Begonia Pearcei is a plant that will never fail to catch the attention of anyone who enters the room where it is kept. It has large, showy leaves and equally stunning yellow flowers.
Barely five minutes of care a day will help this plant grow and thrive into a magnificent specimen. Please read our guide to learn some of the best care tips our Begonia experts have to dispense.
Contents
What Is Begonia Pearcei?
Begonia Pearcei is a tuberous Begonia and it also shows lively foliage and flowers. It has large variagated leaves with white veins running through them. The flowers it produces are bright yellow which is an unusual characteristic in a Begonia species.
Begonia Pearcei Care
Give your plant filtered bright light for at least half the day. Maintain warm temperatures and high humidity all year long. Read on to learn how to care for Begonias that produce yellow flowers.
– Water Requirements
Letting the soil of a begonia a few inches from the top helps promote flowering. For a new plant, check its soil daily by putting a skewer into the top two inches of it. When it comes out with dry crumbs of soil, that is when you need to water your plant.
Technically, you need to use distilled water for watering sensitive plants like the begonia. Tap water has chlorine and salts that ultimately harm the plant in the long term. Collect this tap water in a bucket the night before use and leave it exposed to air all night long. This habit releases chlorine, making tap water a little bit safer.
When watering, direct water towards the soil only as there is no need to wash the whole plant. Keep pouring at a steady pace until the drainage holes start draining water. This means that the soil has been watered properly from top to bottom.
We urge you to water this plant yourself and not rely on sprinklers. Pearcei is extremely susceptible to root rot, mildew, and other fungal disease caused by undue exposure to water. Do not let your pot sit on a pan of water for more than 15 minutes. This, too, has been known to cause many problems for begonias.
– Light Requirements
The Yellow begonia likes to receive bright yet filtered light for as much as 12 to 14 hours daily. They need proper access to light consistently to grow and flower on time.
Putting this plant under the shade of a tree or a larger pot is a great way to filter direct sunlight.
That is why begonias grows best in a controlled environment indoors. You need to put this plant in a bright place with a large enough window.
If you want to decorate a windowsill with this plant, then an eastern or a western-facing window is ideal. The plant does receive a little direct sunlight from there, but it is generally tolerable.
You must protect your plant from the southern-facing window, though. One way is to place a curtain over the window from midday to mid-afternoon. The second method is transporting the plant three to four feet away from the window.
Artificial grow lights will help you grow and let a begonia flower without any natural sunshine. LED and fluorescent are the two types of grow lights that can be used. While fluorescent lights are more effective, their running cost is very high. LED lights are economical and work just fine.
– Soil Requirements
Pearcei is the type of begonia that needs a very airy and light-textured soil with good moisture retention. We think a 50:50 mix of peat and perlite or compost and perlite grows the most healthy Begonia. Peat and compost act as sponges to absorb water and release it as per the plant’s needs.
Perlite helps with providing porosity and water channels. Some more soil additives you can use include slow-release fertilizer pellets, manure, worm castings, or charcoal chunks. Only add some of these ingredients to make the soil more effective.
The organic peat or compost begins to flow through the drainage hole with repeated watering. You can prevent this by putting a layer of gravel on the bottom of the pan first. Then fill the soil you have prepared above it in the begonia container. As for the container, always go for a clay or terracotta one.
– Temperature Requirements
A range of 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit is what you need to provide your begonia with all year round. This is quite a narrow range; your plant will suffer when mercury goes above and below this range. Exposure to cold temperatures can lead to the plant undergoing an indefinite period of dormancy.
There are some things you need to take care of regarding temperature. In the summertime, you can safely put this plant somewhere shady outdoors. Take care to water it regularly because it will dry out quickly and frequently. Come wintertime; moving this plant inside the office or the house is best. Please keep it away even from cold drafts of air or open windows at night.
– Humidity Requirements
Maintaining the right humidity levels is the hardest part of growing a Begonia. It likes to grow in as much as 80 percent humidity levels all year round. Do not panic because we have more than a few humidity-raising tricks up our sleeves.
Make a habit of misting the plant lightly using a spray bottle with a narrow nozzle. Alternatively, you can mist a piece of paper napkin and use it to wipe the plant instead.
A humidity pebble tray is meant to be placed under the plant’s pot. Fill it with clean water that you then change regularly every week. Put large-sized pebbles on it so the pot does not touch the water, which could lead to root rot or overwatering.
– Fertilizing Requirements
Fertilize with an orchid fertilizer every month from spring till winter, and then stop. Fertilizing the plant during winter proves to be more harmful than beneficial. If going for a typical fertilizer, choose one rich in phosphorus and low in nitrogen.
This is because phosphorus has been known to promote the production of more flowers, and nitrogen tends to suppress it. Many fertilizer packaging claims that it is safe to be used without dilution, but we advise you not to take such a risk. Always double or triple dilute the fertilizer before use on a Pearcei.
Using a slow-release feed is a safer option that does not also need frequent applications. All you have to do is to bury these pellets in the top half of the soil and then water it copiously. You will have to do this in March and June or July only.
Organic options like compost and manure are also good but will need some time to be as effective as the rapid-release chemical fertilizers. Worm casting is a type of compost made from burrowing ringworm that will provide nutrients and improve soil aeration.
– Pruning
Pruning a Begonia is extremely beneficial for several reasons. When your newly potted or planted Begonia becomes about six inches long, pinch its stem off near the base using your fingers. This will help produce more than one stem and promote branching.
The same happens when you pinch off new flower buds. You will see several more sprouts from the same spot. Finger pinching is extremely easy, but you must cut the stem off in one sharp snap. Don’t crush it under your fingers; switch to pruning scissors if it feels difficult.
