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Begonia Ferox (Begoniaceae) hails from Southwest Guangxi, China limestone areas as a monoecious rhizomatous Begonia species, and it is an awe-inspiring new-to-the-scene species. Begonia Ferox is prized among collectors with incredible leaf patterns. Yam Liu & C.-I Peng described and publicized it in 2013 as a rare species after its discovery in 2011.
It is a slower, rare-growing species of Begonia, and it has an amazingly unique texture from its raised-portioned leaves.
It is not like many other Begonia as it is prolonged to root. It has been so hard for botanists to believe that this plant type, with its fiery appearance, is not quite popular among people. As part of the plants that feel good to touch, it’s worth finding out more about this black cone, spikey plant.
How to Identify Begonia Ferox
Begonia Ferox loos fierce, even though it is not. It has raised portion leaves that resemble teeth. These teeth appear pretty sharp. However, you will be shocked when you touch them to know they are soft. Their raised portions are called Bullae, and they are black cones.
A single white hair strand may protrude out of these black bullae, giving it an enchanting look with the combination of green leaves and the black cone. Since these cones are not on the leaves from the beginning, people may not notice them.
However, they will appear over time when they get to a specific size and mature. As each protruding hair tip looks upon one another, it will appear maroon-red. Even with that, the white strand of each end stays for a while before falling off after some time.
It has a base of petioles, 1.5 cm long internodes, and a 40 cm rhizome. In addition, the Begonia Ferox’s main highlight is its sturdy leaves, which are relatively significant for the genus.
How to Grow Begonia Ferox From Seed
Begonia Ferox is much like any other plant, whereby you can propagate it using seeds instead of purchasing transplants from any grower. With that, you will enjoy more bangs for your money since you can choose from various selections.
- It may take time and could be quite involving to propagate your Begonia Ferox from seeds. In addition, this Begonia can develop fungal diseases, such as botrytis.
- You will need new seedling flats or trays for planting your Begonia Ferox from seeds since its seeds can be very tiny.
- Begonia Ferox also requires specially formulated sterile potting soil to start the seeds.
- Ensure that you have sterile potting mix handy, and then fill your seed trays with it.
- Allow the seeds to spread across the potting mix surface and use a cardboard flat piece or your fingertips to press them against the soil surface.
- Put the seed trays under a maximum light shade.
- Leave it for about four to six weeks, after which you can prepare to transplant them since they must have germinated enough.
- Remember that you can only transplant Begonia Ferox seeds when they are still young.
How to Propagate Begonia Ferox
Propagating Begonia Ferox involves using the plant’s portions and rooting them when you want to grow them into new plants.
There could be more specialized conditions or more skill than others for some propagation types. However, propagating Begonia Ferox, any grower won’t have any problem propagating it. Begonia Ferox can only prosper in your yard when it receives well-drained, humus-soil and partial shade.
Stem Cutting Propagation
Expert growers know the Begonia Ferox stem cutting propagation as rhizomes. So you can grow these long thick stems called rhizomes.
- Get the Begonia Ferox’s horizontal rhizomes from the soil.
- Use a thin paring, sharp knife to make cutting parts on the rhizomes of around one to two inches in length.
- Eliminate the leaf stems from the cutting sections.
- Have peat-based potting mix handy to fill in a seedling container. Make sure that you have about ½-inch of the soil line from the upper rim.
- Put a rhizome in every seedling container and ensure that the leaf old stem base, bud, or scar facing upward, and you lay the cutting horizontally.
- Use the fingertips to tamp the soil gently around the cutting base.
- Clear a warm, shaded spot to put the cuttings. It could be a bright light spot indoors or a covered potting part of your outdoor.
- Ensure to keep the soil moist by monitoring the soil and the cuttings for about six to ten weeks.
- You can see a small leaf coming out of the cut edge of the leaf scar if your cuttings successfully root.
- You can throw away cuttings without young leaves after 14 to 16 weeks.
Leaf Cutting Propagation
- Snip some fresh leaves from a matured plant.
- Slice the leaves into a wedge-like structure by using a clean, sharp knife.
