That's great Marcia. In addition to saving some money (not having to buy new ones) I find the saved tubers from last year are usually bigger and therefore perform better.

Plus, if they are already sprouting that means you can get a jump start on spring. When I buy begonia tubers I try to peak inside the bag/wood chips to see if they are already sprouting . Else, sometimes you plant them and you wait and wait and wait for them to start growing.

Glen

I've never been able to save them before, Glen - that's why i'm so excited! LOL If it works this year, it may work in the future, so now i have to get some more! :)

Uh oh.....I see an addiction in your future Marcia!lol

Congrats on getting them to sprout. I haven't had a lot of luck with them in the past, but maybe I'll have to try again this spring....wish me luck!

Laurie

Yipee yahoooo....I am doin' da happy dance for ya.

I am addicted to them, my collection has grown by 8 this year. 6 are potted up already and 2 are comming mail order. The one I am most looking forward to is the dafodil variety.

The ones that over-wintered will have to wait till they can go in the greenhouse before they get potted up. I don't have that much room indoors. They all have sprouts as well. I hope they slow down a bit.

Congrats Marcia!!! Ohhhh what new ones are you going to add this year? So many to choose from.

Sierra

p.s. wm has some bulbs/tubers in today, she says in a small almost unnoticeable voice. heehee

I picked up 2 Picotee tubers today from Lindenberg's. They already had some sprouts coming, so I potted them up and now have my fingers crossed that they'll do ok this season, and maybe I'll have something to bring in this fall.....that's the plan anyway.;0)

No enablers around here! LOL I was at WM today but they didn't have any begonias. I can't remember which ones i have - they were a collection i got from somewhere last year. Of course i'll add to them this year....

Laurie becareful this addiction is very contageous! Not sure where you had problems with them. But just as a reminder, I will add, that I never bury the corms. I just leave the tops exposed. Then don't water the top of them, just water around the edges. If you water the tops of them, they will rot. Also let them dry out a bit between waterings.

Marcia, no enablers here. haha. Superstore sometimes gets the kits in for a good price, even if you throw the pot and brick of coconut fibre or peat away.

Sierra :-)

Sierra, the instructions i got from someone last year was to put the tubers on top of the dirt in the container - just a couple inches of dirt - and then keep burying the new growth until you reach the top of the container. So i guess it wasn't you who told me that because your instructions are different! LOL But that worked for me. As for watering, i guess with my way, the water wouldn't hit the tuber directly. Anyhow, it worked for me last year, and i hope it continutes to work!!

Sierra, my problem was that the tubers dried out completely over the winter in storage and wouldn't sprout again the following spring. Brenda had said to try leaving them in their pots for storage so that they don't dry out totally. So I will give it a go again anyway and hope for the best. For planting I also keep the tubers on top like you do. One tip I had heard of was to keep the tubers in the dark until they had started to sprout by even putting newspaper on top of the pot. Do you let yours sprout in light or darkness?

I checked our wm and they didn't have any begonias yet, but they did have glads, dahlias and lilies......ooohhh good thing spring is just around the corner!

Laurie, did you have your begonias on a cement floor or basement floor over the winter? They have to be on a shelf. For some reason the cement will dry out bulbs, corms, tubers and rhizomes. I take them out of the pots for the winter, wash them off, let them dry put in paper bags up on a shelf in my laundry room. Forget about them till around this time of year. Usually when I check they have long sprouts. Mine don't dry out. I could just see me lugging in all these pots. We wouldn't be able to move in here all winter.

If I buy or get begonias that haven't already budded up, I just place them upside down on the shelf for a week or two. Once the first bud appears, I pot up...and place beside the lights, not under it. After they get their first few leaves....they do get time under the lights.

Haha Marcia, Doesn't matter what method you used, it worked for you.....be happy!!! There are always different ways of doing things. For me I pick the easiest route cozzz I'm lazy...and well I just don't have the time to baby things along.:O Don't forget to tell us which ones you buy new....nosey people always want to know. haha

Sierra ;-)))