Begonia Mystery

bernadettemarlow28

Hello all 👋

my father bought me begonia plug plants, little ones. They were translated into the small cardboard 
pots and kept warm in utility room.  They were planted out a month ago, since then, zero, zilch……they haven’t grown one iota, but nor have they died 🤷🏻‍♀️….totally gutted as I planted twenty four of the little buggers….. any idea what’s going on with them ???? In the words of toyah Wilcox ….ITS A MYSTERY, ITS A MYSTERY 🤣

Pete.8

It's quite likely that your little plants are settling in.
Now they have been planted out their roots have no bounds, so they are probably concentrating on growing a strong root system. Once they've done that, they'll concentrate on growth above ground.

They may also have been set back a little if they were being cossetted indoors, then planted out without being hardened off for 10 days or so before being planted out.

Welcome to the forum btw

Lyn

I agree with Pete,   Maybe they were a bit too small to go outside a month ago,  I’m still putting plants out now,  if they haven’t died,  they will be growing underneath and hopefully will pick up when we get settled weather,  at the moment it’s very cold one day and hot the next,  our nights have been 4° which is too cold for most small plants. 
Always best to pot on plugs a few times before they brave the outside world. 

Silver surfer

Do they still use those terrible plastic mesh jiffi pots.
So tight that the roots cannot grow through it.

https://www.google.com/search?q=nylon+jiffy+planter+problems&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjh_cTl17n4AhV4g84BHc9nC5oQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=nylon+jiffy+planter+problems&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQDDoECCMQJ1DFBlj8LWCDP2gAcAB4AIABhAGIAbYJkgEEMC4xMJgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=SC2vYuG5BfiGur4Pz8-t0Ak&bih=595&biw=1280&client=firefox-b-d#imgrc=AkQFMsQVN_r1mM

Fire

Begonias can take forever to get going. If the tubers were very small they might just be now be putting down roots. If you put out without hardening off, they might have gone into shock. Are they planted in a pot / ground with good drainage?

Lyn

I assumed they were plug plants,  they’re different to the tuberous ones. 

bernadettemarlow28

Lyn said:

I assumed they were plug plants,  they’re different to the tuberous ones. 

Yes Lyn they were tiny weeny little plugs …..I’m very new here and already I’m learning….it’s fantastic…

bernadettemarlow28

 Fire said:

Begonias can take forever to get going. If the tubers were very small they might just be now be putting down roots. If you put out without hardening off, they might have gone into shock. Are they planted in a pot / ground with good drainage?

Yes absolutely… thing I’m aware of with begonias is 1. They don’t like too much water and 2. They need good drainage…that’s the extent of my knowledge I’m afraid….

bernadettemarlow28

Silver surfer said:

Do they still use those terrible plastic mesh jiffi pots.
So tight that the roots cannot grow through it.

https://www.google.com/search?q=nylon+jiffy+planter+problems&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjh_cTl17n4AhV4g84BHc9nC5oQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=nylon+jiffy+planter+problems&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQDDoECCMQJ1DFBlj8LWCDP2gAcAB4AIABhAGIAbYJkgEEMC4xMJgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=SC2vYuG5BfiGur4Pz8-t0Ak&bih=595&biw=1280&client=firefox-b-d#imgrc=AkQFMsQVN_r1mM

Yes they were…then I transplanted them into  sort of little cardboard pots…

bernadettemarlow28

Pete.8 said:

It's quite likely that your little plants are settling in.
Now they have been planted out their roots have no bounds, so they are probably concentrating on growing a strong root system. Once they've done that, they'll concentrate on growth above ground.

They may also have been set back a little if they were being cossetted indoors, then planted out without being hardened off for 10 days or so before being planted out.

Welcome to the forum btw

Thank you very much for the welcome 🤗 I did indeed cosset them 😆….the begonia tubers are starting to come along lovely..no flowers yet 🤷🏻‍♀️…but I didnt start them off early enough from what I’ve since read….

Fire

great