- Ensure that each wedge piece has veins.
- Have well-drained soil in a small pot, and you can mix it with perlite moss, peat, and vermiculite.
- After sticking the leaf wedges into the soil, ensure to put it away from direct sunlight by putting it in a warm and bright place in a plastic bag.
- Make sure that your soil is moist to keep the cutting moist also. Be careful not to have rotting of the wedges when you overwater.
- You can apply diluted liquid fertilizer after about four to six weeks. Ensure that the dosage is about the one-half rate of the product prescription when two leaves have emerged from the cutting.
- Clear a warm spot with indirect, bright light to place the young plants.
Begonia Ferox Growing Conditions
It is easy to grow Begonia Ferox, especially at home. It required charged-up responsibility instincts, good advice, and a small pot. The required indoor energy to plant Begonia Ferox is lighting it with 1800 lumens LED bulb. You will also need a happy frog potting soil to grow it.
Turface, Perlite, and Coco Fiber are the three essential and primary ingredients the soil needs to contain. Your Begonia Ferox will also benefit from significant growth with these three.
Ensure to adhere to the 10:33:10 percent when you want to add them to the plant. When you follow this ideal medium to grow your Begonia Ferox, you won’t need to bring limestone landscape from China to your place or go to China.
Winter Recommendations
You may want to have your Begonia Ferox indoors during winters. However, any grower will enjoy this plant’s beauty throughout the year when they take good care of it. Therefore, Begonia Ferox can suffer and even damage or die pretty soon if it experiences extreme winter seasons or snows in your area.
How to Plant Begonia Ferox
The essential element to consider when planting Begonia Ferox is to get the potting mix right from the beginning. As houseplants, Begonia Ferox season runs before winter frost and summer and late autumn. A sheltered spot is perfect for this plant with well-drained and moist soil. It also prefers and thrives well in indirect, bright, and semi-shade sunlight. You can also grow your Begona Ferox outside during the summer months when the frost risk is over.
When all frost threat has passed, you can transplant Begonia Ferox since they are extremely frost tender and can damage with temperature below 50 degrees. When planting Begonia Ferox, select filtered sunlight or partial shade location as the best for this plant is the morning and afternoon sun, mainly where it is scorching.
Try a spot with improved sunlight tolerance or a dark-leaved variety for sunnier locations. Ensure you plant Begonia Ferox in an air-circulation area to prevent powdery mildew.
Transplant your Begonia Ferox six to eight inches apart, and you can select tubers to start indoors. Put the tuber in a moist potting mix of a shallow tray, one inch apart with a hollow side in an upright position. Prepare a dark room to put the tray and keep the potting mix moist by watering it.
Ensure to prevent having a soggy pot. You can expect the tubers to sprout within four weeks. After that, you can move it to another place with bright light when you have about one-inch tall sprouts. Plant your Begonia Ferox outdoors when there is no frost threat.
Begonia Ferox Potting & Soil
As long as your soil holds a significant moisture level for a considerable period and is free draining, you can grow Begonia Ferox in any soil type. However, don’t use heavy clay soil to grow this plant because it can lead to root or stem rot.
Use a potting mix that comprises vermiculite or wood chips, perlite, or coco coir or a light-free draining general purpose potting soil in the pots. You may even use an African violet potting mix to grow your Begonia Ferox. Create your Begonia Ferox potting mix by combining loamy, perlite, and clay soil.
If you intend not to water your plant all the time, ensure to use peat moss in your soil mix since it boasts a high moisture retention capacity. However, use peat moss, worm casting, or compost with your soil for outdoor planting.
Begonia Ferox Water Requirements
It takes a bit of a trick to successfully and adequately water Begonia Ferox. While the plant can bloom and grow effectively with water, Begonia Ferox also resents overwatering. Therefore, balancing these affairs tends to be quite tricky with too moist and too dry soil.
Expert growers recommend that people must not let the soil dry entirely for watering Begonia Ferox. Essentially, poke the soil with your finger.
