What’s up with my begonia?
I repotted her almost 4 days ago. Her soil had centipedes and I thought that she would have liked the change.
Her leaves have been looking sad and curled. I watered her yesterday in case it was maybe lack of water in the soil. However, I was checking her, and her stem looks like that. It wasn’t like that when I repotted her. Do you guys know what is going on? Is it just shock from the repotting? Or is she dying/rotting?
#help #GregGang #astromindthoughts #Begonia #BegoniaBunch #PolkaDotBegonia
Her leaves have been looking sad and curled. I watered her yesterday in case it was maybe lack of water in the soil. However, I was checking her, and her stem looks like that. It wasn’t like that when I repotted her. Do you guys know what is going on? Is it just shock from the repotting? Or is she dying/rotting?
#help #GregGang #astromindthoughts #Begonia #BegoniaBunch #PolkaDotBegonia
3ft to light, indirect
4” pot with drainage
Last watered 1 year ago
20
Best Answer
The only thing I can think of is if she used to have a more dense soil she might be finding the new mix too airy and her roots aren't yet attached and therefore not getting enough water? She doesn't look rotting to me. I would give a good soak and see if she responds. It could be shock but I don't think a soak would hurt her in that free-draining mix anyway. She's lovely 💕🌿
@AstroMind
Yes, it definitely looks like transplant shock.
Some plants take longer to recover than others. When I repotted my coleus plant it took about two weeks to perk back up. I actually thought it wouldn’t survive it looked so sad and droopy.
It needs to get accustomed to its new pot/container.
Yellowing/browning leaves (leaf scorch) leaf curl, leaf drop, stunted growth, etc… are all symptoms of transplant shock. These are only temporary.
While there is no sure way to cure plant transplant shock, there are things you can do to minimize shock. Keep roots moist – Keep the soil well watered but make sure the plant has good drainage and is not in standing water because you do not want your plant to 'drown'.
I hope this helps!
Good Luck!
Yes, it definitely looks like transplant shock.
Some plants take longer to recover than others. When I repotted my coleus plant it took about two weeks to perk back up. I actually thought it wouldn’t survive it looked so sad and droopy.
It needs to get accustomed to its new pot/container.
Yellowing/browning leaves (leaf scorch) leaf curl, leaf drop, stunted growth, etc… are all symptoms of transplant shock. These are only temporary.
While there is no sure way to cure plant transplant shock, there are things you can do to minimize shock. Keep roots moist – Keep the soil well watered but make sure the plant has good drainage and is not in standing water because you do not want your plant to 'drown'.
I hope this helps!
Good Luck!
@L06flower it definitely does help. Thanks for all the heads up as to what could happen! This is the first plant that has had a transplant shock in my experience.
Thanks again! ✨
Thanks again! ✨
@AstroMind
Your welcome!
I have had this happen to most of my plants, except my succulents.
Good Luck!
Your welcome!
I have had this happen to most of my plants, except my succulents.
Good Luck!
OK, so there are several different types of begonias. What you have is a "cane begonia." As cane begonias age they they go through a process called corking. Their stems will gradually gain a barky texture that appears like a woody stem. This is what is happening with your stems. It is completely normal, and there is nothing wrong with her.
Now that said, your begonia just needs to rest and not suffer through any more changes... and I mean NOTHING. Take care of her as you normally would. Do not over water her, do not change her spot where you keep her, do not fertilize her, nothing. She is struggling to come back from 2 stressful things, pests, and repotting. If you add another thing, it will most likely send her deeper into shock. I know it's hard, but trust me, she'll be alright if you keep things to a minimum.
Now that said, your begonia just needs to rest and not suffer through any more changes... and I mean NOTHING. Take care of her as you normally would. Do not over water her, do not change her spot where you keep her, do not fertilize her, nothing. She is struggling to come back from 2 stressful things, pests, and repotting. If you add another thing, it will most likely send her deeper into shock. I know it's hard, but trust me, she'll be alright if you keep things to a minimum.
@FlashyKatsura is it a bad thing to say now that I repotted her 3 days after I got her🫣.
I’ll make sure to do nothing and wait for her to recover 😭. Thank you!
I’ll make sure to do nothing and wait for her to recover 😭. Thank you!
@LuxuryMint should I repot her, but add more soil to reduce how airy the new mix is? Or should I let it be? Cuz my repotted ficus ruby and burgundy have similar transplant shock symptoms. Should I just add more soil??
@L06flower @LuxuryMint she also looks much more sad than before. Should I take a cutting and prop just in case she does die?
I do acknowledge what Kristen said about transplant shock and letting her recover. But I was just reading more about their soil needs and it said a rich moist soil with good drainage for this type of begonia. I think I'd be tempted to repot her in something like a houseplant soil mix with some added perlite. And I think I would take a cutting too to propagate in water. It's hard to know what the roots are doing since you can't see them, so it is a bit of a gamble and you will probably only know what was best in hindsight. You could also maybe put her in a higher humidity environment to reduce water loss from her leaves, like in a plastic see through storage box or similar..
Loads of good luck 🌿💕
Loads of good luck 🌿💕
@AstroMind
Did you recently water it?
If not, I would give it a good soak of water and let the water drain out of the bottom holes. It takes plants awhile to soak up water you give them. It may take 24 to 48 hours for it to perk up. After this, keep an eye on it. It may come back, or maybe not. I’ve had plenty of plants in both situations. Some survived and some didn’t. My coleus plant looked exactly like yours when I first repotted it. It seemed to get worse, the same thing you are dealing with. It ended up perking up after a month. Some take longer than others. Patience is key.
If you would like, I recommend clipping a cutting off to propagate it so you have it if the plant does not survive. After doing all of this. Take the healthiest looking leaf.
I wish you luck!
Did you recently water it?
If not, I would give it a good soak of water and let the water drain out of the bottom holes. It takes plants awhile to soak up water you give them. It may take 24 to 48 hours for it to perk up. After this, keep an eye on it. It may come back, or maybe not. I’ve had plenty of plants in both situations. Some survived and some didn’t. My coleus plant looked exactly like yours when I first repotted it. It seemed to get worse, the same thing you are dealing with. It ended up perking up after a month. Some take longer than others. Patience is key.
If you would like, I recommend clipping a cutting off to propagate it so you have it if the plant does not survive. After doing all of this. Take the healthiest looking leaf.
I wish you luck!
@L06flower I did water her recently but she only seems to get worse tbh.
I’ll take the cutting. Thank you
I’ll take the cutting. Thank you
@AstroMind
See how it goes.
It may take awhile to perk up because of the stress. Each plant takes its own time in recovering from this. Yes, take a cutting just in case
See how it goes.
It may take awhile to perk up because of the stress. Each plant takes its own time in recovering from this. Yes, take a cutting just in case
@LuxuryMint I cut two stems to propagate In case she died. She is still recovering a looks better now tho! Don’t have any photos of it tho.
@LuxuryMint me too! Her older leaves look a bit sad cuz of the shock. But it seems like she’s pushing out new growth which is exciting!
Phew, I'm so glad! It was a bit scary when she just seemed like she was getting worse!! 💕🌿