I’m not sure if this is rare but I just got this baby rex begonia plant as an exchange from an event three weeks ago and they didn’t seem to know too much about the care. This is my first ever rex begonia but I have been caring for houseplants successfully for over 10 years so i wanted to take on the challenge. Immediately it began wilting and has not stopped. I suspect overwatering so I repotted the plant just now in a lower ph aerated soil with perlite and sand. I have been careful to try not to get water on the leaves but when i inevitably do i wipe it off gently immediately. I had it in an east facing window slightly protected and then directly protected from direct sunlight and now i am wondering if i just need to change everything. I have access to east south and west facing windows. It’s still looking kind of healthy so I want to make changes as soon as possible so that it can come back. Please let me know any suggestions 🙂
by scooterbo0t
8 Comments
Begonias need it moist. In my experience, clay pots didn’t keep them moist enough and they’d dry out too quickly. They’d not grow and just go through wilting and recovering on end. good luck getting to know her, it’s a beautiful plant! 🙂
Soil looks very dry, these guys need consistently moist, not water logged soil
Take her out of the terra-cotta and put her in a self watering pot
East window is where all my Rex’s are. Terracotta pot isn’t optimal, not for begonias.
With Rex’s, their rhizomes don’t like to be buried. This looks a tad bit too deep.
Also, I don’t water till I get the Rex droop. Almost bone dry before I get the droop.
I have mostly mature Rex’s. I also have the family heirloom beefsteak, it’s well over 100 years old.
You’ve got great advice about the soil and terra cotta pot already, OP. On top of fixing that I would also give her a humidity dome for a while until she recovers a bit more. Mine was in an even worse shape after she got too much sun in the humidity dome when I went on holiday last year; and now she looks like this! They are resilient little guys, with some patience she’ll come back!!
https://preview.redd.it/720z01h41yzg1.png?width=2246&format=png&auto=webp&s=60e7bea0caba5503e3418d25a4754a6f0021480a
Stir up that soil, compress it then water deeply. Give it a small drink like every five days. Light is good too.
Is that substrate in the photo the before or after repotting? Looks super dense and soggy which I am hoping is just the old substrate and it’s in a better mix now.
Terracotta is not a good potting medium for plants that don’t ever want to dry up.