It could be the best time to water your plant if your finger feels dry to your knuckle. Don’t forget to avoid overwatering because your plant’s green foliage can turn yellow or drop in the end if you overwater it. It can also lead to death or root rot of your Begonia Ferox.
Water Begonia Ferox once a week during summer. However, your plant may go dormant the whole winter period. As such, ensure to water the plant once a month during winter.
Begonia Ferox Light Requirements
Many plants require light as part of the requirements for growth, and it is the same with Begonia Ferox. Whether outdoors or indoors, Begonia Ferox needs an indirect, bright light spot. For indoors, a suitable place will be the balcony or a few feet away from the window. Don’t put your plant where its leaves can get direct sun.
When there is an intense amount of daily sunlight, Begonia Ferox can display stress signs, including leaf bleaching. With that, your plant will have yellowish-white foliage instead of deep green. It can also suffer from stunted growth, leaf curling, or wilting.
If you can, move your plant to another location where it can receive indirect and bright light. When outdoors, place it under a shade.
Best Begonia Ferox Fertilizers
Ensure you apply an equal quantity of potassium, Phosphorous, and Nitrogen fertilizers for Begonia Ferox. Also, the recommendation is to use one-fourth to one-eighth orchid fertilizer for the plant. Ensure that your orchid fertilizer is free of urea. Apply once in thirty days to have a healthy Begonia Ferox. Sphagnum moss can also help in the plant rooting when you add it.
Apply fertilizer in the dilute form at the plant’s base every three to four weeks. After and before applying the fertilizer, ensure to irrigate.
When in late autumn, reduce your fertilizer application to one dose per month. When winter arrives, stop fertilizer application completely. When below 58 degrees temperature, Begonia Ferox does not use much fertilizer to grow. You can start the fertilizer application process next spring.
Best Begonia Ferox Companion Plantings
Begonia Ferox and Scarlet Double Begonia
Scarlet Double Begonia (Begonia pendula ‘scarlet’) is a gorgeous double Begonia that can befit any shady area that needs a color splash. The plant is like a traditionally styled Begonia that will draw visitors to your shade garden with its vivid red blooms of around 4-inches. It can pair well with Begonia Ferox if you are looking for more vigorously, larger growing plants that you can start early indoors.
Light Requirements
It thrives well in full shade, half shade, and half sun.
Soil Requirements
Loamy and sandy soils are perfect for the plant, with a pH ranging from moderate to high.
Water Requirements
It grows well when watered once or twice a week.
Pros
- More than four weeks of extended bloom time
- Good for containers
- Rabbit resistant
- Deer resistant
- Attract hummingbirds
Cons
- Toxic to horses, cats, or dogs
- Plant’s parts can cause dermatitis if contacted
- The plant can be poisonous if ingested
Begonia Ferox and Apricot Scarlet Sunburst Picotee Begonia
The Picotee Apricot and Scarlet Begonia get their color blend from peach or apricot and exotic scarlet. These Begonias’ type has a dark scarlet ribbon edging apricot petals that exhibit quality blooms. They are also one of California Hybrid’s most attractive and pair well with Begonia Ferox.
Light Requirements
Full shade and partial shade work well with this plant.
Soil Requirements
Well-drained soil will make it bloom beautifully.
Water Requirements
Average watering is enough for the plant.
Pros
- Perennializing
- Grows well in containers
- Excellent for indoor plant
- Deer resistant
Cons
- The plant may take time to bloom.
Begonia Ferox and Double White Begonia
Double White Begonia pairs well with your Begonia Ferox with its 4-inches pure while blooms and will fit well if you need a splash of color in a shady part of your house. Apart from attracting hummingbirds, Double White Begonia is perfect for your indoor garden and attracts your visitors to want to touch it.
Light Requirements
The plant likes full shade and partial shade.
Soil Requirements
It will thrive well with well-drained soil.
Water Requirements
Double White Begonia likes average watering.
Pros
- Perfect for containers
- Attracts hummingbirds and butterflies
- Excellent for indoor plant
- Deer resistant
Cons
- It needs regular feeding and consistent moisture.
