Begonia at home in winter

Absolutely unpretentious flower - begonia - grows on the windowsill in almost every apartment. This plant is loved not only for the variety of shades and shapes of flowers, but also for the beautiful foliage drawing. Distinguish between rhizome and tuberous species - both are highly decorative and in summer can decorate gazebos and verandas.

Like many plants cultivated at home, begonia also has a rest period in winter. To the plant gained strength and did not die at this time, it needs some care, or rather a proper preparation for hibernation. Care for begonias in winter is needed in any case, but for the tuberous and rhizome species it is radically different.

When does the period of rest come?

Wild flowering ends in begonia at the end of September. Buds wither and the plant changes markedly - the foliage loses its color, and after a while the cuttings become roguish and fall off. This is the case with the tuber begonia, for which care at home in the winter is reduced to monitoring the condition of the soil during the rest period of the plant.

Is it worth digging a tuber?

If the begonia grew on the street, then it is necessary to have it in the room before it freezes, because it can not stand the cold. If the tuber of the plant was in the open ground, it is carefully removed from the ground, trying not to damage it. It can be stored in wet sawdust or sand at a temperature of no higher than 10 ° C.

Those begonias that grow in containers or pots can stay for the winter in the same form, only need to remove the wilted leaves, in the spring to change the soil to fresh.

Care for rhizome begonia

At home in winter, care for such a begonia, which is still called royal, does not relieve foliage as a tuber, but also to grow ceases. The best now for the plant will be watered from time to time, not allowing the drying of the soil. But the extra water in the begonia is not needed in winter, since with an excess of moisture, the root can start to rot, especially if the air temperature is not high.

The plant can be moved to a cool room where it will quietly winter, but you can leave it on the windowsill, watering once a week with a little warm water. Fertilizers are not needed in the winter, they can begin to feed begonia closer to spring, since the necessary rest period for begonias is from three to four months.