First Interspecific Multiflora Begonia

• Impressive, very early flowering
• Extraordinary branching
• Eye-catching, bronze leaves
• Round plant habit

Culture guide

Usage

Pots, containers and landscape

Sow time

From mid of December onwards

Sowing method

1-2 pellets per plug. Light is required for germination – no covering.

Germination

Optimum conditions for seedling development, beginning on the day of sowing until radicle emergence. Expect radicle emergence in 6-8 days. Humidity should be between 95-100 % until day 11; then reduce to 40-60 %.

Growing on

Obligate long day plant. A day length > 13 hours will result in flower initiation.

Media

Plug culture: pH 5.7-5.9; EC 0.5-0.75. Begin with a saturated (5) for the first 10 days and on day 11 begin to dry them back slightly to wet (4). This will help in the seedlings rooting into the media. On day 11 begin to alternate between a wet (4) and a moist (3) until day 21

Growing on: pH 5.5-5.8; EC 1.2-1.5. Alternate between moisture levels wet (4) and medium (2). Avoid watering plants under high temperature and light when the leaf temperature is excessive. This can cause leaf burn.

Temperature

Plug culture: 22-24 °C days 1-11. For irrigation use warm water (above 18 °C) only. Then 20-21 °C night and day. When the roots reach the bottom of the cell, the temperature can be lowered to 18 °C.

Growing on: An ADT (average daily temperature) of 19 °C will give the fastest finished crop. Once well established in the final container, approximately two to three weeks after transplanting from a 288 plug tray, the temperature can be lowered further to 13-15 °C. This will keep the plants toned and prevent excessively large leaves.

Fertilization

Plug culture: Begin fertilizing early to improve seedling quality. Under high light conditions more ammonium based fertilizers can be used (17-5-17 and 20-10-20) and under low light use a calcium based fertilizer (14-4-14 or 14-2-14). Initial feeding should start at 50-100 ppm and gradually work up to 100–150 ppm.

Growing on: Moderate fertilization levels are required. Fertilize the crop weekly with 100-150 ppm nitrogen, using a complete balanced fertilizer.