Begonia Update

Angel Wing Begonia Stems

I recently posted about a great find I made while walking down my street.  Someone threw away several Angel Wing Begonia cuttings.  They were beautiful so I immediately snatched them up.  Luckily I have a local friend who is a gardener and she was able to identify them and give me hope that I might be able to root them. 

Cuttings Rooted in Water

After a little bit of trial and error I finally have some very delicate roots.  I originally placed the entire cutting (which was quite long) in a tall vase.  Without any roots to support it the leaves began to wilt.  The long stem was too much plant to support.  A little internet research revealed that I should clip the plant closer to the top leaves and try to root it from there.  That actually worked and, as you can see, the roots are starting to grow well. 

That left significant parts of the stem that I was ready to discard.  In times of austerity I am always a little reluctant to throw anything away, so I just decided to stick them in a pot with some seed starter, cover with plastic, and see what happens.  To my surprise the stem cuttings began to do something, as well.  The leaf nodes on the plant began to blossom and I am hoping with a few more weeks time I will have several more plants with roots that will be ready to go in the spring.  Stay tuned!

Stems Tossed in a Pot