I have both of them in my IKEA cabinet, the humidity stays at 80%. I have growlights in the cabinet, but i am not yet tuned in on how strong they are etc. I built the cabinet only a month ago. I have heard talk about some begonias not liking too much light, so i have them a bit far away from the light. The darth i keep in the shadow in the cabinet rn since it’s new, small and sensitive.
Darth is in coco coir/perlite mix. Chlorosticta is in a random perlite/dirt/pumice/coco coir/ coco husk mix.
I think i fell for some photo editing back in september when i got the chlorosticta. I expected it to be more red like it was online and in the sellers picture.
I am aware that the darthvaderiana is a pain in the ass and is known in the begonia community for being hard. But i managed to win a hybrid one for quite cheap (11$), so i wanted to try it out. Red is my favorite color and it was christmas haha
My general questions is regarding coco mixes and lightning when it comes to these begonias. Am i doing okay with the mixes i have rn? Is the coco coir mix too wet for the darth? Should i put my chlorosticta in a smaller pot? (i only had big ones when i potted it).
And also, is it a lightning issue that my chlorosticta is not as red irl as in some pictures online – or are there maybe different clones of the red form?
by Affectionate-Result8
2 Comments
I don’t have experience with these kinds specifically, but I know a lot of begonias will get different coloration depending on the light color. Purple grow lights tend to bring out a lot more red in some of my rexes.
I’ve had cane-like begonias before that died outside a terrarium. Based on [this](https://insearchofsmallthings.com/2020/11/14/begonia-chlorosticta-red/) and [this](https://www.begoniasymas.com/en/begonia-darthvaderiana/), I’d wager if you want either of these to survive, you need to get them into something enclosed ASAP. A fish tank with a glass lid, or a large glass jar would work. I don’t think the IKEA cabinet is gonna cut it.
If I was you I’d research their native conditions, specifically what temperature they usually live in. I think general rules of thumb re:well draining soil and a grow light are fine. Based on my experience, temperature and humidity are vital and need to be addressed before anything else.
Chloristicta can have variation depending on the type and quality of light. The mother plant may be kept differently maybe receiving more natural light and the propagations more LED. Could be.. but that begonia is spreading as seed grown individuals too which can have variation so.. it would be better to contact the seller and ask if you got a clone or an individual.