What are /r/begonias' favorite Products & Services?

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i use the same mix for almost all of my plants, i use this as the base and add in a bunch of charcoal chunks and leca to aerate the soil some, and worm castings. orchid bark is a good additive also

Had some extra seeding trays that look kind of like big Chinese take-out containers. Just put a handful of damp sphagnum moss in it, shook it up with some rooting hormone, and put the old cut up leaves on the moss. Put the cover on and let it sit! Takes about a month or so to see roots and another month or so for new baby plants

(MIXC Seedling Trays Seed Starter... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HHYTQ52?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share)

Every begonia owner should buy [physan20] Use the Orchid mix. And spray your begonias every couple weeks..

This stuff has completely dried up any type of rot or fungus I've ever had. I've saved so many plants having this. You can even spray your cuttings before you root them. (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000OWLD8C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_BFR86KCQQSW5D28WGYZ0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1)

I have almost all of mine in these. A small fan on the bottom shelf and these grow lights on each shelf, and a small humidifier on the bottom if needed but all but 1 of my shelves are actually able to keep the % between maybe 60-80% on their own. For some reason the one 4 tier shelf I have needs a humidifier to stay up, not sure why the 5 tiers are fine without.

I use this and has worked great for me, its not cotton: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K6849X4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

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And I am hoping it works out well. I have so many different ways setup now that I will see which works best.

here's the domes, the same seller on amazon sells the matching trays i normally buy with them but it looks like they're sold out. i had to buy these instead last time, they're much more heavy duty than the green ones though so it worked out. the dome lids should fit on any 1020 tray out there

Get a bowl type planter if you can. Rhizomatous like to spread their rhizomes out along the soil and their roots stay shallow because of that. I use these for all of my bigger ones, and these for my giants (have to cut drainage holes in the blue one though). And if anything breaks while you repot you can just lay them back on the soil and they should root easily.

I use these, also from amazon. I'm sure there's probably better out there, but these work really well for me. I believe mine are on for 12 hours a day. You can double them up on each shelf too if you want.

The domes themselves are about 7", and the trays are about 2 1/2". I got both from amazon, here are the domes and here's the trays. Pricey but they're packs of 10 which is a ton of space.

I keep it about a foot away from a grow light (linked below). I water a little bit (50ml or so) every few days so the top is consistently moist but not wet. I also have a cheap 200ml humidifier running in front of it. I also use a fish based fertilizer!

Grow Light: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WJBYHH7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_65dUFbV0440C3

Humidifier: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084VJFDVB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_w8dUFbNBK3NNZ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I have an Ikea shelf unit and I stuck these to the underside of 2 shelf rows

https://www.amazon.com/Cholas-Function-Gardening-Greenhouse-Sepectrum/dp/B07T8H9HJB

Begonia just gets natural light from the window 🙂

Yes, big black all enclosed thing. Ugly as sun but the pot growers made them really popular and they work insanely great for houseplants. I keep orchids, so that’s what got me interested in them. Here is example of a grow tent

yeah a lot of canes are very susceptible to it. personally i would recommend cutting off every single infected leaf or stem you can find (sucks but its guaranteed to get rid of it that way), then go through and spray everything that remains really good. i used this stuff right before fall hit this year when i bring all of my canes back in, ive brought powdery mildew inside with my begonias every fall for 3 years, but so far i havent had a peep after using the bonide as a preventative. worked great. youll probably need one of those gallon pump sprayers. get them all covered really thoroughly and you can repeat occasionally if you want to be safe

I have the wimpy ones too but here's the one that is working wonders that I have directed on my Maculata. I have it several feet from this light because it is intense. But it's working. Slowly I plan to convert my lights to something better like this one. Feit Elevtric

i use two kinds, these by kihung for the begonias that prefer lower light (since these arent even technically grow lights, theyre shop lights) and these much brighter ones from monios. the monios are very bright and bring out some fantastic color in rexes/rhizos, and i use them for props and seeds also. however the tops of them, the metal strip, tends to get pretty hot and it does generate some heat - it doesnt affect the plants under the light or anything, but the relative temp in the area will likely go up a bit, especially if you put them in an enclosure, like one of those covered greenhouse shelves

here you go! these are the main ones i use, the one in the photo i think is a 160 oz but i have a lot of the 320 too; they're very large though. and if you need some clippies to hold them shut, these work well

Okay, I have a grow light about a foot away at low setting. What would you suggest? It's a tripod with four lights with 10 brightness settings, and the three light types (blue/red and full spectrum). What would you set it at? I think it's the one in the link tripod grow light

that helps it along, but they can still get it without water on the leaves. usually during cool, humid weather in fall and spring is when it starts to form. i'd consider a fungicide preventative like either this or this, and start spraying all of them right before the weather starts to cool at the end of the summer. i think youre supposed to keep doing it once every week or two until winter. the downside is i think at least one or both leaves a residue on the leaves, but i'll take that over powdery mildew any day

if you have it outside over summer make sure it gets a decent breeze and some direct sun during the day, either morning or evening (as opposed to full shade). that helps keep it away in the summer at least

You can buy grow bulbs and use any lamp you like the style of!!

