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Monday, November 21, 2022

Cane Begonia 'Frosty' / Cane Begonia 'Don Miller'


CHARACTERISTICS:

The Correct ID appears to be in a mix bag and the worse case scenario when these are now are in many variation's and hybrids which are new and currently in market sold without labels. Just like so many begonias which was initially mis-labelled, this particular one fall in that category.

Often times, which I think based on my opinion the vendors may come up with creative ways to introduce an old plant with new names in just the interest of attracting attention for the sale of the plant. Hence, this particular one is interchangeably sold with either of these two names listed above.

To add to the confusion, it does have very similar characteristics with my known Cane Begonias like Maurice Amey, Pink Beningo, Sinbad and Looking Glass.  This particular one have very distinct characteristics unique to the rest of the collection.

You might find that the main veins on the foliage are fine and thin and less pronounced in comparison to "Looking Glass" It does have some fine, furry features on the leaf surface - very similar like Maurice Amey. The silvery sheen may change in coloration based on the exposure of how strong the light it receives.
Very burgundy tones and sheen looking when it receives strong optimum light and more towards the silvery tones when kept in cooler bright shade. In can also be mistaken for Sinbad or Aya for its coloration.

Hence, one of the best way to determine the ID is to have many comparison pictures and expert eye to properly ID the plant as they can be very similar looking.









Do click below for more information on Cane Begonias.

Cane Begonia Care & Cultivation information.

Friday, November 18, 2022

Cane Begonia "Looking Glass"


CHARACTERISTICS:

I must say that this particular one have a unique appearance with so many similarities with different breds put together. I was almost fooled to think that this particular one can't be a Cane Begonia "Looking Glass" as this appears to be very much more elongated and narrow - perhaps another hybrid?

Actually, the fact is this is indeed Cane Begonia "Looking Glass"
The problem is this is how it appears to be when it already acclimatized in the hot & humid of a tropical regions of South East Asia. One of the facts that you may have to take note of when something as like you look at Roses been cultivated in the Highlands and that of the same plant cultivated in the lowlands - you might see a huge vast difference in the conditions of the blooms. As such as these - the same conditions follow when a same plant show different characteristics in their growing conditions.

One thing for sure, Cane Begonia "Looking Glass" managed to weather the storm and able to grow fairly well in the lowland climate zone however I must say that it is not of a hardy Begonia which you can pass up easily as they can succumb to rot and wither away if the right conditions are not met.



When it comes to appearance you can easily note that few types are Cane Begonias appears to come together, if I may say - it has something of "Galaxy" mix with "Aya" and Maurice Amey. Sort of all the slight pink family put together and a little bit of "Frosty" and the back of flushed burgundy coloration that appears from a rex begonia hybrid. Also to note, "Sinbad" and "Pink Benigo" does also share very close approximation.

It does have a nice mix of combo from many various selection - the silvery, leathery pink notes and the corrugated indentation in between the leaf veins - too many details to put together that I must say, you just have to see and enjoy the plant and forgo the minute details.

However, I would prefer to grow 2 of these put together in a planter - Cane Begonia "Looking Glass"and Cane Begonia "Frosty" does indeed make a beautiful pair together. 

Unless a genius manages to cultivate another hybrid with similar characteristics to withstand the lowland weather, it still going to be stable plant yet - it still struggling to find it's place in a hot & humid / wet and dry climate zone - until then, it is still falls into a sensitive plant category. 



 Do click below for more information on Cane Begonias.

Cane Begonia Care & Cultivation information.

Cane Begonia 'White Ice'


INTRODUCTION:

When this particular Cane Begonia was introduced here in the market - it was listed as a Rare Plant Category - it way to say, it came together somewhat with the Maculata "Wightii" (boat) - if you know what I mean.
These were expensive, difficult to manage under the hot & humid climate which didn't help much especially during the transition - many didn't make it during the initial stress,  either burned or withered due to the heat and weather which somewhat crashed the need to own one due to the fact these are very much belonged to temperate region plants.
Some did manage to acclimatized but with much care and are in circulation but these do not weather to storm as to say, won't do so well like any other hardy Cane Begonia plants that you can put under rain and sun.



CHARACTERISTICS:

One of the Main features with Cane Begonia 'White Ice' are their spots - the speckles are very much uniform and well "sprayed" if you can say that - the fact is that it does appear to have some resembles with other variety of hybrids like "Mrs Hashimoto" 

First thing about Cane Begonia 'White Ice' is the shape of the foliage - the unique "Horned" at the top and the "Tail" at the bottom - giving a nice "Kite" shape in an Angel winged Begonia features - if you were to put two together they may resembles a beautiful pair of wings.

