Begonia Part 2 - Tubers and Corms

Regal Begonia

Beauty from a Corm

I love this flower.  It is as beautiful as a rose and much more sturdy. The stem is short which means that it would be hard to place it in a bouquet but a single bloom in a shallow dish can really make a statement.  This is a Begonia Rex or sometimes called a Regal Begonia.  It is grown for it's majestic flower and it starts with a corm.

Corm of a Rex Begonia

For those of you who do not know what a corm is, it is a type of tuber.  The tuber most people are familiar with is a potato. As potatoes come in all different shapes and sizes so do tubers.  Corms are in the specific shape that is referred to as a button. Much like a bulb, it has an up and down side to it and needs to be planted correctly for the best results.  Unlike a bulb new plants will grow from the same corm and it can be easily propagated by cuttings the corm into pieces.  You just need to be sure that there is a good "eye" on each piece.  The corm is planted quite shallow in a wide mouth pot and placed in a well lit location.  You can buy this Begonia already blooming but for a bigger variety you can start with corms from a number of good growers.  I do not want to endorse any in particular so I will suggest that you ask the experts starting with The American Begonia Society .

Tubers That Are Not Corms

Also, included in the tuber family is the Begonia that they call a Rhizomatous Begonia.  This tuber looks more like a lumpy potato  and as you can see it can be quite large.  If you go to my Pinterest board on Begonias I have included a picture of a tuber without dirt and you can see that this style of tuber is more complex but much easier to cut apart for creating new plants. You plant it the same as you would the corm.   I have added a planting diagram at the bottom of the page to help answer any questions you may have.

The Rhizonatous Begonia usually does not have a showy flower and is mainly grown for its interesting leaf.  This is mine.  The leaves are about the size of a man's hand and have a hairy surface that kind of feels like new beard stubble.  The stems are very hairy.  I added a picture of the flower on the last posting so I will not take up space here.  What you do not know is how small the flower is.  Look closely at the upper part of the picture and you will see a small branching to the back of the plant.  This is not another plant behind my Begonia. It is the flower.  I will be adding some more of these beauties to my Pinterest board so you can see how beautiful they are.

Care

Like the rest of this family most tuber Begonias like bright but not direct sunlight.  It will be quite happy in an Eastern window.  If you need to put it in a Southern or Western window you would be wise to keep it back from the actual light by about 2 feet.

Some tuber Begonias will become dormant.  If yours starts to look peeked then this may be the problem.  Stop watering and allow it to rest.  If you loose all your leaves you will need to check the the tuber to be sure there is no rotting.  Replant in new potting medium and wait to see new growth before you begin to water.

Begonias like damp soil but not wet so be careful not to over water as they will rot.  They would prefer to be misted daily or placed on a humidity tray like I have mentioned.  

Well, that is it for today.  I hope you like my posting today.  I got more into the how and would like your opinion on this posting.  Would you like more postings like this, that would cover things like propagation through cuttings and seeds?

Add your comment to this blog or email me at  houseplantsos@gmail.com . Remember  to send me any questions you have or you can contact me through Fiverr to set up a Skype  diagnosis visit.

Til then, all my best.
k.k.jones

One last word, a Strawberry Begonia is not a Begonia.  I think it is called that because of the shape of its leaf.  We can discuss that at another sitting.