VETTERLE & REINELT — HYBRIDIZING GARDENS 
CAPITOLA, CALIFORNIA 
For pot culture any rich light soil is suitable. Mixture of two parts of coarse leafmold, 
one part of loam 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 cir¬ 
culation of air, hence only a moderately good result can be expected. 
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 pots before they 
are pot bound. If tubers are well started in peat with considerable root system, 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 over water the soil in the begining, it will become sour, the plants will make only a 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, it will be necessary when 
the plants are established in the final pots and have at least four of the leaves fully developed, 
to water once a week with liquid manure. 
A number of quick acting commercial fertilizers can also be used. One of the safest is 
cottonseedmeal which we are using now almost exclusively as it gives very good results. Half 
teaspoonful once or twice during the season, sprinkle around the edge of the pot (not too 
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 
houses with strong muslin roofs are a very suitable place for development of show specimens in 
warm regions where greenhouses would be too warm. If grown in a greenhouse, thorough 
ventilation day and night must be available. Openings in the walls under the benches will 
give good circulation of air. On hot days heavy shading and sprinkling the walks with water 
will keep the temperature down. 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit is the most ideal temperature, 
for as the cooler and slower they develop, the finer and larger the flowers will be. Higher 
temperatures 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 fungus, 
especially when crowded without good air circulation. If you cut the flowers, cut only half of 
the stem. The other half will mature and fall off itself without leaving a wound. 
If well balanced hanging baskets are desired, pick off all buds 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 greenhouse if kept in dry 
close temperatures. 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 cannot be seen 
without a lens. The first sign of their presence are brown rusty streaks on the young shoots 
and foilage, deforming and destroying the season’s growth entirely if not checked. 
Infected plants should be isolated immediately. Thorough spraying with Volck will check 
this pest. 
FAILURES 
The most common failure in Begonias is the falling off of buds before they develop which 
is caused either by the plants being grown in too small pots without a sufficient amount of 
food, severe drying out or severe overwatering. In hot weather the flowers develop too rapidly 
and the plants by drawing much more water from the soil tends to throw off the buds. 
Abundant growth with little or no flowers is the result of too heavy shade. Curled and shiny 
foliage is a sign of too strong an exposure to the sun. The most damage is done by over 
feeding, the first signs of it is a soft glassy texture of the foliage curling under gradually, 
wilting and dying off. 
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