Begonia Tiger as a houseplant: variety history, flower care, breeding methods, diseases and dangerous pests

Begonia is an ornamental houseplant.

It has always attracted experienced and amateur gardeners with its attractiveness, beauty, undemanding care and the small size of the bush.

Today we describe the features of the Tiger begonia (it is also called the Tiger or Bauer).

We will consider in detail the features of caring for this plant and the nuances of transplantation.

Origin history

Michel Begon first studied and described begonia found on the Antilles. About thirty years later, Brazil discovered an ever-flowering begonia, a little later royal, but already on the Hindustan Peninsula, and later tuberous in the southern part of the American continent. All these findings have become the basis for all modern varieties of begonias.

At first, it was intended only for life in a greenhouse or greenhouse, over time, breeders have bred varieties that can adapt to a temperate climate. Most tuberous is a popular species due to its magnificent appearance and ease of care. In the natural environment, this plant can be found not only in the tropics and subtropics, but also in arid slopes, and at an altitude of 4000 meters above sea level.

Botanical Description

A fairly low, up to 30 cm high, herbaceous perennial plant with basal rosettes of shoots. Its leaves have a heart-shaped shape (6-8 cm long) and are located on long petioles, decorated with small teeth along the contour. Their edge also contains hairs and a stroke or spotting. Their color may change as the plant moves relative to sunlight. With a lack of light, they become darker, with an excessive amount of light, they brighten.

Being in bright light promotes flowering plants. Tiger begonia blooms in early March with buds collected in the inflorescence of the brush, which grow on long stalks directly from the basal rosette. Flowers are same-sex and on the same plant are represented by both female and male individuals. Such species are called monoecious. This variety has a special rhizome - creeping.

Appearance and features

The leaves are emerald green with a black outline and characteristic spotting of reddish, dark and light green hues. Flowers are pink and white in small sizes.

All begonias differ in some features from other ornamental plants:

The inflorescences of this plant can boast of unequal shape, size and color. The buds bloom in the warm and light season.
Foliage can be of all shades of green. In addition, often along the perimeter of the sheet lines, spots, dots, intersperses “make out”, making the design of the sheet plate unique.
The shape of the leaves is also found in the most diverse: round, heart-shaped, oval, elongated, pointed. Another uniqueness of all begonias is the fluff on the foliage, which gives the appearance of the flower a velvety effect.

Houseplant transplant

It is necessary to transplant the young Tiger begonia every spring in a more spacious pot in order to ensure free growth of the roots of the indoor plant.
An older plant needs a transplant once every two years (or even every 3-4 years - you need to look at the roots).

If the flower is not transplanted, it will lose its decorative appeal, its leaves fade, decrease in size and become painful. After transplanting, it is advisable to prune the leaves to allow the plant to take root.

Important! The transplanted begonia should be kept for several days away from the sun, in a dark place.

The substrate, most suitable for begonia, consists of equal parts of leaf, turf, coniferous land, sand and humus. You can buy the finished mixture in the store, but still you will have to add some of the listed components yourself. Prepared soil must be moist.

Do not forget about the drainage layer in the flowerpot. To create it, use pebbles or gravel. But if you planned to place the flower in a hanging planter, do not weight the composition with such a composition of the drainage layer, it is better to use pieces of synthetic winterizer or crushed polystyrene for these purposes.

On top of the drainage layer, it is recommended to pour sphagnum, which will protect the rhizomes from decay. Tiger beauty has very fragile roots, so be extremely careful when removing them from the pot. Due to the fact that Bauer is initially planted in nutrient soil, do not rush with top dressing. The first time it is better to fertilize a month after the transplant.

Tiger Home Care Requirements

Lighting

Like all other Begonias, this one is also an adversary of direct sunlight. But you will be very grateful if you place it in a well-lit place, but with diffused light. Gardeners recommend providing Tiger with a uniform light supply both in winter and in summer.

