Q&A for How to Plant Begonia Bulbs

Could be over-fertilized. Could also be too much shade.

It could be powdery mildew. Make sure your plants have a lot of fresh air around them. If your plants are already infected, try 1 tablespoon baking soda in a gallon of water. Spray the solution on begonias every two weeks.

Take them from the garden, brush off all soil, and wrap them in newspaper - placing them in a cardboard box indoors until spring.

Yes. The stem will just curve upward and out of the soil. It will eventually reach toward the sun, and your begonias will flower.

I took a stem and leaf and placed them in a jar of water, after about 6 weeks roots formed.

It depends on where you live and the type of winters you experience. I live in Southeast Texas and have successfully left my begonia bulbs in their pots over the winter. However, I do move the pots to a protected area away from wind and the rare freeze.

I dry mine out and then shut them in the airing cupboard until spring.

The concave side.

Start the sprouted tubers indoors and bury the tuber and stem 2" deep. Find a way to support the sprout until it strengthens, and don't let the soil around the sprout get too wet. If you break the sprout, it might not sprout anew.

Normally, your bulbs will revive themselves if you put them in water for 12-24 hours and then bury them an inch deep (but no deeper!).

About a month before the first frost (in a pot inside to promote budding). Then, transfer it outside, if desired, into a partially shaded area mostly free of damaging winds in the beginning of spring.

Yes, but make sure that the cut ends dry out before planting them. I normally do mine after digging them up in the fall, then allowing them to dry out before putting them into storage. Works very well.

We always cut ours when they get too large. Just make sure you use a very sharp knife and have eyes on each half.

Look for buds peeking out of either side. If there is sign of budding, that is your upside. Even if you cannot distinguish the upside, planting them upside down is tolerable. The stem will grow in a bend and eventually break surface.

If you start them indoors a month before frost, they will bloom a month after they are in their final pot outdoors. Don't be bashful with fertilizer (balanced) as it keeps them growing nicely and flowering.

To store them over the winter, yes. Leave the bulb to dry out and store it in a dry place.

You can cut off the stem, remove all traces of rot, then put the bottom in water (removing the leaves on the bottom first). If it roots, which takes about 1 - 2 months, plant it and be sure not to over-water it in the future.