Tuberless Begonias

I just dug up some begonias I'd planted early this year, expecting to find some kind of tuber to store over until next winter. But alas, there was nothing but a root system down there. I know there are at least two different types of begonias, but I was sure this was the tuberous kind. Could it be that I dug it up too early? Too late perhaps?

-F

Reply to
Fleemo
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They must not be the tuberous kind - the tubers are there when you plant tham and there when you dig them up to store. In fact, the tubers just keep increasing in size over time. The only way they would not be present if they were the tuberous type of begonia is if they had rotted, but your plants would have died in that case and it would have been obvious.

pam - gardengal

Reply to
Pam - gardengal

Reply to
gregpresley

The other day I dug up some begonias I planted last spring, expecting to find some form of tuber to store over the winter. However, I didn't find anything resembling a tuber, just a root system. I know there are two types of begonias (at least), but I was pretty certain these were tuberous begonias. Might I have dug them up too soon? Or perhaps too late? Will they survive the winter indoors as a potted plant, seeing as how there's no tubers to salvage?

Reply to
Fleemo

You're correct in stating that "non-stops" do no produce much of a tuber the first year. The ones I purchased were started from seeds, a bonus in their reproduction, and were small seedlings when purchased. They did grow and bloom well the first year (zone 3), but the tuber they produced was almost non-existent. I found that most of these tiny tubers dried up and died if dug up and stored. To counteract this, I left them in the pots in which they were growing with the growing medium, and watered a couple of times during the storage period. By the end of the second year, most of them had developed large enough tubers to survive normal storage methods, and by the third year many of them produced tubers as large as the those regularly sold.

John

Reply to
B & J

Sorry about that redundant post. Nothing showed up for a day or two, so I reposted the question.

I potted up the begonias this morning. I've put them in a north window, assuming they'd appreciate a lot of indirect light.

One branch snapped off while potting them, so I stuck it in a container of water hoping that it will root. Or would I be better off adding some rooting hormone and putting it in a pot of soil?

Reply to
Fleemo

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