The beauty of this is that these spots can change in their appearance due to the brightness of the light it receives - too shaded then lesser spot and may appear to have a bigger green space in between spots.
And if exposed too much to bright direct hot sun, these leaves can easily get burned and damaged.

Also, unlike Maculata species, these do not have burgundy coloration at the back of the leaves, but a slight red veining in appearance - similar like "Mrs Hashimoto" hybrids. 

One of the other matters with the "White Ice" Collection is their sensitivity. There are few series that have been introduced here few years ago but really didn't make itself popular in the Plant Market due to the short lifespan. Reason being - these are too expensive and sensitive plants - many gardeners are not interested in investing something that doesn't last long - these are not terrarium plants either - least to say, not a small plant that you can put in a bottle.

The Ones that were listed in the Ice Category:

Cane Begonia 'White Ice' and  Cane Begonia 'Snow Capped"

Others really didn't make it appearance here for the time being or perhaps very much circulated among private collectors exclusively.



PLANT CARE:

Due to the fact this falls into the sensitive plant category - the Plant Care is very much like behaves similar like a "Maculata Wightii" Plant Care.
Extremely slow growing plant - so if you make a small mistake of overwatering, underwatering, too much fertilizer, too much light, too less light.. you know what I mean - anything beyond it's expectation - this plant can easily dies.

The key to success is stable conditions - these types doesn't like any changes - it thrives in constant condition of balance humidity, watering, good medium that ensures well and balance drainage and balanced feeding regime that doesn't overwhelm the plant. Once a proper balance is achieved, it would take about a month for the begonia to establish a good rooting system and once that is set - you can notice a nice growth taking place.

Also do take note - that these do not do so well in long-term conditions when it comes to hot & humid tropical conditions - meaning do not wait until the plant had overgrown and show signs of fatigue and high maturity on the Canes and Stem - this will be of a very low chance for the plant to be viable for propagation - always take note to always keep spare plants when it comes to this particular one as they can suddenly succumb to rot without any warning.
Once rot sets in - it is too late to safe anything as nothing may take root as the plant is contaminated.

The other factor, like most begonias don't do so well is shock.
Shock as change of weather conditions, changes in location - as when it is thriving in a particular spot and suddenly it have be changed and relocated, change in watering and even in change of a different fertilizer - all these can be detrimental to the plant - either it may get into shock or die - or if it survives, it can remain dormant without any growth for months - until stabilized - it won't show any sign of new growth.



However all is not lost,
This particular Cane Begonia 'White Ice' belongs to my friend and she was able to Care & Cultivate this one with utmost care. In a way to say that though the method can be tedious - it may able to grow and thrive in the hot & humid tropical lowland climate zone here in the South East Asia regions.







 
Do click below for more information on Cane Begonias.
Cane Begonia Care & Cultivation information.

Wednesday, November 16, 2022

Cane Begonia - 'Pink Rubra' - Part 1


CHARACTERISTICS:

I must say that this particular one falls into a hardy category of Cane Begonia, also the ID seems to be a little misleading - I can only guess that this could be an identified cultivar which may have been cultivated throughout the years without any names attached to it - or simply put, it can just be identified as a Pink Flowered Cane Begonia.
I must say that this particular one is quite robust when comes to flowering - again also depends on the right conditions, especially it needs to be heavily fertilized for it to bloom - otherwise, it would just display as a common looking Cane Begonia.

One unique characteristics are the fading spots on the leaves, similar like the Maculata Albopicta - these speckles do appear to be disappearing when the inflorescence appears.

However, these spotted Cane Begonia appears to be more subtle with speckles with fading dots when exposed to bright sunlight - the dots are more visible when placed in more shaded environment.

The Leaves appears to Fully Green in Full Sun and the plus point is that these will start blooming in that condition - the Key Identification of this particular Cane Begonia is this one has pinkish inflorescent.

Another features to note are the slight orange tinge in coloration in appearance at the frills of the leaves, the leaves does appear to have some edge like features that layer with some warm tones. It may be some parentage features based on what hybrid mix it may have be cultivated.

Basic Plant Care as similar like most Cane Begonias - this one can be considered a hardy type.









