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Begonias are an easy houseplant for beginners, with a range of species and selections for the more advanced gardeners.  Some are grown for flowers, others for their foliage.  They come in a range of sizes, shapes, and habit, from upright to spreading.  Many tolerate low light, and they have few if any pests. 

           

Let’s deal first with the main need for begonias indoors, especially in buildings with forced air heat, that being to increase humidity levels around plants.  You can keep a misting bottle (as found in hardware or home stores) nearby and mist plants daily.  If this will harm walls or furniture, try a humidifier (this will help the air for you as well).  Placing plants on a tray of pebbles, and keeping this moist by watering the pebbles every day or two helps.  If plants are under lights, or some form of plant stand, you can place plastic over and around this to maintain higher humidity within the “tent.”  Many begonias will tolerate some dry air, but won’t thrive.             Keep plants watered, but not too wet.  If in doubt, don’t water.  Let soil dry between watering, then water thoroughly so water drains out the bottom of pots.  But don’t let plants sit in a saucer of water.  You can place water in a saucer under pots, letting the soil wick-up and absorb the water, just make sure to drain any left after an hour or two.  

            
So what soil mix is best for begonias?  Use a soil-less mix, one formulated just for indoor plants and usually containing peat moss and perlite or vermiculite.  Don’t use amendments as you would in the garden, such as compost, nor garden soil.  These may be good in the garden but behave quite differently in pots, keeping plants too wet and often introducing diseases.  
                       
Begonias don’t like too large of a pot, preferring to be pot bound.  If you have a plant that takes days to dry out, perhaps the pot is too big and you should repot into a smaller pot.  If pots are too large, the mix remains wet for too long and often leads to root diseases. 
            
Provide fertilizer (according to label directions on product of your choice) when plants are growing.  This actually might be in winter when leaves are off trees and more light may come in windows or be reflected off snow outside.  Perhaps better when fertilizing is to use a product at reduced strength, but more often. 
            
Begonias like it warm, not being happy below about 55 degrees (F).  More ideal are temperatures between 62 and 72 degrees, with some difference between day and night.  
            
Light preference varies with the type of begonia, so look for this on labels, in catalogs, online, books, or ask your garden retailer for advice.  You usually won’t go wrong using bright natural light, but little direct sun (such as an east window) or filtered sun (as with sheer window drapes).  Too much direct sun can “burn” leaves, causing discoloration or browning. 
            
Good for most begonias is a supplemental light stand, which could be as simple as inexpensive shop lights with fluorescent tubes.  Suspend these over plants, a few inches between the tops of plants and light tubes.  Or you can use directed spot fixtures with full-spectrum light bulbs, if possible.  Keep any lights on for about 14 hours a day, or in the evening to supplement daylight from windows during short winter days.  Inexpensive timers from hardware or home stores work well for controlling lights. 
            
If you end up with leaves staying too wet, as in a tented structure, a whitish disease called “powdery mildew” may cover leaf surfaces.  Keep the plants drier and this should disappear.  While begonias get few if any pests, keep an eye out for small white cottony masses, particularly where leaves join stems.  These “mealybugs” are easily controlled by dabbing them with rubbing alcohol. 
            
If begonias get too tall and leggy, you can root cuttings for more or replacement plants.  Or just cut (“pinch”) plants back to the desired height, from which point they’ll grow sideshoots.  If rooting cuttings, place in a mix of sand and peat moss, or perlite, keep moist, and keep humid as in a clear plastic bag over the pot (but check daily to make sure plants are too wet).  Too tall and leggy may indicate too low light or too much fertility, or old plants needing rejuvenation. 
            
The begonia family is huge, with over 1,600 species and thousands of selections.  Some are grouped by root type.  Those growing from a swollen yet flattened, brown tuber structure-- the tuberous begonias-- are best grown outdoors in summer in shade.  Those from an enlarged underground stem or rhizome, or those with fine fibrous roots, generally grow well indoors.  While the former are usually grown for their leaves and tolerate lower light conditions, the fibrous are usually flowering species for bright light. 
            
