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I have a beautiful Rex that has been doing so well in the 4 months… | Begonia Buddies | Communauté Planta

MMmockingbird

I have a beautiful Rex that has been doing so well in the 4 months since I got it. It sits in a low shade part sun window and has been thriving. Recently I noticed a couple of leaves were burned so I thought maybe the light was too strong and moved her to a shadier spot. Since then, she has taken a NOSEDIVE and nearly every leaf is wilting, falling off, and shriveling up. I moved her back to her original spot, but no change. I thought maybe she was too wet so I repotted her and gave her distilled water but she is sooooo mad. Is she goner or can I still save her? I suspect I was watering her too much and maybe that’s why she got crispy in the first place?

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17 commentaires

  1. SuccySuccy

    That’s a lot of changes at once! These like consistency so probably in shock. I’m good with these till they start slipping — been nursing one back from similar near death and it’s been months and still not right. Wish you better luck!!

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    • MMmockingbird

      Dang! I was afraid of that

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  2. plantgeek

    i cannot deal with the rexes 🥲🥲 but i do suspect this is overwatering. it was a mild case until you moved her!!! these things are so dramatic. i got a cane begonia and never looked back.

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    • MMmockingbird

      I know! They can be doing SO WELL and one little change and they nosedive😭

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  3. Nunyabzwx

    Oh no!! It looks like a goner to me. I'm sorry. BUT you can always wait and see if new leaves start popping out. You never know with plants sometimes they surprise ya!

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    • MMmockingbird

      I’ll keep trying! Thanks

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  4. Phil

    Yes it looks overwatered. Your soil looks to be regular potting soil. I add grit, orchid bark, charcoal, and worm castings to their soil mix. I included pics of mine which are doing fine.

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    • MMmockingbird

      It’s an soil with perlite and orchid bark but I think it needs to be dryer. I do know I might overwater them. I’ll try that mix next time if she doesn’t make it!

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  5. Phil

    To revive, I would suggests removing from pot, remove most of the wet soil, check roots. If viable, repot into chunkier soil, cutting the stems down to the soil. Allow soil to dry out some, then water less often. Very little until you see new growth. And cover with a cloche to provide high humidity.

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    • MMmockingbird

      Oh! I haven’t used a cloche, I’ll try that along with the other suggestions—thank you!

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  6. Mousellina

    Snip the largest healthiest leaf and propagate it as a back up while you still can. Do not remove any other leaves. They are dying back to recycle nutrients and removing them will only weaken the plant. She is already in shock from all the changes and recent repot - another rushed repot could kill her. Water when mix is around 50% dry - however if she is in this state she could be struggling to uptake water and now mix might be taking ages to dry in between - despite of what people say I know from numerous experience that rexes (I have over 20) don’t handle stagnant moisture. If 6-7 days later mix is still not dried, water thoroughly regardless to re oxygenate the soil. You want to increase humidity to 60% and provide indirect airflow. Covering her in this vulnerable state can cause fungal issues. Do not attempt to fertilise. One thing that can really help is adding soil microbes / mycorrhizal fungi powder with the watering to strengthen the roots. I use biosys by ecothrive but there are other similar products depending on where you live. Rexes can loose all the leaves and still survive as rhizomes is capable of producing new growth. You want to monitor the rhizome - check it for changes in firmness and/or color. As long as rhizome is firm at the base / is not turning black your plant is still fighting. If you notice rhizome softening or turning black, you would have to cut the rhizome to salvage whatever is still firm and nice colour inside and then propagate that salvaged piece but it might not come to that.

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    • MMmockingbird

      Thank you so much! Sadly, she took a dive and lost most of her leaves shortly after I posted. I tried propagating a leaf using a method a found online but it just turned to mush. I’ve left her in the container and still water her and I’m hoping with some humidity and patience, she’ll come back😞

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    • Mousellina

      There is still a chance, don’t despair. Rexes can take a very long time to recover.

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    • MMmockingbird

      I checked and the roots and rhizomes still look good! I’ll try to find the powder you mentioned and hope for the best. I have a couple of other rexes and they’re doing good but I’m still kind of new to them so it’s hit or miss, but I LOVE them, they’re so beautiful. You must too, you have so many! Thank you so much!

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    • Mousellina

      They are my absolute favourite plants. Delicate and magical. The fuzzy stems / leaves make me think of furry animals. Especially the new baby leaves that are curled up :) best of luck to your plant!

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  7. MMmockingbird

    Update: I’ve kept her under a cloche hoping the rhizome might still be healthy

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  8. MMmockingbird

    And look at that!!! Some new little leaf-babies 🤞

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