Watering

Like a migrant from the tropics, begonia loves that the soil and air around are sufficiently moist. Therefore, you need to water it quite often, but do it as necessary. This moment comes when about 1-2 cm of the topsoil dries up. Due to an excess of moisture, roots can begin to rot - make sure that this does not happen. The earth needs constant loosening. But you can carry out this procedure somewhere in a couple of days after watering.

Use moistened water to moisten the soil. It will be ideal if there are no salt impurities. The temperature of the water should be room temperature, otherwise the rhizome may catch a cold. It is better to water the plant through a pallet, which should not be very large.

Attention! To moisten the air, it is not recommended to spray it, because drops of water can get on the foliage.

And since begonias are distinguished by their “hairiness”, it does not tolerate excessive moisture on a leaf plate. It will be good if you put a container of water next to the flower.

Temperature

The “tigress” will feel comfortable at a temperature of 18-22 degrees above zero in the summer and 16-18 degrees of heat in the winter. This type of begonia does not tolerate sudden changes in temperature.

Top dressing

During active growth, the plant needs to be fed with complex fertilizers, they can be purchased at the store.

Every 7 days begonia needs to be fertilized. This period lasts from the very beginning of spring to mid-autumn.

In winter, these flowers have a dormant period, which means that the frequency of watering and top dressing must be reduced to a minimum (it is recommended to water once a week, and fertilize once every 6 weeks).

Diseases and Pests

We list the most dangerous of the diseases that your pet may be susceptible to.

Leaves curl and dry along the contour. Most likely the soil is too dry and the air is too warm. Water the flower and transfer it to the room cooler.
Leaves fall. Here, on the contrary, the plant is cold. Fix this problem by raising the air temperature.
The foliage turns yellow. The air is cold and the watering is very plentiful. Let the soil dry and move the pot to a warm place.
Rot at the base of the stems. Caused by waterlogging. Leave the begonia for a while, let the soil in the flowerpot dry.
Leaf, flower or bud rot. This was due to spraying the plant from above. Do not do this anymore.

Now let's call the parasites that harm the Tigress.

Aphid. It is located on stems and peduncles, nourishing them with juice. To all this, it is a carrier of viruses. You can remove the aphid yourself, and then treat the affected areas with a soap solution.
Felts. They are characterized by the appearance of fluffy lumps on a leaf plate. To combat this pest, use a cloth dampened with an insecticide solution.
Gray rot, the causative agent of which is a fungus of the genus Botritis. Appears due to high humidity. You can recognize it by gray spots on the leaves and shoots. You can get rid of this fungus by spraying with Bordeaux liquid.

Breeding

Tiger begonia can be propagated by rhizome particles and cuttings.

Advice! The breeding procedure can be carried out at any time of the year, but it is better to do this in the spring or summer.

Cuttings

The role of the cuttings may be the upper part of the shoot, but a single leaf with a stalk more than 5 centimeters will come down quite well.

To plant the leaves, lower them midway into the soil. It should be the same as you use for an adult plant.
Cover the container with spouts with a plastic bag or a plastic lid with holes to provide air access to the plant and its ventilation.
Place the finished structure in a place with a temperature of at least 17 degrees Celsius. Do not forget to remove the film every day for about half an hour, so that the young plant is tempered.
After about 30-40 days, you will see that the cuttings have let out young leaves.
After another month, they will form enough and they can be transplanted into separate pots.

Rooted

If you decide to propagate begonia by dividing the roots, prepare low flowerpots for this.

The top will need to be removed.
After rooting the rhizomes, the plant must be divided. Finished parts are divided into separate containers and again arrange a greenhouse for them with moments of ventilation.
It remains only to wait for the young growth enough to form and begin to start new processes.

Conclusion

Begonia Tiger is gaining more and more popularity every year. And this is not surprising. After all, it is very difficult to find such an unpretentious, but at the same time magnificent and diverse plant. Even a novice grower can cope with the care, and our advice will help him in this. Therefore, boldly run to the store for a new look of this flower.