You may see begonias grouped by habit, such as spreading, shrub, thick-stemmed, or cane types. Some recommend the shrub and cane types as better choices for indoors. The shrub begonias have multiple canes from the base to make a rounded plant.  Cane begonias have tough jointed stems (think of bamboo canes).  Another simple grouping consists of the flowering types, and those grown for the foliage.  
            
Of the foliage begonias, the most common are the Rex begonias with their large leaves, perhaps 6 inches wide, in various shapes, and even more striking colors including reds, silver, green, pink, purple, and gray.  These are usually rhizomatous, and often need more humidity and moisture than other begonias. All the variations you’ll find descend from one ancestor, a species native to the northeastern Indian state of Assam. 
            
Of the flowering types, the most common may be the fibrous-rooted wax-leaf (often called semperflorens from the species name), and cane-type angel wing begonias.  The names are descriptive of their leaves, and their small flowers come in various colors of reds, pink, and white.  These are often the types you see and use in summer gardens, and which can be potted before frost in fall and brought indoors.  
            

Elatior begonias are another flowering type, being semi-tuberous and specially developed for long flowering indoors.  Angel wing have winged-shaped leaves, often with white or silver markings.  These two types, the angel wing and wax-leaf, have been crossed to make the Dragon Wing begonia.  They have the leaf shape of angel wing, but are green with no markings.               Another rather new and popular type, with solid green angel-shaped wings, is the Bolivian begonia, found growing naturally on the cliffs of Argentina.  These are great in hanging baskets or pots, reaching up to 2-feet across and covered in flowers all summer.  Popular examples are the bright orange Bonfire and scarlet red 'Santa Cruz Sunset'.

Houseplants drop leaves for many reasons, but most are related to improper attention or poor growing conditions. Often just giving vegetation the correct light and temperature, or controlling infestations, is all that is required to prevent future leaf drop.

Either too much or too little watering may cause leaf drop. A common problem is that whenever you see leaves bad or even fall off, you may well be tempted to think the plant is parched and needs more normal water. This might lead to overwatering sometimes more leaves dropping. Generate sure when watering, especially in northern climates in winter, to use heated water. Icy cold drinking water can chill the ground and injure roots of tropical plants, leading to root rots, leaves falling, and perhaps even deceased plants.

Extremely low moisture will cause sensitive plant life, such as gardenia, shed leaves although most common houseplants will not show leaf drop in response to low humidity only.
Fertility, or rather insufficient sufficient nutrients, can lead to leaf drop. With this, usually you will notice leaves lighter in color first, so you have a chance to correct this before leaves totally turn yellow and drop. Use a houseplant fertilizer, according to packaging directions, particularly while crops are growing or blooming.

Plants in pots that are too small may drop leaves. Why? Mainly because there may well not be enough root room to back up all the leaves the pink tries to form, so the oldest leaves drop off. Because the space for the roots is inadequate, the plant may well not have the ability to absorb enough drinking water and nutrients.

Some tea leaf drop occurs when vegetation are subjected to a major change in environment. Many of these changes occur when plant life grown outside for the summer are brought inside for the winter. Greenhouse-grown plants may drop leaves if located in dimly lit house conditions, when they've been grown in high light. Some vegetation just may require higher light to grow and maintain all their leaves. Leaf drop brought on by a change in environment should be momentary and non-life threatening (to the plants), new leaves forming that are tailored to the new site.

Chilling is one cause of leaf drop related to environment. Tropical plant life are sensitive to low, but above freezing, conditions. Plants on windowsills may be exposed to relaxing temperatures. Hot or chilly drafts may be a problem for some crops. The poinsettia is a prime example of a plant that drops leaves due to exposure to cold drafts of air.

Insects and diseases can cause leaf drop, but are less common as the previously listed triggers. Recently I a new variegated English ivy that was losing leaves. In closer inspection I found leaves infested with index mites. Washing plants well with mildly soapy drinking water is a good start, and often all that is needed, for infestations control.

Some leaf drop on houseplants is normal. Older plants should be expected to drop a leaf or two at times. This really is particularly the circumstance with plants that expand upright like umbrella herb or cane plant, burning off lower leaves as more recent ones form on the top. The only alternatives with this are to stake crops and live with this habit, to propagate new plants by air layering the canes, or to give away the flower and get a new more compact one.

