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Produce => Non Edible Plants => Topic started by: wahaj on December 17, 2006, 17:17:24

Title: Begonia Rex Cuttings
Post by: wahaj on December 17, 2006, 17:17:24
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?

(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/wahaj17/beg1.jpg)

i layed a sheet out in the living room and did it while watching tv hence the blue throw under it lol.
Title: Re: Begonia Rex Cuttings
Post by: valmarg on December 18, 2006, 17:31:43
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.
Title: Re: Begonia Rex Cuttings
Post by: wahaj on December 18, 2006, 19:31:38
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.
Title: Re: Begonia Rex Cuttings
Post by: Robert_Brenchley on December 19, 2006, 07:48:42
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.
Title: Re: Begonia Rex Cuttings
Post by: wahaj on December 19, 2006, 13:44:10
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.
Title: Re: Begonia Rex Cuttings
Post by: windygale on December 19, 2006, 14:50:27
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(http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/1887/indoorsplants003afo4.th.jpg) (http://img121.imageshack.us/my.php?image=indoorsplants003afo4.jpg) (http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/6862/indoorsplants002agb5.th.jpg) (http://img121.imageshack.us/my.php?image=indoorsplants002agb5.jpg) (http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/2838/indoorsplants001arz4.th.jpg) (http://img291.imageshack.us/my.php?image=indoorsplants001arz4.jpg) (just click on image for a bigger view)
windy ;)
Title: Re: Begonia Rex Cuttings
Post by: wahaj on December 19, 2006, 22:23:09
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!