By
eHow Home & Garden Editor
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Things You’ll Need:
Step1
Select a planting site where the angel wing begonias will receive bright, indirect light or diffused sun and absolutely no wind.
Step2
Amend the soil with peat moss or other moisture retaining organic material. Begonias are shallow rooted, the amendments only need to be incorporated into the existing soil to a depth of 8 to 10 inches.
Step3
Plant angel wing begonias in the spring from rooted cuttings or 4-inch pots. Plant 8 inches apart in rich, fast draining soil.
Step4
Water immediately after planting to settle the soil around the roots.
Step5
Keep the soil evenly moist throughout the growing season (spring - fall); reduce water in the winter.
Step6
Provide proper drainage. Although angel wings love moisture, they require well-drained soil. Organic compost provides both moisture retaining and draining qualities.
Step7
Fertilize with a slow release product for best results. Slow release products vary in application rates, so read the label carefully. Begonias thrive on a continuous source of nutrients.
Step8
Support tall plants with bamboo or plastic stakes or tomato cages. In ideal conditions, angel wings will grow up to 5 feet tall.
Step9
Tip prune angel wing begonias during the active growing season to keep plants bushy and full. Remove the last two sets of leaves from the ends of long branches. Tip pruning forces multiple growth tips to emerge further down the stem resulting in more branches.
Step10
Protect angel wing begonias from frost. Cover or bring indoors until the danger of frost is past. Unlike tuberous begonias, there is nothing below the ground except roots - no tuber or bulb to support the plant over the winter. If the foliage freezes to the ground, you will loose the plant.
Step11
Prune old canes that have stopped blooming back to two leaf joints in early spring. Leave the juvenile growth in place, removing only the older canes. New growth will sprout from the remains of the old stems.
Step12
Propagate angel wing begonias from stem cuttings in the spring. Cuttings should have at least 4 leaf joints, two of which will be planted under ground. Remove the bottom leaves and add a rooting hormone to encourage new roots to grow from the leaf joints. Place cuttings in a clean pot filled with loose, rich soil and cover with a clear plastic bag to retain moisture. Mist inside the bag once a week, or when the soil feels dry to the touch.
Comments
Anonymous said
on 7/24/2006 We live in Sacramento, California, where heat spells (dry) of over 100 degrees for a week at a time are common in summer. We grow Angel Wing begonias in 10 hours of sunshine, wind, nonuniform watering and occasional feeding.
They are lush, bloom profusely most of the year, and haven't been taken into the house in winter.