When the plant gets too busy, you better prune one-third of its stems off. This will allow air to reach the innermost stems and leaves. You must deadhead your flowers by pinching them off at the end of each flowering season. This greatly impacts how well the plant blooms the next year.
Propagation
Propagate your begonias at home using two very straightforward methods. Stem propagation works successfully when carried out from early springtime to early summertime. When propagating seeds, you should put them in the seedling tray before the last frost ends. Ideally, the newly germinated plantlets should be potted in their containers at the beginning of spring.
– Stem Propagation
This is the easiest form of propagating this flowering plant at home. The stem you take the cutting from should be healthy, disease, and pest-free.
- Sharpen your pruning shears because it is important that you make a neat cut instead of crushing the plant. It is also important to ensure that the blades are well disinfected and washed.
- Cut off three to five inches of a growing stem that contains at least two leaf nodes. The leaf nodes are those green, white bumps through which leaf particles grow.
- The leaves still present on the stem need to be removed so that they will use up all the nutrients and not let the stem grow further.
- To place this in a prepared begonia soil mixture. Keep the soil well moistened and under bright indirect light. After two weeks, pull the stem upwards. If you feel gentle resistance, this means root formation has begun.
- The other method is to go for water propagation. All you need is to place this cutting in a jar of water. Change the water in this jar regularly until you see roots growing. When the roots grow a few inches long, you can transplant the rooted stem by cutting it into the soil.
– Seed Propagation
Seed propagation allows you the chance to grow multiple plantlets in one go. You can then give each of your friends one of their own!
- You first need a handful of premium quality fresh begonia seeds. Soak them in a glass of water for eight hours before planting them.
- The second thing you need is a growth medium and a tray. The growth medium can be any store-bought one, or you can spread compost or sphagnum moss in the tray.
- When using peat or sphagnum moss, you must first soak it in water for one or two hours.
- Once the medium has been laid on the tray, insert the seeds into it. They should be present on the surface and not inserted too deep; otherwise, they won’t be able to get access to light.
- Keep the growth medium light moist and the tray covered for the next one and a half months.
- Only transplant the newly germinated plantlets once they are a few inches long.
Problems
While growing a Pearcei begonia, some problems you might face include Botrytis, leaf spot disease, aphids, or leaf burn from intense sunlight. Some of these problems might prove serious if not treated promptly.
– Botrytis
Botrytis is one of the many fungal infections that develop when the plant is washed or watered excessively. The flowers will be affected the most as a result. The growing leaf buds become black and rotten. The petals of flowers also become swollen and spotted. Soon after, leaf wilting and dropping begin in the whole plant.
Isolate this plant far away from the rest of your plant collection and protect yourself. There have been a few cases of people getting allergic pneumonia from botrytis. If only a little part of the plant is diseased, then you can remove and cut only that part off. Then begin a regime of antifungal spray as per instructions.
However, in most cases, it is best to discard a plant under attack by botrytis. Not only should you bury or burn the plant but its pot and potting soil. This is because these two things are now infected as well. Do not consider using any part of such a plant for mulch or compost-making purposes.
– Leaf Spot
If your black spots start developing on your plant at an alarmingly rapid pace, it has developed this bacterial leaf spot disease. This is a bacterial infection that mostly affects an overwatered begonia plant. Using infected gardening tools might also help transfer this infection to your plant.
It would be best to take pruning shears and cut off all the blackening parts immediately. Otherwise, the leaves will become limp and start dying.
Make sure that after this you thoroughly sterilize the pruning shears after use. You may also need to take the plant out of its pot to prune its roots.
A liquid copper antibacterial spray is the most potent bactericidal agent on the market against leaf spot disease. It is a strong spray; therefore, you must cover yourself properly before using it. Take the plant to a far-off corner of the house to carry out this endeavor. Wear gloves, goggles, and a facemask to protect yourself from the fumes.
– Aphids
Aphids are super small and often go unnoticed when the plant starts spotting, wilting, and leaves start dropping. They severely retard your begonia’s growth so much that very few new leaves and flower buds will be able to grow. The worst part is that they will soon jump from this plant to the rest of your house plant collection.
Look carefully under the stem sheaths to see if you have a pest colony. Then direct a pressurized beam of water from a hose directly towards them. Give the plant a good wash using this method. Most of the aphids will be washed off the plant using this method.
Now, you can either start spraying your plant with an insecticide every week or go for natural options instead. Natural options include foliar sprays from kitchen ingredients such as vinegar, baking soda, or neem oil. Cover your eyes and wear a protective mask if you use chemical pesticides.
– Leaf Burn
If you are not careful about the light that falls on your plant, it might get sunburn. The affected leaves first turn yellow with brown edges. If you remove the plant from under intense light to someplace shady, then this leaf might revert to green.
The burnt leaf will turn completely brown if you don’t move the plant promptly. On touch, it will be crips and might snap into two or more pieces. Such a leaf will not revert and will have to be pruned off.
That is why we insist you keep a vigilant eye on your plant, especially if it is placed near a window or outside the garden.
Conclusion
This has been one long article about growing Begonias!
That is why we will briefly summarize all the important points below:
- The Pearcei plant needs filtered bright light for as much as 14 hours a day to carry out photosynthesis.
- You will have to water this plant less frequently in winter because the soil dries out much more slowly than in summer.
- The best soil would be a 50:50 mix of peat perlite or compost perlite along with soil additives of your choice.
- A range of 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit is what you need to provide your Begonia with all year round.
Pearcei is a tuberous Begonia that is surprisingly famous for its stunning flowers and foliage. This guide has been written to help everyone from laymen to experts grow their best begonia.
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