| I brought my hanging pots in when the first frost hit. The begonias are continuing to bloom beautifully. Now I see what appears to be seed pods on the base of some of the begonia blooms. Can I plant them? How do I know when to try? Does the bloom need to wilt first? I'm a novice! |
| Don't let inexperience get you down. Go ahead and experiment! To begin with, tuberous begonias need a rest period after blooming. Within the next several weeks the stems on your begonias will begin to wither and die. When that happens, remove the tubers from the pots and brush off any soil. Place them in a cool, dark place to rest. When little pink buds appear on the tubers, repot them and begin watering them. They'll grow to be big and beautiful plants by next summer. Begonia's can be propagated by seed, but it's a slow, painstaking process. The seeds are dust-like particles (careful, don't sneeze!), and take a while to germinate. You can sprinkle them on top of some potting mix in a tray, cover the tray with plastic wrap, and put itin a warm spot. When you see green sprouts, remove the plastic and put the tray under bright light. Eventually the sprouts will grow large enough to handle and you can transplant them into pots. Good luck with your new venture! |
