Griffith Begonia Bean House Growing and Care Tips

A houseplant often found in homes is begonia. Despite the fact that some find them cold and aggressive, others attribute to them nobleness and unique beauty.

The beauty of the decorative-deciduous species - Griffith's begonia will also not leave anyone indifferent. It has an unusual appearance, a unique color of flowers and unusual leaves in shape.

Is it difficult to care for this beauty? Will new flower growers run into difficulties in leaving? You can find answers to these questions and others in this interesting article.

Description and history of occurrence

Griffith Begonia, whose Latin name sounds like this - Begonia Griffithii, a herbaceous plant. She has an adjacent short stalk (length up to 45 cm). Leaves are attached to it thanks to tall petioles. Reddish hairs are clearly visible on the petioles.

The main feature of the leaves of this plant crop is its unusual shape. They are oval, they have the wrong configuration and a pointed "tip". Their color is also unusual: they are dark olive in color, and in the very center there is a voluminous silver strip.

Griffith begonia blooms with large pinkish-pale flowers. S. Plumier is a French botanist and monk who first discovered and described begonia. This happened in 1687, when M. Begon equipped a scientific expedition to the Antilles. Its main goal is not the discovery of new unknown cultures, but their collection.

During this scientific expedition, S. Plumier came across 6 species of plants that could not be attributed to the known and described genera. Three years later, the plant still got a name. Plumier decided to name him in honor of M. Begon. After the expedition, he wrote and published a book.

Since then, a lot of time has passed. During this time, scientists discovered many species of plants, including Griffith begonia, whose homeland is the Eastern Himalayas. In total, 125 species are distinguished, which are used only in decorative gardening. This happened thanks to the global work on plant breeding and hybridization, which started in the second half of the nineteenth century.

Appearance and features

The height of the herbaceous plant is 30-50 cm. It has thick and short lying stems. Leaves hold 30-40 cm petioles. They have an asymmetric shape. They are broadly egg-shaped. The top is weakly pointed on them. At the base of the sheet there are two overlapping blades. The edges of the leaves are either curved or wavy. The reverse side of the leaf is not olive green, but reddish with a light green zone.

Griffith's begonia on the pedicels has male and female flowers. This feature distinguishes it from others. Another feature of female flowers is the formation of a trihedral seed box above the petals.

Growing instruction

Griffith Begonia is a plant that will adapt to any room conditions. Experienced growers recommend growing it in moderately warm and sunlight-filled rooms. Are there any other rules that are followed when growing this flower?

Lighting and location

A pot of Griffith begonia can be placed on a window facing east, west or south. It is undesirable to put it on a window facing north, since in this case the sun's rays rarely look at it, and the plant likes saturated diffused light. Protect it from direct sunlight by installing a cardboard or gluing a reflective film. Otherwise, burns will appear on the leaves.

Although the beauty loves heat, but not in excess. Sudden changes in temperature are contraindicated to her. Year-round support in the room especially for her temperature in the region of + 22-25⁰С. In winter, the air temperature in the room should not fall below + 20⁰С.

Soil requirements

All begonias, including Griffith's begonia, love acidified soil, which is preceded by a good layer of drainage. What other soil requirements are respected so that it blooms? Only then will the plant be healthy when they select the right soil.

It blooms profusely in loose, light soil with a slightly acid reaction. The optimal pH level is 5.5-6.5. To make a good soil mixture, take sheet soil and turf, high and low peat, sand and compost. To achieve friability, coconut fiber, vermiculite, perlite and other baking powder are added to the soil. The result is an air- and moisture-permeable soil.

Sometimes they reduce acidity by adding dolomite flour or lime to a pot of earth. The drainage layer is formed from gravel or small expanded clay, trying to occupy 1/3 of the pot. There are three options for self-preparation of the soil mixture:

1. sheet land, peat and coarse sand (2: 2: 1);
2. deciduous land, peat, sand, humus / rotted mullein (3: 1: 1: 1);
3. sheet and coniferous land, coarse sand (1: 1: 1).

The addition of charcoal to the soil mixture is not harmful.

Soil quality is always paramount when preparing the soil mixture. In order for Griffith's begonia to grow, rather than stunted, leafy soil is not gathered under an oak or willow. Having typed it, sieved with a sieve to remove large inclusions. The earth from the forest or park is disinfected by piercing in the oven or treating with boiling water in order to prevent the entry of dangerous microorganisms into the soil mixture.

How to care?

Griffith begonia care requires timely watering, moisturizing and fertilizing.

Water on time, but without fanaticism. Do not allow stagnation of moisture in the pot, as the roots rot. Drying of the soil will also adversely affect its vital activity. The best watering is moderate and systematic. To do this, use warm, standing water. It decreases with the onset of winter.

A flower from the Eastern Himalayas loves to keep the microclimate in the apartment humid. Not everyone has it, especially with the inclusion of central heating in the fall. What to do? It is strictly forbidden to spray leaves with water. Creating a humid atmosphere, spray the space next to the flower, but not it. It is better to act differently: put the pot with the plant on a pallet preliminarily covered with wet pebbles or expanded clay.

Common Diseases and Pests

Due to improper care, thrips and scale insects are popular with the plant. Sometimes gardeners encounter a spider mite. Will it cure her?

Thrips is a pest that appears on Griffith's begonia due to the fact that the grower does not take any measures to combat excessive air dryness. Any prevention is better than taking treatment measures. Therefore, it is advisable to inspect the leaves and flowers of the plant at least once a week. So do not miss the appearance on the underside of the leaves of light wingless thrips larvae. If time is missed, they will grow, acquire a brownish or yellowish color with transverse stripes.

You can avoid the appearance of thrips if you arrange showers for Griffith’s begonia and hang up sticky traps in the immediate vicinity. If the pest is wound up, you will have to treat the leaves with Fitoverm insecticide, diluting two milliliters of this drug in 200 ml of water. After spraying, place the plant under a plastic film for exactly 24 hours.

Scale is a vile insect that belongs to the Pseudococcid family. Often on the leaves of Griffith begonia insects with a 5 mm body covered with a wax shield. The pest is active year round. If started, he will drink all the juices from the plant. If gardeners miss the time, it will soon weaken, young shoots will dry out, the leaves will turn yellow and fall off.

Neither insecticides nor pesticides help in the fight against scale insects. After infection, the flower pot is best discarded until other indoor plants have been affected.

Breeding methods

Is there any way to propagate Griffith begonia? Yes, there are several. Florists propagate it:

• stem cuttings;
• a sheet or part thereof;
• seeds;
• separation of bushes.

Propagation by stem cuttings involves the division of stems into parts of three centimeters each. After separation, push them into the ground, wait until the roots appearand then each is seated in a separate pot.

Conclusion

If desired, any grower, even a novice, will cope with the care of Griffith's begonia. In skillful hands, it will bloom not with large, but pinkish flowers. The main thing is to prevent the disease and protect it from pests by conducting preventive spraying.

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