseases.
- Tamp the surface to smooth it out.
- Water the mixture so that it is moist but not completely soggy.
- Place the tuber, rounded side down, with the concave part from which the shoots should emerge facing the light.
- Bury only the rounded part so that only the upper side of the bulb emerges.
- Place the box in full light and warm.
- Water the substrate from time to time so that it never dries out completely.
- As soon as the first shoots appear, move the box to a cooler but still very bright place. The temperature should be around 15°C.
- When all risk of frost is eliminated, around mid-May, gently remove the tuber with its root ball and install it in its final pot filled with good compost.
Next steps
Once well installed in its container, place your begonia in half-shade, or in the shade in the warmest regions, and water it regularly but without excess. Cut off the faded flowers as you go along and add some liquid organic fertilizer once every ten days to the watering water to see it bloom for a long time.
As soon as the first frosts arrive, bring your pot in a frost-free place and wait for the leaves to wither completely to winterize the tuber in a dry place.
