For pot culture any rich light soil is suitable. Mixture of two parts of coarse 
leafniold, one part of sand will bring good results. It is important for the mixture 
to be of light coarse character so that it will drain well. Finely sifted soil will pack 
down without permitting the circulation of air, hence only moderate good results 
can be expected. Too much manure will make the soil soggy, often with fatal 
results. If very strong growth is desired bone meal should be mixed well with the 
soil, approximately teaspoonful to six inch pot of soil. 
Perfect drainage is most important, and to provide it place at least one inch 
deep of gravel on the bottom of the pot. 
When potting up use smaller pots in beginning and move later into larger before 
they are pot bound. If tubers are well started in peat with considerable root sys¬ 
tem, they may be planted immediately in large pots approximately from six to eight 
inches for one year old tubers. Older, larger tubers will of course require larger 
pots. Very great care with watering is necessary when they are planted immediately 
in large pots. Keep the surface only moist in the young stage until the growth is 
well developed and then heavier watering is justified. If you overwater the soil in 
the beginning, it will become sour, the plants will make only sickly growth, buds 
will fall off before blooming, and the plants may die out entirely. This is true 
especially of Hanging Basket Types. 
If very strong growth is desired additional feeding will be necessary when buds 
begin to develop, watering once a week with liquid manure. A number of quick 
acting commercial fertilizers can also be used. Sulphate of ammonia or fish meal, 
both in combination with sulphate of potash in proportion of 10 to 1, will bring good 
results. Half teaspoon once or twice during the season, sprinkled around the edge 
of the pot (not close to the stem) will be sufficient. Heavier doses will do more 
harm than good, often causing distortion in the flowers or burning up the roots, 
destroying the plant entirely. Lath house with strong muslin roof is a very suitable 
place for development of show specimens in warm regions where greenhouses would 
be too warm. If grown in greenhouse, thorough ventilation day and night must be 
available. Openings in walls under the benches will give good circulation of air. 
On hot days heavy shading and sprinkling the walks with water will keep the tem¬ 
perature down. 65 to 80 degrees Fahr. is the most ideal temperature, for as the 
cooler and slower they develop, the finer and larger the flowers will be. Higher tem¬ 
peratures produce quick weak growth and the flowers do not develop as good size 
and as lasting quality. 
Do not prune begonias. Any open wound will be immediately attacked by fun¬ 
gus, especially when crowded without good circulation of air. If you cut the flowers 
cut only half of the stem. The other half mature and fall off itself without leaving 
a wound. 
If well balanced hanging baskets are desired, pick all buds off until the growth 
is enough advanced and the branching develops. Some hanging types are quite 
strong growers and if only one to three stems are on the tuber, they should be 
pinched off when first bud appears to induce the side shoots to develop. 
PESTS. Occasionally begonias are attacked by aphis and thrip in the green¬ 
house if kept in dry close temperature. Fumigating with nicotine on two or three 
alternate evenings will control these pests easily. 
Very rarely they are also subject to mite attacks. These are very small and can¬ 
not be seen without a lens. The first sign of their presence are brown rusty streaks 
on the young shoots and foliage, deforming and destroying the season’s growth 
entirely if not checked. 
•/ 
Infected plants should be isolated immediately. Thorough spraying with Volk 
will check this pest. 
7 