  

DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANE BEGONIAS

Other matters are very much similar with the general information about Cane Begonias.
Do click below for more information on Cane Begonias.
Cane Begonia Care & Cultivation information.

Sunday, November 6, 2022

Cane Begonia Maculata Albopicta - Pink Inflorescence Blooms


INTRODUCTION:

Cane Begonia Maculata 'Albopicta' has a symmetrical leaf pair formed on the stem very much creating the 'wings' formation on the bamboo like stem. The foliage however has strong speckles like white dots on its surface and may fade if receive too much light - however with that condition - chances of this particular begonia have high chance to bloom. Flowers are usually in pendulus with pink heart shaped buds - sometimes can turn to stronger red tones depending on the light received.

I must say in comparison to so many Maculata species like Begonia maculata wightii,  Albopicta seemed to be the best hardiest plant to grow - it does so well in so many garden conditions. I can say that this one is much easier to cultivate as it less like to face stem rot or leaf burns in comparison to other sensitive types. 

In a way, Maculata Albopicta somehow was build to face the hardy factor of  lowland wet and dry climate conditions in the tropical regions where it is unpredictable concerning rainy days of wet and high humidity in concerned and followed by the hot and dry days - in this array of difference - most gardeners fear this flux of changes as plants do get stressed and may succumb to rot when they are placed in partial shaded area in their garden.

To say, based on my personal experience - this one, Maculata Albopicta had weathered the storm and I would considered this a winner. This one does so well in well shaded areas or semi-shaded areas where it can do well when receiving open sun and rain (well partially)

Here showcasing the inflorescence where it appears to be more of a coined heart shaped blooms which eventually turns pendulous in appearance when matures. They do form into seed-pods where tiny dust-like seeds are produced inside them when they are ripe and dried. 
However a lot of care is necessary to produce them into seedlings. Some gardeners had managed to hybridized some new varieties using this method - though it is very laborious and requires years of patience to actually see the results. 








Do check on more detailed information concerning this type of Begonia:

Introduction to Rare Plants Category - Cane Begonia Maculata Albopicta (Updated Nov 2022)

DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANE BEGONIAS

Other matters are very much similar with the general information about Cane Begonias.
Do click below for more information on Cane Begonias.

Cane Begonia Care & Cultivation information.


 

Introduction to Rare Plants Category - Cane Begonia Maculata Albopicta (Updated Nov 2022)


INTRODUCTION:

I must say that this particular plant have a long history of evolving in time where introduction is concerned, especially when it comes to ID - it is quite elusive as to say the original names are now constantly changing and I'm surprised to find that they are now sound familiar though there are few different types that have a total character appearance.

I shall start with their plant Identity - The Name.
There are many that sounds misleading where appearance is concerned - often you will distinct difference in the coloration of the inflorescence - some white, some off-white, and the accurate ones are the ones that appears to be in pink which is mis-labelled as 'Tamaya' and the confusion adds on when it comes to different vendors - depending on what they fancy placing whatever names that concerns them.

That is indeed a sad thing - as to note, that when even comes to seed propagation the hybrids are extremely unique on which you can actually view the difference in their plant features - namely:
- The 'dot' structure on the foliage - Size and Placement
- The shape of the Leaf - whether oblong, rounded or with frills
- The underside coloration of the Leaf - whether if their veins are visible in red, fully green or burgundy
- The coloration of the inflorescence based on the dominance of the parentage - white or pink shades.

And these also can change when the plant matures as the appearance of the 'dots' may varies based on the plant size and it's age. Also do take note that the coloration on the foliage changes too depending on the amount of  light it receives - too much exposure and even the 'dots' may disappear.



CHARACTERISTICS:

Cane Begonia Maculata 'Albopicta' has a symmetrical leaf pair formed on the stem very much creating the 'wings' formation on the bamboo like stem. The foliage however has strong speckles like white dots on its surface and may fade if receive too much light - however with that condition - chances of this particular begonia have high chance to bloom. Flowers are usually in pendulus with pink heart shaped buds - sometimes can turn to stronger red tones depending on the light received.

The similarities are extremely close with many varieties especially with the polka dot begonia types - this one falls into the Maculata types. Currently it is identified as a Begonia coccinea in the plant market.

This particular Cane Begonia is often behaves like Bamboo like Canes and often mis-identified as a Begonia 'Tamaya'. Commonly known as Angel Wing Begonia. It's actually not a true name as 'Tamaya' is actually referred as a style where the bamboo like cane begonia been groomed as such like an umbrella feather where the plant is just a cane and rising up forming many shoots coming forth from top crown - like a topiary style.

