Howdy, you plant loving cool cats! I’ve got a fun plant care tips post to share with y’all inspired by my back alley rendezvous purchase! OK, now that I have effectively made it sound like I was meeting with a dealer, I think I should clarify. I am on a local, online Facebook plant group. Someone in the group was selling leaf cuttings of their Steve’s Leaves Micro Mo Rex Begonia. Obviously, for a small price of 3 dollars and a sketchy trade off, how could I say no to that deal?! Thus, the inspiration for this Rex Begonia Care Tips post was born! (Please tell me you read that in the Powerpuff Girls intro voice).
With over 4,000 cultivars, the Rex Begonia, or Painted-Leaf Begonia, is easily one of the most fun collectible plants! So, if you find yourself with a Rex Begonia and want to learn how to help that baby thrive, read on my friend!
History & General Begonia Information
As always, I like to start by sharing the Rex Begonia’s history. After all, knowing a plant’s history will help it thrive in the present (kinda like therapy, right?!). Our favorite painted-leaf friend’s place of origin is a little fuzzy, much like their leaves. Charles Plumier first documented begonias in 1690, after finding them in Brazil. Other specimens have been recorded earlier in parts of Mexico and China. Now our friend Rex was discovered later (by the West anyway)! In 1856, Rex Begonia was found with a shipment of orchids from India to England!
While this post is all about Rex Begonia care tips, I wanted to give you some fun info on Begonia spp. in general. Traditional Chinese medicine has used these plants since the 14th century. The begonia has great healing properties that help promote healthy respiratory systems and blood circulation. In addition, the crushed flower can be used directly on sores and burns to relieve inflammation and promote healing!
Finally, one last fun fact about begonias is that they symbolize good communication between parties. They are a common gift to give after someone has done you a favor. The origin of this symbolization comes from the name sake of begonias, Michel Bégon, a French diplomat passionate about collecting plants.
Sun
Like many houseplants, Rex Begonias thrive in bright, indirect sunlight. The key word in that sentence is indirect. If a Rex begonia has too much direct sunlight, their leaves can burn. Keep this plant around 65-70 degrees year round, ideally. So if you have your plant in a windowsill in Texas, just make sure the AC or fan is running too!
Water
Rex Begonias originate from the tropics of India, a good thing to remember when it comes to watering. The key is to keep the potting soil moist, but allow it to dry out a little, particularly in the summer, between waterings to prevent powdery mildew. Too much heat and humid conditions often cause Powdery Mildew. On the flip side, Botrytis, or gray fluffy mold you find on leaves, is caused by a temperature drop with moist soil conditions.
Additionally, if your plant is loosing leaves, the likely culprit is overwatering. If this begins to happen, check that you’re allowing your plant’s soil to dry out a little before the next watering.
Soil & Fertilization
Since the Rex Begonia likes to be moist, the key to finding the right soil is to ensure it has well draining soil. A mix of peatmoss, perlite, and vermiculite create an excellent potting medium. Don’t worry, you don’t have to buy these ingredints indiviudlly. Miracle Gro’s African Violet Potting mix is the perfect blend of these!
As for fertilization, you really only need to fertilize this guy during the spring and summer, once every three weeks. Regular houseplant fertilizer works perfect!
Propagation
Now for the moment that sparked this whole post: Propagation! I got my Micro Mo Rex Begonia as three leaf cutting. To turn those cuttings into my cute little potted Rex I followed the same steps as you would for any other water based propagation.
- Place your clippings into a clear container of water
- Then place your container in indirect sunlight for three weeks
- Optional, but you can add some liquid fertilizer to help promote root growth
- Once the plant has roots that are about 1/2″ long you are ready to plant your Rex Begonia in Soil
- For the first couple of weeks that your plant is in soil, give it a little extra water. This will help it adjust to its new conditions, since it is use to being fully submerged in water.
Varieties
According to the American Begonia Society, there are over 4,000 cultivars of rex begonias. A.K.A. a plant collector’s dream! I’ve even seen plant swap meet ups only for begonias! Basically, a begonia is like a Pokemon, and you gotta catch ’em all! Personally, I want to get a Begonia Maculatla, which aren’t uncommon. I just haven’t purchased one. Anyways, I definitely will not be listing all 4,000 rex begonia cultivars, but here are the few that make my short list:
I hope this Rex Begonia Care Tips guide helps your new little friend thrive! Please let me know what type of rex begonia you have, and who knows, maybe if you’re in Texas, we can do a back alley rendezvous swap too!