You don't need the purple either I just went to a lecture and the new science says plants use the entire light spectrum including green. We had thought they didn't use the green part of the spectrum for photosynthesis as its reflected back at us (that's why chlorophyll looks green) but turns out purple light isnt better than white as plants use the green part of the sprctrum for functions other than photosynthesis.

I have a couple of these ones (link below) the white hardware blends into my white wall and it's white light so it doesn't throw off the aesthetic of the room like purple light can. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SJZNCQM/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_3SR4TD0BDTSAH3236Y3C

This doesn’t have to do with your question, but I’ve recently switched fertilizers to one that’s urea-free, so it doesn’t burn the roots if you accidentally add too much. I’ve been using it the last year and my plants seem to love it. It’s called Dyna-Gro plant food and the little bottle seems like it’ll last me a good 2 years, with my 100+ plants

These are the bulbs I've been using since December. Not advertised as a "grow light" but they're working very well.

I have Hoya, Alocasia, Peperomia, variegated string of hearts, variegated string of pearls & several miniature orchids. They're between 2-3 feet from the lights. They're all doing really well & growing nicely. Compact growth, nice sun stressing. I really like that they don't skew the plants colors. You see their true tones.

GE Refresh HD PAR38 LED Flood Light LED Light Bulb, 120-Watt Replacement, Dimmable, Medium Base, Daylight, 2-Pack https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CTQ915B/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_42RFKAR2P98F8H73RZJ2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Small Garden Pots (2"/2.5"/3"/3.5"/4"/4.5"/5"/5.5"/6"/6.5") Set of 10 Plastic Succulent Plants Pots with Drainage Hole and Saucer, Flower Succulents Planter Pots for Plants, White Color, 74-G-XS-1 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VJ7GJ5N/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_XHK012C594KBCM5KYE1E

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put it in a container that the water will drain out of, like a small nursery pot or one of these. then just get it all the way wet, and rewater it when it starts to dry out. if you can get the sizes right you can also stick those pots i linked into clear plastic cups, use the bottom as a water reservoir and stick a lid on the cup. they dont really need watered at all then

these work really well too since its the same concept, you can fill the tray with some water and just check it once in awhile

It doesn’t look like a lot of light. Easiest way to get a good idea is to buy a light meter. This is also a good resource for light requirements for plants.

Also adding to my previous message, I water with these little squeeze cups. They are great for getting a controlled amount of water without splashing or anything.

Here's a link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D6KZZQL?ref=exp_anotherworldterraria_dp_vv_d

I know Amazon isn't great to support but this is the only link for the ones I use I could find.

You can also get these terra-cotta spike things on Amazon these are the ones I bought that come with a tube attached to it that you stick the end of the tube in a bottle of water and the then you stick the terra-cotta spike in the plant and it just sucks it up as it needs I have one in my monstera and I love them

Something that’s probably not that strong. It’s about 1-3 inches above the plants depending on their height, it’s on for about 16 hours a day.

Mosthink LED Plant Grow Light Strips, Full Spectrum Grow Light for Indoor Plants with Auto ON & Off Timer,10 Dimmable Levels, 36W Sunlike Grow Lamp for Seedlings Hydroponics,3 Pack (16 Inches) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HD25RHR/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_00W7ZVW0T3NAWXXDHDNK?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

i clean all of my containers really well with bleach water, and let it sit for awhile. algae might also just grow in your medium regardless, or ive heard its possible for there to be spores in the seed. if it grows not a big deal, just move the seedlings to new soil. personally i use this soil for all of my begonias with a couple things added, i don't think i've ever had algae grow on it before. moss does show up occasionally

If you like it I'll put up other plants later!

And I'll allow myself a shameless plug as I also put this on T-shirt if anyone would be interested !

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092593268

It may just need staked a little better too, if the pot isn't an issue. I use this type for my canes until they outgrow it, then I get taller fiberglass or bamboo stakes and tie them right up to it with garden tape.

The only thing that worked to get rid of my fungus gnats problem is Bonide Systemic granules. Def worth a try if nothing else has worked, as long as u don’t mind using a systemic of course. Previously, I tried nematodes, BTI Mosquito Bits, yellow sticky traps, predatory mites, Diatomaceous Earth, keeping the soil dry, and I’m sure there’s more I can’t think of! Lol 😂

https://www.amazon.com/Bonide-Systemic-Control-Multiple-Granules/dp/B008B0V3XY/ref=sr_1_23?crid=BIQR1KRLVLGT&dchild=1&keywords=bonide+systemic+insect+control&qid=1600027412&sprefix=Bonide%2Caps%2C166&sr=8-23