Do you like trivia, or at least learning more about the top-selling holiday plant? If so, perhaps you will be interested in a dozen fun facts about the poinsettia plants you buy and see everywhere each December. 

   
Fact 1: Did you know that the poinsettia's main attraction is not its flowers, but its leaves? The flowers of the plant are the yellow clustered buds in the center (termed “cyathia”). The colored leafy parts are actually bracts or modified leaves, that turn color in response to the plant forming flowers. When buying a poinsettia, make sure it has the buds, preferably not yet open.
   
Fact 2. Red is the most popular color, accounting for roughly three-quarters of all sales nationwide, followed by white and pink. The more than 100 varieties of poinsettias come in a range of colors from red, salmon, and apricot to yellow, cream, and white (but not blue—these are a designer color created with dyes). There are also unusual speckled or marbled varieties with several colors blended together. New varieties are introduced yearly.
   
Fact 3. How many poinsettias do you think are sold in a year? According to the 2014 USDA Floriculture Crops report, poinsettias accounted for about one-fifth (19 percent) of sales of all flowering potted plants. In economic terms, that's $146 million out of a total of $778 million in sales of all flowering potted plants, with about 35 million pots sold.  This makes them the highest selling potted flowering plant.
   
Fact 4. Although every state in the United States grows poinsettias commercially, California is the top producer with almost 7 million pots grown, followed by North Carolina with 4.3 million pots sold, Texas with 3.3 million, Florida with 3.2 million, and Ohio with 2.9 million poinsettias sold.
   
Fact 5. Did you know that in the wild, or planted in tropical climates, the poinsettia can reach heights of 12 feet with leaves measuring six to eight inches across? It is actually a small tropical tree (Euphorbia pulcherrima) belonging to the Euphorbia plant family.
   
Fact 6.  A native of southern Mexico, the poinsettia blooms in December and has been used in that country to decorate churches for centuries. In the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries, the Aztecs used the poinsettia leaves to dye fabric for clothing and the sap for medicinal purposes, including to help control fevers. They also considered the red color a symbol of purity, and so poinsettias were traditionally part of religious ceremonies. In Mexico and Guatemala, the poinsettia is called (translated) the “Flower of the Holy Night” referring to Christmas Eve.
   
Fact 7. Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett, an amateur botanist and first United States Minister (the position called “ambassador” after 1896) to Mexico, introduced the plant that became known as the poinsettia to this country. He discovered a shrub with brilliantly colored red leaves growing by the side of the road in Taxco, Mexico, in December 1828 and sent cuttings home to his plantation in Greenville, South Carolina.
    Most botanists at that time dismissed the poinsettia as a weed.  Fortunately, Poinsett continued to study and breed this plant in his greenhouse, sharing plants with his horticulturist friends. It soon gained acceptance as a holiday plant, despite its very short bloom time. It wasn't until the 1960s that researchers were able to successfully breed plants to bloom more than just a few days.
   
Fact 8. Here's another bit of interesting trivia. December 12 is National Poinsettia Day (www.poinsettiaday.com/). Never heard of it? Believe it or not, the United States has observed this official day since the mid-1800s. It honors the man and the plant he introduced. Poinsett died on Dec.12, 1851.
   
Fact 9.  For much of the last century, the Paul Ecke Ranch in Southern California produced the majority of poinsettia cuttings and plants purchased in the U.S. and many of those worldwide.  Paul Ecke, Jr. is considered the father of this industry, as it is he who figured out a method for getting poinsettias to branch.  Prior, they grew tall so stems had to be bent back into a loop, or “tromboned,” to keep them at a desirable height.  It is from this plant and firm that the football bowl game in San Diego gets its name.
   
Fact 10. True or False. The poinsettia is a poisonous plant. If you answered false, you're correct. The plant has been tested repeatedly and cleared of this charge by authorities such as the National Poison Center in Atlanta, Georgia, and the American Medical Association. However, this doesn't mean that poinsettias are meant to be eaten. If ingested, this plant can cause stomach irritation and discomfort. Cats and children also may choke on the fibrous parts, so be sure to keep these plants out of their reach. The sticky white sap also may cause skin irritation for some people.
   
