Topic: Begonia Rex Cuttings

[wahaj]

Hey....i was watching stefan's garden show on repeats on UK TV....and he showed how to take cuttings from Begonia Rex leaves.

i went round garden centres today and collected a leaf each from 8 different plants lol.

i've taken the cuttings and put a clear plastic bag over them and placed them by the window.

anyone else ever tried taking cuttings of them this time of the year? do you know how long i should expect to wait to see little plants?



i layed a sheet out in the living room and did it while watching tv hence the blue throw under it lol.

[valmarg]

Ooh wahaj. I think the windowledge will be a bit too cool for them, even if you've got double glazing.  I think they would be better off in a propagator, after all, they are houseplants.

[wahaj]

i haven't got a propagator :(

i'd put them near the radiator....but they could get too hot, and they wont recieve any light there.

hmm....wonder what i can do. i've asked on freecycle if anyone has an electric blanket. if it put it under a plastic sheet and put them on top....i dunno. but even that i can't leave on for more than 20 mins.

[Robert_Brenchley]

You can pick up an unheated propagator (which is only a seed tray with a transparent plastic cover) for a few quid, and the version with an electric heater in the base isn't too expensive.

[wahaj]

mmm.....well the ones i've seen available are about £8 each, and for the amount of cuttings i have, i'll need atleast 2, maybe 3. and the electric ones i've seen are about £25.....i know it's not much but i don't have any money right now lol.

so what i've done is move them near a radiator on a table...they're not too close....but enough to not get cold. and they all have a sheet of clear plastic on top of them that's sellotaped on to stop the moisture loss. i've also got a big lamp next to them that provide over head light....it's on about 8-9 hours a day.

[windygale]

hi wahaj, your plants will grow well on a south facing window sill, this is how i grow mine, i took the cutting and placed them into a moist sandy compost, place a plasticbag over the plants and pot to keep the heat and moisture in untill you see life from the base of the cutting, i normanly fine new life starts to show around week 4--5, i have so far growing bilbergia, strepocarpus, christmas cactus, gloxinia all on a south facing window, when it gets cold i place a net over top or a piece of cardboard between the glass and the plants just incase of frost damage,
hope this helps (just click on image for a bigger view)
windy ;)

[wahaj]

ooh nice.

well that's kewl because no danger of frost where mine are, no windows open nearby and sits near the radiator....has light from a lamp.....and is in sandy moist soil, covered with plastic to avoid moisture loss.

thanks!