This bush begonia is a harder to find begonia and is well-suited to a terrarium. Develops small pink flowers.
Botanical Name: Begonia bipinnatifida
Common Name: Fern Leaf Begonia
Family: Begoniaceae
Native to: New Guinea
Arrives in a 2" nursery pot if purchased on its own. Visit our Pots Page to view pot options.
*This plant is considered toxic.
BEGONIA BIPINNATIFIDA
Prefers bright, indirect light. Keep out of direct sun as leaves can burn.
When watering, saturate soil well and keep evenly moist. Try not to get the leaves wet when watering.
Use distilled water as hard water can cause leaf edges to brown due to the salt content.
Begonias love high humidity.
- Do not mist the leaves, this can cause powdery mildew.
- Loves humidity
- Use distilled water as salts can cause leaf edges to brown.
- May go dormant in winter depending on its environment.
- These begonias do not like their leaves wet.
Toxic to pets and humans
When plants change environments they will need a period of time to acclimate to their new home. We recommend waiting at least a couple of weeks to repot your new plant. Plants can grow just fine in their plastic nursery pot and in most cases, will not be root bound. To avoid shocking your plant, give it time to adjust to your home as these conditions might vary greatly from where it was previously being grown.
Below are some general tips on when to repot:
- Root to soil ratio is around 75% roots to 25% soil
- If your plant is in a pot without drainage (we never sell plants this way)
- The soil that the plant was grown in is not ideal for that particular plant
- If you notice pests or grubs in the soil (typically from plants that have been outside)
- If your plant is suffering from root rot
When repotting, consider the following:
- Not all indoor plants want the same soil. Do some research on what type of plant you have and its soil needs.
- If you are going to pot up (increase the size of your pot), only increase by one size at a time. An example would be if your plant is currently in a 4" pot and the roots are at 75% and time to pot up, get a pot that is no more than 6". If you can find a 5" pot, this would be ideal.
- ALWAYS use pots with drainage. Please. Yes, plants can technically grow in pots without drainage but we do not recommend this approach. Plants don't like their roots sitting in water and if you've accidentally over-watered then your plant is at risk of getting root rot. When you have plants in pots without drainage, you also aren't allowing your plant to be watered thoroughly.
- When deciding on a pot, either keep the plant in its nursery/grow pot and put that inside a cachepot or find a pot with drainage.
- Most plants will be happy in their pots for about two years, sometimes more. As long as the roots aren't past the 75% ratio, they are good. If you are worried about nutrients or soil has washed away from the top, you can top dress (add fresh nutrient-rich soil, compost or worm castings to the top, not to exceed the original height of the soil) or add fertilizer to regular waterings from spring to summer (please see fertilizer instructions for frequency as these can vary).