Fact 11. Do you know the best way to prolong the life of this Christmas plant? Avoid hot or cold drafts, keep the soil moist not soggy, and place in a room with sufficient natural light and temperatures of around 60 to 70 degrees F. Water when the soil begins to dry. Once the leaves wilt too far, it's too late.
    Above all, protect it from exposure to wind or cold on the way home from the store. Poinsettias are highly sensitive to cold temperatures and even a few minutes of exposure to 50-degrees F or lower temperatures will cause them to wilt. But when cared for properly, poinsettias usually will outlast your desire to keep them!
   
Fact 12.  The most common question many have is, can I get the poinsettia to rebloom next year, and if so, how?  Yes is the short answer, but it requires some work and regularity. If you want to try though, keep in mind that flowering in this plant responds to short daylengths (or actually long nights).  They need daylight for no more than 10 hours daily, beginning around October 1.  So you’ll need to place plants in a darkened closet or room (with no lights at any time) from about 5pm to 7am or so, daily, for 8 to 10 weeks.   Don’t forget to bring it back into the daylight every day! Even if you are successful, keep in mind that much superior plants will be available from greenhouses and growers, as well as new varieties in all sizes.

GROWING CACTI  INDOORS

Wish to exercise your inexperienced thumb this winter? Make an effort growing cacti as houseplants. Desert cacti are suitable to the majority of indoor settings, where the relative humidity is somewhat low (20 to 40 percent) throughout the winter.

Accurate cacti, a kind of succulent, are native to the Unites states. Many types may be grown as houseplants, each different in size, color, shape, and flowering behavior. Among the most popular types will be the star plant -- more precisely a cactus --, golden barrel, old man, bishop's cap, bunny the ears, rat-tail, pincushion, Turk's cover, and ball cactus.
Just about all cacti purchased at flower shops, garden stores, florists, and grocery and discount stores prefer a growing space with plenty of sunlight. Cacti grown on windowsills facing south usually flourish. The next best exposure is light from an east or western window, since it provides direct sun for part of the day.

A large number of gardeners think there may be too little light in our area during the winter, but this is not the case. With snow cover, more light is mirrored during the winter than penetrates through shade trees and shrubs about the home in summer season.

In the event you just don't have enough light, you can supplement it with manufactured lighting. Be aware of the spot-type plant lights, as they may get too hot and burn the plants if closer than 6 inches roughly. A large number of use tube plant lamps, or simply daylight or natural light fluorescent pontoons, hung 6 inches or so over plant surfaces. Use plant lighting, on timers, for 12 to 16 hours a day.

You can place the plants outdoors in summer time, just don't move them from lower light inside into direct full sunshine outdoors, and don't let them get watersoaked during rainy weather.

Perhaps the key trick to growing cacti is proper watering, and this varies with time of year or alternatively if the rose is actively growing. Many cacti have been killed from overwatering during the winter, including mine. If the weather is cloudy, or even predicted to be cloudy, don't water. If perhaps uncertain whether the ground is dry, don't normal water.

When watering actively growing plants (usually spring and summer), water well, allowing excess water to drain. If pots are in a saucer, empty the water out. During winter when plants generally take a break, water very little--perhaps once every couple several weeks or even once a month. Then, apply only a tiny amount to soften the soil area around the roots.

Maintain the temperature during the development period (usually spring and summer) at 60 certifications (F) at night and 10-15 degrees warmer during the day. Through the figé period (usually fall and winter), reduce the heat to 45 to fifty-five degrees. If almost all of your rooms are warmer than this, then place your cacti near a windows (but not touching it) where the temperature may be five to twelve degrees cooler than in the middle of the area.

Fertilize the cacti repeatedly during the growth period with a liquid fertilizer. Make use of a complete balanced fertilizer, or look for a fertilizer labelled for cacti and succulents. For any general houseplant fertilizer, just use one-quarter of the label amount, every other watering.

When repotting, use a soil mixture prepared and sold for cacti. Or make your own in one part rough builder's sand, one part loam soil, and one part peat moss. Following repotting, don't water for a couple weeks to avoid any rots on roots damaged during repotting.
Finally, if you clean against your cactus and get a few spines stuck in your hands, use heavy duty video tape (sticky side to the spines) to pull them out.