Begonia corms not doing much
I planted three begonia Crispa bulbs back in February. They are not doing much.
First they were in a much bigger pot but as they weren't doing anything and I needed the pot for something, I transferred them into this small, shallow pot.
Do you think I need to move them again into a bigger pot with fresh compost? Also what sort of compost? I know they don't need much soil above them but how much soil should be beneath them? There are actually 3 there if you look carefully....
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plant them individually in pots with fresh compost, are they in shade? as that would reduce their growth, begonia's love full sun and as hot as you can make it.
when you repot have a look at the bottom of the corms for any holes or little white grubs- these are vine weevils that eat begonia roots and might explain the poor growth
Thanks tree no they are in full sun on the patio. I better check the bottom, thanks for that suggestion. Will they not grow together in one pot?
They don't look too happy. They should be covered in bloom by now.
I'd re-pot them using multi-purpose compost but don't bury the corm, leave about 1/3 of it above the compost - the tops of the corms have a dip in them which will hold water and rot the corm.
You could put all 3 into a bigger pot, or plant them individually into 1 litre pots.
As to whether you'll get flowers this year is another matter.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
They do look sad ... I'd have a thorough look for vine weevils too ... was it fresh compost or recycled?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thanks Pete8. Yes I was wondering if they should have flowered by now. It's the only think in the garden this year that hasn't grown properly! I will do as suggested and repot. Can't I use something a bit more rich like John Innes no 2 or 3?
I can't remember Dove but I don't tend to use recycled compost at all. The compost does look awful though, I will attend to it asap!
Sorry just another thought and qu, can I put these into the ground? I feel it will be hotter there. Then if they grow bigger can I transfer into a pot?
JI 2 or 3 will be good, but add some multi purpose compost too (about 25%) as I find JI by itself does get rather claggy.
You could plant them in the ground, but I wouldn't recommend it. The stems are fragile and likely to get snapped. Fresh potting compost will give them a better chance,
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Okay, thanks Pete8
So I repotted these bulbs into a wider pot. They've grown a bit but still not doing much. It's been raining a lot here in Brum. Does anyone know why the leaves are yellowing? Is there any type of feed that might help? Could there be something fundamentally wrong with the bulbs?