Angel Wing Begonia question - to cut or not to cut?

[Colm Osiris]

i have quite an old plant, of which the provenance is unclear. it was becoming very leggy, so i took some cuttings, two of which are quite well established now. it's even more leggy now, so i would like to take the two legs, cut them down and root them in glass jars before repotting them. but now i've noticed there's a bud at the bottom of one of the stems. if i cut the legs off, will the new bud still be able to grow? from its position relative to the actual stems, i'd have thought so, but any advice would be gratefully received.

i've been watering it regularly, and the soil is moist quite near the surface. it's currently having a soak. generally speaking, is it best to water these plants from the top or the bottom?

there'll be questions about the cuttings i have planted to follow

 

[Anniekay]

I think that if you cut back all the excess stems back to just above a leaf node that you could rejuvenate the entire plant. Also, I would repot it and give it fresh compost. Good luck withit; Angel wing begonias are so decorative !!

 

[Colm Osiris]

i'm really sorry for the delay, i've been really busy.

thank you very much for the good wishes. yes, they are beautiful, aren't they.

repotting sounds like a good idea, but is now the time, given there are a lot of buds at the bottom of the stems now? i'll post a picture tomorrow, it's too dark now. i've got two plants already which were cuttings of this one.i have questions about these too. they were both planted at the same time, so i don't know why they've grown in such different ways.

i would like the 'Tower of Pisa' one to be more upright, partly because it'll look better, and partly because i think it'll be healthier for the plant, as it'd be sturdier. i've tried turning it, but that doesn't seem to help. what about tying it to a stake? would that do any good?

and the bushier one, it should really be repotted at some point, because the soil has settled, and is quite low, but it's in flower, and is also growing a new stem from the soil. any advice gratefully received

 

[cpp gardener]

Yes, tie it to a stake. Leaning/arching is their typical growth habit except for very strong new growth from the bottom.
You can repot the other one, even in bloom, if you don’t disturb the roots. Just lift, add soil to the pot, drop back in, and add a little more soil around the edges.

 

[Anniekay]

I'd take another cutting off the top of the tall one so then it would grow more leaves lower down and be full, like they're supposed to be. Then you'll have three plants.

You can repot the other, flowers, no flowers, no difference; if it needs a bigger pot and more nutrition, give it to it. You won't be disturbing the roots just by giving it a pot that's an inch wider with new soil in it.

 

[Colm Osiris]

I'd take another cutting off the top of the tall one so then it would grow more leaves lower down and be full, like they're supposed to be. Then you'll have three plants.

You can repot the other, flowers, no flowers, no difference; if it needs a bigger pot and more nutrition, give it to it. You won't be disturbing the roots just by giving it a pot that's an inch wider with new soil in it.

how far down do you think i should take a cutting from the taller plant? there's only one growth point that doesn't have any leaves, and it has a bud. all these three plants have buds all over the place at the moment!

 

[Colm Osiris]

Yes, tie it to a stake. Leaning/arching is their typical growth habit except for very strong new growth from the bottom.
You can repot the other one, even in bloom, if you don’t disturb the roots. Just lift, add soil to the pot, drop back in, and add a little more soil around the edges.

thanks. i think i should do this, rather than take a cutting, because of my answer to Anniekay, and also hopefully the buds will grow into more stems and make it bushier. i'm very scared of disturbing buds. i'm sure it's fine, but that doesn't stop me worrying!

 

[Colm Osiris]

You can repot the other, flowers, no flowers, no difference; if it needs a bigger pot and more nutrition, give it to it. You won't be disturbing the roots just by giving it a pot that's an inch wider with new soil in it.

there are lots of buds, including a big one coming out of the soil, and i've just noticed another one right at the bottom of the stem. and the stem bud itself seems to have a bud on it. not so bothered about the flowers, but i'm scared to move a plant that has so many buds on it. is there a preferable time of year for repotting?

 

[Colm Osiris]

WATERING

and a question that affects all three plants - watering. is it better to water from the top or the bottom? i have a moisture meter, but it's a bit hit and miss, as the moisture in a pot probably won't be uniform unless it's parched or saturated. i gave them all a really good long soak in a bucket about a week ago. since then the soil, at least at the top, is really dry. the meter registers some moisture, but how moist should the soil be for these plants, please? the Mother plant takes a lot longer to take up the water in the tray than the other two, but then i didn't plant it, and i don't know about the soil that was used.

 

[Colm Osiris]

I think that if you cut back all the excess stems back to just above a leaf node that you could rejuvenate the entire plant. Also, I would repot it and give it fresh compost. Good luck withit; Angel wing begonias are so decorative !!

and now, back to the Mother plant…

1. on the left stem, there are five growing points before the leaves, and below the first one are four buds. should i cut above the first one? and how many nodes do i need to leave on the cutting?

 

[Anniekay]

If you want to take a cutting cut it off, a diagonal cut just about 1/4" above the bud. The rest will leaf off well if you give it a mild fertilization and the plant will be nice and full.

Best not to wet the leaves, just water the soil enough so that you have some water that goes right through into the saucer beneath. Then you know that the soil and roots have been wet all the way through to the bottom.

 

[Colm Osiris]

I think that if you cut back all the excess stems back to just above a leaf node that you could rejuvenate the entire plant. Also, I would repot it and give it fresh compost. Good luck withit; Angel wing begonias are so decorative !!

and now, back to the Mother plant…

2. on the right stem (which is itself a stem off a stem off a stem!), there are at least four buds below the first node, and there are four nodes below the first node, as well as several bumps which might turn out to be buds. and there's what looks like a bud o n the underside of the stem as well. so where should i cut, and how many nodes should i leave on the cutting?

 

[Colm Osiris]

If you want to take a cutting cut it off, a diagonal cut just about 1/4" above the bud. The rest will leaf off well if you give it a mild fertilization and the plant will be nice and full.

Best not to wet the leaves, just water the soil enough so that you have some water that goes right through into the saucer beneath. Then you know that the soil and roots have been wet all the way through to the bottom.

i think you've answered both of my questions about the mother plant there!

 

[Colm Osiris]

i've taken both of the cuttings, and repotted the mother plant. i had to repot it in the same pot, as i didn't have any bigger ones. i did give it a good clean though. and the two cuttings are in different sized jars, for the same reason, i only had one big one.

it makes me sad that the wound is weeping. i hope it's like when we cut ourselves, and it will heal. there are loads of buds, which is why i didn't cut it lower down.

 

[Colm Osiris]

the leggy plant now has two very different buds, so i think it will bush out. can anyone tell me why the two buds look so very different? one is pointy, and the other is very round. i've been watching it, and they both started off about the same time, one pointy one, and one round one.