What are the propagation methods for strawberry begonia?

Strawberry begonia has fairly strong adaptability and tolerates shade. Growing strawberry begonia by hand is not very difficult, and propagating it is not very difficult either, but if you want to increase the survival rate, you need to pay attention to the propagation method. Generally, strawberry begonia is mostly propagated by division, and sowing can also be used.

Strawberry begonia

Division method: From late spring to early summer, cut off the small plantlets on the stolons and plant them together in shallow cultivation pots, one plant per pot, cover with glass or plastic film, and be careful to maintain relatively high humidity. Once the root system is well developed, divide and plant them into small pots. The small plantlets can also be directly divided and planted into small pots, watered thoroughly, and placed in a shady, humid place; in about 2 weeks they will resume growth. If planting in a rock garden, plant on the north side of the rocks to avoid direct sunlight. If grown in pots, plant one seedling per pot and it can be hung in front of a window or under the eaves, letting its stolons trail downward freely. It needs frequent misting to raise the humidity of the surrounding environment. In hot seasons, place it in a ventilated, cool spot and control water. After growth resumes in early autumn, increase watering and apply diluted liquid fertilizer 2 times a week. Fertilizer must be applied from below the leaves to avoid soiling the leaf surface and affecting growth. The stems of strawberry begonia are long and trail downward, with small plantlets borne at the stem tips, just like a jade thread hanging a hibiscus.

Sowing is carried out in March to April, and seedlings can emerge in about half a month.

How to grow strawberry begonia

Aliases: strawberry begonia, stone lotus leaf, jade thread hanging hibiscus. Family and genus: Saxifragaceae, Saxifraga. Blooming period: May to August. Flower meaning: persistence. Use tip: home care. Indoor placement: suitable for placement in the living room, bedroom, study, balcony, windowsill, bathroom, and other places.

Basic care and management

Light

Prefers a shady, humid environment.

Temperature

The suitable growing temperature is 20-28°C.

Soil

Suitable for growing in neutral to slightly acidic soil rich in organic matter and with good drainage. The potting soil is made by mixing garden soil: leaf mold: river sand = 4:4:2.

Watering

Prefers a humid environment. In spring, keep the soil moist and frequently mist the leaves and surroundings to increase air humidity. In summer and early autumn, when temperatures are high, the plant is in a semi-dormant state, so water less. In winter, water by letting the soil dry and then become moist alternately.

Fertilizing

During the vigorous growth period in spring, apply nitrogen fertilizer once every 20 days. Do not fertilize during high summer temperatures or low winter temperatures.

How to grow strawberry begonia and the flower meaning of strawberry begonia

Strawberry begonia is also known as stone lotus leaf, among other names. Its leaves look very much like tiger ears and have stripes on them, and it is often grown indoors as a bonsai. Below, we will tell everyone about how to grow strawberry begonia and knowledge about the flower meaning of strawberry begonia.

How to grow strawberry begonia:

1. Propagation method of strawberry begonia: Strawberry begonia is mainly propagated by division. When the strawberry begonia plant grows to a certain size, small plantlets grow at the ends of the stolons. In spring, cut off the small plantlets, transplant them into a large flowerpot, and then cover them with plastic film. Be careful to maintain a relatively high temperature. Once the root system has grown well, they can be divided and planted into small flowerpots, and placed in a shady, humid place for about two weeks, after which they will resume growth.

2. Soil: For potted strawberry begonia, the best soil choice is sandy soil rich in organic matter, and it must also have very good drainage. You can make your own potting soil by mixing it with river sand.

3. Temperature: Strawberry begonia likes a warm environment, and the most suitable growing temperature is between 15 and 25 degrees. Strawberry begonia is also fairly cold-tolerant and can overwinter at a low temperature of 5 degrees, but the variegated variety, tricolor strawberry begonia, is not cold-tolerant. Its overwintering temperature is 15 degrees, and if it is below this temperature it will die, so keeping warm in winter is also very necessary.

4. Watering: Strawberry begonia likes a humid environment, and during the growing season it needs relatively high humidity, so the potting soil must be kept moist often, but it must not become waterlogged. In summer, in addition to appropriate watering, misting should also be done to increase the humidity in the air and on the leaf surface. After strawberry begonia blooms in spring and summer, it will have a dormant period. At this time, water less, just keeping the pot from drying out completely. Every spring, it should also be repotted or renewed after flowering.

5. Light: Strawberry begonia should be grown in a semi-shady environment. In places with direct sunlight all day, it will be very difficult for it to survive. This is because too strong light will cause leaf scorch, while too weak light will make the leaves less vivid in color, so in spring, summer, and autumn, shade treatment should be carried out, using brighter diffused light for lighting.

6. Fertilizing: In addition to needing a small amount of decomposed base fertilizer when planting, strawberry begonia can be fertilized once every two weeks during the growing season with diluted liquid fertilizer. If the concentration is too high, it will cause the plant to die.

7. Pest and disease control

The main diseases are gray mold and powdery mildew. Gray mold mainly harms the leaves. The spots often occur along the leaf margins, semicircular or circular to irregular, water-soaked, dark green to brown. When humidity is high, the diseased area expands rapidly, and in severe cases the entire leaf turns dark brown and rots, with a gray mold layer growing on the diseased area. You can use 28% gray mold wettable powder at 800 times dilution; for powdery mildew, use 50% carbendazim at 800 times dilution for control. Pests may include mealybugs and whiteflies.

The flower meaning of strawberry begonia:

The scientific name of strawberry begonia is very wonderful. Translated directly from Latin, it means rock-splitter, because strawberry begonia likes to grow at the foot of shaded mountains and in rock crevices. Over a long time, perhaps it really could split rocks! Therefore, the flower meaning of strawberry begonia is - persistence.