By Barbarak
North Yorkshire, United Kingdom
I have been given an indoor begonia in (yellow) flower. I usually water from the base when the compost is dry. Today was the first time of watering but when I took it out of the bowl the remaining water was yellow. Do cultivators put yellow dye into the compost to make the flowers more yellow and if I put red dye into the next watering will the new flowers turn orange?
- 2 Dec, 2018
Answers
I know with colored moth orchids, the dye must be injected into the stem for each flowering cycle. If not, the orchid will be white - its natural color. As Tug stated, I think you have a yellow begonia. It's probably just planted in some decorative colored compost.
3 Dec, 2018
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If the water was an amber yellow, it is most likely just tannic acid from the decaying wood and bark in the potting compost. If it was bright chrome yellow, a dye is possible, though that tactic is rarely used in Begonias, and is usually visible in the leaf veins, as well as the flowers. What kind of Begonia is it, Barbarak? There are several types that are sold as houseplants, and one of them has naturally yellow flowers.
3 Dec, 2018