This growing condition style is called "Standard Form" as such identified as 'Tamaya'.
And such - You can actually groom the 'Tamaya' style to any Cane Begonias that have that bamboo like features - especially the Albo picta species, Lucerna species and the ones that appears to be hardy.



PLANT CHARACTERISTICS : HARDY FACTOR

I must say in comparison to so many Maculata species like Begonia maculata wightii,  Albopicta seemed to be the best hardiest plant to grow - it does so well in so many garden conditions. I can say that this one is much easier to cultivate as it less like to face stem rot or leaf burns in comparison to other sensitive types. 

In a way, Maculata Albopicta somehow was build to face the hardy factor of  lowland wet and dry climate conditions in the tropical regions where it is unpredictable concerning rainy days of wet and high humidity in concerned and followed by the hot and dry days - in this array of difference - most gardeners fear this flux of changes as plants do get stressed and may succumb to rot when they are placed in partial shaded area in their garden.

To say, based on my personal experience - this one, Maculata Albopicta had weathered the storm and I would considered this a winner. This one does so well in well shaded areas or semi-shaded areas where it can do well when receiving open sun and rain (well partially)

On another factor of maturity
I find this one last longer than other Cane Begonias - I often noticed that when the Canes over-matures they tend to sort of start to rot from the bottom and turn deciduous - sort of the cane dies off at bottom and some parts stay green and create an appearance like a succulent plant - they start to drop off their leaves and become barren cane like plant. I can say by then, if you start to pay attention to it in that condition - it is actually too late to safe the plant as it is slowly withering away - I for one, was never successful in reviving the plant in propagation it that condition - the Cane do stay green for awhile but slowly rots away regardless propagation done using in water or in soil medium.

Hence - I always propagate them when they are appearing healthy and robust.



PROPAGATION FACTOR - USING WATER PROPAGATION

Just like most Cane Begonias where they do very well in water for propagation - you will notice beautiful strands of roots appearing in water after 1-2 weeks time. However please do take caution not to continue to keep the plant in water for too long (3 weeks) as once the roots had fully formed - it may be too late for it to be propagated using other stronger medium (soil medium) as their roots may not able to handle the transfer/changes of the new medium. The roots will rot and eventually the stem will suffocate and eventually the plant rots and wither away.

So it is always best to immediately plant the cuttings when the roots are in early stages on sprouts as the roots will slowly acclimatize to the new soil medium.

The Plant may last for few months in water propagation and may develop water roots but it is not build to grow long term in water and may slowly turn yellow and rot away - you can keep it longer using hydroponic fertilizer for it sustain longer however - it is too much work and effort to do so - rather, I would just plant it in soil and see the plant just thrive without much care or worry.

This just doesn't apply for this particular Cane Begonia but for all Cane Begonias in general. Do not let the water roots grows into the secondary stage or it is too late for it to stabilize in the soil medium conditions.


SOIL / GROWING MEDIUM:

There are so many different types that works - choose one that works best in your garden condition.
My Garden Condition appears to be where these plants are open to partial Sun and Rain - this helps the begonias to have the hardy factor where it doesn't succumb to rot easily and I really don't have to worry about watering daily on rainy days.

Also I don't have to worry about root or stem rot when they are exposed to long rainy days in the garden. Hence this Medium works best in my garden conditions:

- 30% coconut husk chips - aids stronger root growth
- 30% river sand - fast draining medium (regulates the watering)
- 30% compost (placed at the bottom of the pot)

So far, I find that these Cane Begonias can last at least for a year without worry and I can propagate when they grow taller as they grow out of balance. I often keep some spares just in case that particular "mother plant" decides to go dormant before it is too late to propagate it.

Somehow - I find that keeping the Cane Begonias short and small seems to make the plant last longer than when it grows too tall as it matures and withers away at the bottom.



FERTILIZER / FEEDING

This have been the most controversial and still appear to be a grand mystery to me.
The success stories of what other gardeners say that this particular fertilizer works in their garden somehow appears to kill all my begonia collection.

To my horror, one by one - all my begonias started dying and dead. I was not able to really figure out exactly what went wrong. I can't really put my finger and really find the true cause of these begonias withering and dying away. The problem is they don't die immediately - it happens slowly like a single leaf a week and before you know it - they are all gone.

