Kath,

A lot of canes will drop their leaves when placed in a home environment. Humidity and light conditions are a major factor. Also they probably need a rest period anyway. When warm weather returns, moving them outdoors for the summer will return them to full vigor. Putting them under artificial lights while indoors will help tremendously. Canes will bloom best outdoors with lots of filtered light.

The 6' angel wings you are reading about will probably experience the same thing as a 6" angel wing if placed in the same conditions. My small ones and large ones all look naked, spindly, and stunted through the winter. I usually keep all the sick-looking leaves picked off this time of year and spray for mildew - especially the mallet types ('Don Miller', 'Maurice Amey', 'Looking Glass', 'Sinbad', 'Benigo'). Then in mid-April or early May I start moving them outdoors and start watering with a half-strength fertilizer. Within a few weeks it's hard to imagine they are the same plant.

Sticky stuff? Sounds like you might have honeydew, a secretion from insects such as aphids, whiteflies, etc.

Butch

I still remember my first begonia convention--if any of you have a chance I strongly encourage you to go!!!--and the tall begonias in the show. Before that I thought I had some pretty good looking begonias (and some not-so-good too!) but I had no idea that could be that gorgeous. I think Maurice Amey himself had grown some of the most outstanding ones, and they were sitting on the floor and over five feet tall with I think every leaf they'd ever had. The only name I remember is B. Ginny, and I've never been able to grow one even close to that size and beauty. No, they don't just have two or three leaves at the top. Fairly soon now, as you see new growth at the bottom, you can prune them back hard and get two stems for every one you cut back, and with enough light and water and fertilizer you can have beautiful plants with leaves to the base--but get rid of the bugs that are leaving 'honey-dew'. They are drinking the juices of the plant and are weakening it, and probably are a large reason for the leaf drop.