How to water begonias during flowering?
Begonia takes pride of place on the windowsills of flower growers. Everything in it is good - both fleshy bright leaves and magnificent inflorescences, varied in shape and color. Like all plants, including flowers, begonia loves attention. There is no need to stand over it day and night with a watering can, it is enough just to initially provide the flower with comfortable conditions. And begonia will thank for this with long and abundant flowering.
As you know, this flower is very fond of light and water. At the same time, watering has its own characteristics, depending on the time of year and the phase of development of the begonia, including during the flowering period. Before talking about how to water begonia during flowering, it is worth remembering the basic rules for watering.
The quality of the water used for irrigation
You cannot water begonia with plain tap water. Such water contains an increased amount of chlorine, and it is also hard. Water for irrigation must first be prepared:
- Collect it in an open dish and leave to stand for a day.
- To soften the water, it must be boiled or passed through a water filter.
Watering time and amount
It is always advisable to water begonias at the same time of day. Better to do it in the morning.
In the summer, the flower needs more watering (at least once every two days), if you skip the next "session", begonia will very quickly respond to this by wilting foliage. After the water is absorbed and the soil dries out a little, the earth should be carefully loosened.
To maintain humidity, use a humidifier or place a pot of begonia on wet gravel in a pallet.
With the onset of winter, the amount of watering should be reduced to once a week (as the top layer of the earth dries up). If the room where the plant lives is not too warm, then the water should be warm for watering the begonias.
Watering the begonia is only necessary at the root, you cannot spray the leaves, since they will become covered with spots and begin to rot.
Watering begonias by immersion
Begonia responds very well to the way the pot is immersed in water. To do this, a flowerpot with a flower must be placed in a container with a large diameter, into which water is poured. In this position, the plant is left for 20 minutes. During this time, begonia will absorb the amount of water it needs through the drainage holes in the pot. After the specified time has elapsed, remove the pot and put it on a pallet. If it was not possible to pick up the plant from the water on time, there is nothing to worry about - excess water will flow out through the same drainage holes into the pan, and you will just have to drain it from there.
This method is also good because when using it, the likelihood of water stagnation is excluded. And begonia, although it is a moisture-loving plant, does not tolerate stagnation of moisture, since this causes rotting of the root system.
Watering begonias during flowering
During the budding period and active flowering, begonia directs its power into the inflorescences. Therefore, at this phase of the life cycle, the flower needs additional moisture supply.
After the end of flowering, when the inflorescences fall off, the increased need for moisture will also decrease, and watering should be returned to the previous regime.