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Rex Begonia

Begonia

rex hybrid

Overwintering Begonias, some basics. When bringing plants indoors from an outdoor garden area there are some basic do’s and don’ts to consider. The first priority is to make sure your plants are free of insects or disease before bringing them in for the winter. Indoor conditions are very stressful to most plants and when plants are stressed they are more susceptible to insects and diseases. So before you bring plants in for the winter you may want to give them a good looking over, it will save you problems later in the winter when you may not want to use chemicals indoors. Indoor conditions are generally lower light than outdoors, so plant will have to adjust to lower light levels, sometimes they can do this easily and sometimes they must drop their outdoor leaves and grow new leaves that are better adapted to interior conditions. Plan for some leaf drop until plants become established again. All Begonias need bright filtered light when brought indoors and can sometimes be grown in full sun but be careful not to burn plants by exposing them to bright sun if they were grown in the shade previously. T he inside of your house is also very dry due to your heating system which removes water from the air as it heats the air in your house. You can make life a lot easier for your plants if you provide a source of humidity for your plants. Many people mist their indoor plants and while this helps it only lasts for a short period. A better long term solution is the use of a pebble tray under your plants where water can be added as it evaporates to keep the humidity higher around your indoor flowers. A pebble tray is simply a container that holds water filled with pebbles so that your plants sit on the pebbles and not in the water itself, water evaporates around the plant a creates a small “greenhouse” effect. Rex Begonia
Rex Begonias are a bit more of a challenge for indoor growing, but with a high humidity level can be gorgeous indoors with bright filtered light. These plants like constant moderate moisture, high humidity, and regular fertilization. They do not go dormant, so never allow them to dry out, they are very sensitive to dry roots and quickly decline if not cared for. However their electrifying foliage makes them one of the most desirable plants for both containers outdoors and inside. If you can grow African violets, you can grow Rex Begonias, so give them a try.