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I have this previously full and gorgeous Māori Haze that I found at a… | Begonia Buddies | Planta community

SaintCrane

I have this previously full and gorgeous Māori Haze that I found at a Target hiding in a self watering plant. Had it drying out in my north facing window and loved how gorgeous it was. Now I’m watching it revert back to green and tan while watching it grow out all these baby plants AND while losing leaves. I moved it to underneath a cheap red and blue grow light and that area also happens to have an essential oil mister (no more esssential oils). What did I do wrong? I’m not misting the leaves anymore but is the area just too moist? If I pull the plant out of the pot it’s all dark and wet up until that first inch of soil which is far more moisture than I saw when I first got it.

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4 comments

  1. Kaidii

    How long ago did you buy it? And how often are you watering it? Even if you had done everything perfectly, begonias are dramatic and mine wilted a bit when I first brought it home too. Took about a week before it stopped its silly business and perked up again.

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    • SaintCrane

      I actually got it almost 3 weeks ago. I think it spent 2 weeks north facing, and then within the last 7 days it’s had the most change between light and humidity in addition to this watering. How can I tell when it stops being dramatic?

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    • Kaidii

      By dramatic I meant transplant shock. When they are in shock, they are floppy and can’t support their own weight. But when it’s happy, you can gently lift a leaf with your finger and it won’t move much at all because it’s firm. When it’s in shock it’ll immediately fall back limply. How often have you been watering it? Have you been waiting until it’s dry at all?

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  2. Eve

    Biggest issue with these guys is potting mix and air flow. The potting mix they come in is perfect for the nursery conditions and early life stages they get started in. Let’s face it, nurseries are running a business and have to be good at creating the perfect conditions, but at home we’re just not set up that way (though I’ve given it a jolly good try lol). When they come to us they tend to stay too wet and don’t get enough air flow. I personally don’t recommend changing the potting mix in the first month unless the plant is either going to die anyway or has pests. They just get so stressed. The biggest issue is actually air flow. I got so fed up with my 10 little metallic begonias, including a Māori Haze, that I put them outside for the Aussie summer. The little monsters loved it. I learned that if they die back to a stump they will resurrect themselves and the new leaves will be better adapted to conditions. I discovered that airflow was more important to them than humidity. Our summer got down to 17% relative humidity and temps were over 40C (104+F) and I only lost 2. I now have to bring them in and see how they cope. I have become obsessed so my set up is ridiculous but you can put an oscillating fan in the room near (but not directly on) your begonia to recreate the airflow. If space is tight I have used little 12cm hard drive style fans to great effect. The other thing to be careful of is light levels. Some of my initial research said they liked a good bit of light but they were actually most happy in the shaded part of my south facing verandah (equivalent in the northern hemisphere is a north facing verandah). The sun here is next level though. Lastly is change. They don’t like it. Some plants will cope with being moved around and others won’t. Begonias like consistency. You could have the perfect spot for them but the trip home from Target was enough to stress it out. I suggest giving it some time to adjust quietly and reassess in a month or so. Let it dry out about 75% before you water it again and then let it dry 50-75% before every water. They like to dry out a little. (And never mist any plants leaves it doesn’t increase humidity for more than half an hour but it does help fungus to thrive lol). Good luck!!!

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