Storing begonia bulbs over winter
Barn Field
Posts: 47
Can any one tell me the best way to store begonia bulbs over winter. Last year only 3 out of 12 survived. Any advice would be appreciated.
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Barn Field
Posts: 47
Barn Field
Posts: 47
Posts
I wrap them up in newspaper & store in a cupboard in my ---unheated---garden shed. Have been doing this for years without any problem.
When the first frost blackens the foliage, lift the corms (bulbs). I remove as much of the soil as possible and leave them to dry out in the conservatory before wrapping them individually in newspaper. Store them somewhere dry and frost free until you're ready to pot up in the spring.
In the past I've tried packing them in a cardboard box filled with sawdust (pet bedding type of thing) in the shed, but lost some. Newspaper wrapped in the conservatory worked better for me this year.
I don't always wait until the frost blackens them but as october goes into november they drop their flowers and don't replace them and the leaves become sparce. This is the time I remove them from their containers and start to let them dry out completely. By this time, the main stalk is easily removed. I let them dry out a bit more and then I make sure the soil is all removed and wrap them in newspaper and store in my frost free area.
I bring them on at the end of February time. Good luck.
As above I take them out of the compost cut the stems down by half and dry off in the cold greenhouse then simply stand them in trays uncovered in the loft for the winter. In spring I keep a check on them and as soon a the new buds appear put them in the greenhouse during the day and bring them indoors if frost is forcast