Continuing with Begonia growing for the shows~

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Yesterday i managed to get all of last years cuttings out of the greenhouse and either in the cold frame or outside in the shade. This year i am trying a new
method – i have used grow bags and made holes for
the pots (mostly 4inch pots) which i then sunk into the grow bags. It’s a bit later than i had wanted, but with the weather so wet it has been difficult. This i decided to try after talking with another Begonia grower, but he puts his pots inside another larger pot, but leaving the plant in the 4 inch pot – keeping the Begonia tuber in a fairly tight pot is, i am told, supposed to encourage larger tubers to develop. Sinking the pot into more compost means that the roots can come through the bottom of the pot and continue growing whilst still encouraging a larger tuber by being in a tight pot- also saves time which i really need to spend on this years show plants. As it’s the first year i’ve tried it i don’t know how well it will work. Previous years i have just potted them on once they filled the pot.
Also yesterday i fed the maiden hair ferns with some baby bio to try and green them up a bit.
Today i hope to go through the show plants and dress them ready for the show, probably need to go through them 2 or 3 times before the show. I need to open up the plants and make sure the buds are above the leaves – take off any that won’t be out for the show, and side shoots that won’t be any good. I’ll take out any plants that won’t
make it- if it looks a good plant, but won’t be out in time i’ll put
in in the other greenhouse and it should make one of the smaller local village shows. This is also the first year that i’ve tried the Begonia Rex for the show ~ The main Shrewsbury show is only two weeks today!
I know from the news that we have been lucky in my area, although it’s been wet with some floods mainly from water off the fields blocking some roads. Not far away in Ludlow the water washed a bridge away and a house collapsed into the river, it was on the front page of the local paper.
Good luck to everyone as far as the floods go, and i hope everyone gets back to normal ASAP.

26 Jul, 2007
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Peter

Hi MarksBegonias, Good luck with the show, it sounds a lot of hard work getting everything ready and timed right for the shows.

27 Jul, 2007

Joey

What's the idea behind the pots in growbags? Is there a particular reason for doing this?

27 Jul, 2007

Joey

sorry, do the roots spread a long way normally?

27 Jul, 2007

Marksbegonias

The pots in growbags was an idea i had after speaking with another Begonia grower. He told me that instead of potting on into a larger pot once his cuttings had filled the first pot, he uses a much larger pot and sinks the pot with the cutting in it into the larger pot allowing the roots to grow through the bottom of the small pot and into the larger one. He said that keeping the plant in the smaller pot helps to encourage a larger tuber to form and grow. By letting the roots have something else to grow into once the pot is filled, the plant will continue to grow on into the fresh compost.
My idea of using grow bags was that the roots will be able to continue growing on in the same way, but that it would save time as the compost is already there in the grow bag. This gives me the time to spend on this years show plants. It is the first year i've tried it so i hope it works ok. I have usually just pooted on into a larger pot, the problem is that half of them end up not potted on because i run out of time due to the show plants needing attention.

27 Jul, 2007

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Xela

Gardening with friends since
1 Mar, 2008

Continuing with Begonia growing for the shows~

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