You don't have to cut back begonias very often. However, if you keep the beautiful crooked leaf plants free, pruning them before winter is recommended. Here you can find out how to do this.
How should I prune begonias?
Before overwintering frost-sensitive begonias, carry out a completepruningusing sharp secateurs. Shorten the sprout completely. The begonia sprouts again from the roots. During the flowering period you cancleaning out individual wilted flowers.
Do I have to prune begonias?
Pruning is not necessary forBegonia houseplants. So it depends on how you keep your begonias. However, you should cut back free-growing begonias that are sensitive to frost and are brought into a protected room to overwinter. Take a sharp pruning tool and trim the plant a few inches above the ground. After cutting back, bring the begonia into a frost-free room. The plant now enters its natural resting phase.
How can I prune begonias?
UsePruning Shearsor a sharpKnife In general, you should use a pruning tool with a sharp blade. Otherwise injuries to the interface may occur. Clean the blade before using it to cut back the begonias. This way you avoid contamination at open interfaces, which can promote fungal infections.
Do I need protective gloves when cutting back begonias?
The plant sap of some begonia varieties containsirritants or is even poisonous. In this case, protective gloves are recommended. In this way you avoid contact with the skin or mucous membranes. Protective gloves are recommended, especially when cutting back these begonias:
- Trout begonia (Begonia maculata)
- Shrub begonia (Begonia gracilis)
- King begonia (Begonia rex)
With most other begonia varieties, you usually don't have to worry as much about the harmful effects of the plant sap or essential oils. The flowers of the ice begonia are even edible.
How do I care for begonias after cutting them back?
If the plants enter their winter rest phase after pruning, you only need areduced supply You should therefore no longer fertilize the substrate of the begonias after this pruning and only water little. Otherwise, the begonia's natural annual rhythm will be disrupted. Repotting is usually not done in late autumn, but in spring after overwintering. Then there is less sap in the roots and smaller injuries are not as significant.
Tip
Cut back wilted begonia flowers
If you remove individual spent begonia flowers directly, you can sustainably extend the begonia's flowering period. This measure is usually not referred to as cutting back, but as cleaning out.