So based on my experience  - this is what I can share with you:

1) OSMOCOTE  - Slow release Fertilizer

This particular one is of the Love & Hate relationship type.

Let me explain - Osmocote are considered slow release fertilizer -  in means to say, these release a small amount of fertilizer every time you water your plant. So, ideally it works best in indoor setting when you control the watering - say once a week or twice a week. It does not do well when the medium is constantly wet on daily basis or receiving rain water on them daily.
Also the amount of osmocote makes a difference - often they are over-fertilized causing burns on the leaves, especially one teaspoon may contain about 10-15 balls which may be too many for a small potted plant.

Also if you are not careful, unsure of the next application and if you put in the next dosage too early the plant is in danger of over-fertilize.

- So, do your research properly - if you are caution and would like to try anyway, perhaps try will half strength and see how the plant is adjusting.

Again, based on my experience, I had lost too many plants using this type of fertilizer and had decided that this one cause more harm than good in my garden condition.


2) WOOD VINEGAR 

This is my nemesis, I would say a lot of talk been mentioned when it is applied for orchids and few other sensitive plants - truly a vinegar, it does have a burned BBQ kind of fragrance when applied in the garden and the horror to note that the leaves suddenly appear to have patches of burns or drops off by the petiole when it is still green.

I really not sure of the science of why this had taken place - either it is too acidic or just create a chemical disaster that everything dies whether on light dilution or according to label.

Again, my fault would had been too many application of fertilizer in rotation, meaning a week of foliar fertilizer of NPK solution followed by this Wood Vinegar in the next and so forth may had caused heavy stress on them.

Thus I had totally stopped everything in few months time and just focused on only using foliar fertilizer NPK which seemed to do just fine for the weekly application without any burns or stress for many months now.



3) TOO MANY DIFFERENT TYPES IN WEEKLY APPLICATION - FERTILIZER

I had this horrible idea that if I applied something weekly - the plant will be super healthy and would had grown in super size.

In the alternative weeks I have been experimenting with:

- NPK foliar fertilizer with 1 tablespoon of Epsom Salt in a week, 
- Wood vinegar mix with Organic molasses
- Plant Booster - in Brown Liquid appearance.

I realized that somehow I really gone mad - just in the thought of over-whelming too much fertilizers in my garden plants, not everything died or thrived but somehow the sensitive ones like huperzias, rhizome begonias, episcias and ferns paid a heavy price for my mistake.

Now I have learned my lesson - stick to one fertilizer that works and ditch the rest, no matter what others may promise the star and the moon - if the plant dies - it is just going to be my fault and I have to bear with the dire mistake on my own.




4) ORGANIC FERTILIZER - CHICKEN / GOAT MANURE

Somehow I love organic fertilizer as they are natural and good when it comes to edibles but the big picture is that good quality manure are very expensive when they are well processed especially they are free from pest and weeds - when they are not processed properly - they contained pest eggs especially spider-mites and grass seeds which may take many years to eradicate in a control garden space.

So do check carefully the source and their quality as they can cause more harm than good.



5) COFFEE BASED FERTILISER

These appears like black granules types - basically these are plant based fertilizer where it has coffee fragrance on them. Depending on brand and type - normally these are acidic types where coffee ground are used as base for this type of fertilizer.

In a way, I find that some gardeners find that this type works like a miracle - I for one prefer foliar fertilizer where I can just water spray my whole garden without worrying about missing out a plant.

Personally I had found that this one had telltale signs of burns on leaves when over application taken place as these do not do well with combination with other fertilizer applications together even between 2 weeks apart.


6) RICE WASHED WATER

I do on weekly basis where I apply rice washed water on my begonias where I find that these contains micro bacterial elements where it aids and helps the plant to absorb NPK into their plant system. Also I find that too much of anything can cause havoc, burns or rot. 

In a way, everything need to be in proper balance to ensure the plant health in the long run.




 DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANE BEGONIAS

Other matters are very much similar with the general information about Cane Begonias.
Do click below for more information on Cane Begonias.
Cane Begonia Care & Cultivation information.

 

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Tropical Garden, Batu Caves, Malaysia
My Malaysian Tropical Garden mainly focused on unique and colorful plants ranging from rare to common plants all around the tropical belt across the world. Ideal for inspiration for challenging areas in the garden space - indoor gardening, balcony gardening and small green spaces especially for ariods, bromeliads, begonias, edibles, cascading & vertical garden plants, succulents & cacti, orchids, together with both shade and sun loving plants.

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