Begonia Ferox Diseases and Common Problems
Begonia Ferox is susceptible to bacterial and fungal diseases and pests, just like other trees and plants. Here are some of the pests, diseases, and common issues affecting Begonia Ferox’s growth vitality.
Mealybugs
These are wax-covered, oval, and soft insects that can feed on several plants and trees in indoor, landscape, and garden settings. Mealybugs will insert their threadlike mouthparts into any plant to suck the sap, thereby damaging them. They are active in dry, warm weather.
Root and Stem Rot
Two things can cause root and stem rot: a fungus attack in the soil and infected the plant’s roots or improper drainage or overwatering that leads to waterlogging. Your Begonia Ferox may be affected by stem or root rot if you notice that the plant’s leaves are turning dull or yellow without any cause or is wilting slowly.
Feel the plant’s roots with your hands by removing them from the soil to check its roots. You may have root rot issues to deal with if they look dark instead of tan or creamy white or they feel mushy.
Bacterial Leaf Spot
Many plant species have blemish leaf spots on their leaves. Bacteria and parasitic fungi are the cause of this issue. When fungal find a wet, warm plant surface to cling to as it spores in the air, it will lead to spotted leaves. Likewise, root rots, cankers, scabs, wilts, and leaf spots have the traits of leaf spots. Typically, leaf spot diseases interrupt photosynthesis, thereby weakening your plant.
Botrytis
Known as Bud Rot or Gray Mold, botrytis attacks the plant’s delicate parts in high humidity. It is on most indoor plants, appearing as a white growth and turns to a gray color. This fungus can cause plant death, root rot, or cause a premature leaf to fall.
Handling botrytis means destroying and eliminating all infected plants. With this, you will enable perfect air circulation. You can also use a fungicide every ten days based on your plant being susceptible to this disease.
Begonia Ferox Treatments and Maintenance
Having no idea of what is wrong when your Begonia Ferox starts having issues is the most frustrating thing about growing it. For example, if your Begonia Ferox has a flower, it could be that it doesn’t have enough light, you use the wrong fertilizer type, or lacks nutrients.
Ensure not to underwater your plant because doing so can lead to drooping or wilting leaves. However, it could also happen if it is getting too hot or you have overwatered the plant after repotting it.
Always ensure that there are no bugs on your plant’s leaves. Without adequate watering, lack of humidity, or excessive heat or sun, you can have curling leaves. Also, don’t expose your Begonia Ferox to too much direct sun because it can lead to faded or white leaves. Instead, prepare a spot to get indirect, bright light indoors or a shadier place outdoors.
Essentially, overwatering your Begonia Ferox, particularly during the winter, can result in the plant dropping stems and leaves. Moving it around too much or cold temperature exposure can also be the cause. Overwatering can also cause the leaves to turn yellow.
Lack of light or fungal disease can also be the cause of this. Always make sure your plant’s soil is not soggy or wet. Use an oscillating fan to ensure your plant gets better air circulation after pruning off the yellow leaves. Also, ensure not to water over the leaves’ top.
Where to Buy Begonia Ferox Seeds Online
While you can get Begonia Ferox seeds at your local store, they are available online at:
Where to Mature Buy Begonia Ferox Online
Get your mature Begonia Ferox online at:
FAQs
Question: Is Begonia Ferox’s slow growth a bad thing?
Answer: Begonia Ferox’s slow growth is not a bad thing. You may want to grow this plant indoors. With that, prepare a spot in your house devoid of any mess. Without this, you may be under persistent burden about getting a good spot to place it and even cleaning and pruning it.
Question: Does Begonia Ferox cure diseases?
Answer: Begonia Ferox can cure many diseases, including asthma, rheumatic arthritis, stomach diseases, and cold. Experts also use it to treat cancer patients and use it as a liver tonic.
Question: When can I use Begonia Ferox?
Answer: While you can safely use Begonia Ferox, you may want to be careful before using Begonia Ferox if you have prior high BP issues, diabetes, and kidney problems.
Question: What Is the taste of Begonia Ferox?
Answer: Begonia Ferox tastes acrid and sweet when extracted, and the plant’s raw type can be atrocious.