Is the tuber buried under the soil?

Deanna

see if one of the vids strikes your muse ... ....

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Begonia+Rex+propagation&t=ffcm&iax=images&ia=images

beyond that... it definitely needs significantly more light .... though im not sure it will make much difference as the plant stands now .. im talking about if you get a piece to root ... or if this is one of those where you get babes off a leaf ...

in my experience.. they do not make good long term houseplant ... but you might be able to squeak by if you took it outside for summer .. and added a growlight in winter ...

probably need a repotting also.. but why bother if you are cutting its head off ...

ken

@ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5 Yes, I've looked at videos. I just wanted to see if the light was the issue instead of just assuming. I'll try starting a cutting and see what happens. I've had it over years and it's grown maybe 2 leaves. Not a lot of sun here half the year so it's tough. I'm going to have to buy another grow light.

@gardenfanatic2003, I have no idea! It was potted when I bought it. Like I said above though, it really hasn't done much of anything growth wise.

Rex Begonias are fibrous rooted and grow from a creeping rootstock. They don’t have a tuber and they don't develop a single stem and grow upright in the way you’re trying to make yours do. Their natural habit is to grovel across the surface of the soil. It’s possible yours needs a bit more light but no amount will make it grow in a way it’s not genetically programmed to. Don’t cut the top off. These things are best raised from leaf cuttings. Google the method.

I agree with Ken and Floral.

Try to strike a leaf cutting, or a stem petiole cutting. You have four leaves there, sacrifice one of the bottom leaves and try to propagate it. You can cut a leaf into a number of pieces. I wouldn't do them too small though. U tube it to see how it is done. Good luck!

Did you buy this at a big box store? While it is a rex, it is also a rhizomatous type begonia and therefore should not be staked. The stem is a rhizome and needs to be close to the ground so it can strike more roots.

This looks similar and is a rex at a Home Depot store (same thing sold at Lowe's and Walmart) from Exotic Angels (Costa Farms). I think its name is 'Rumba'.

Do not over pot, over water, and give it some good light to get it to succeed. Watch for mildew and be proactive when you see any sign of it - spray, pick off the worst leaves, etc.

Rexes can be a joy to grow if you treat them right but also very frustrating when they are not understood very well.

Thanks for the responses! Yes, it is from Walmart but it doesn't say Rumba on it,

just "my name is REX" and full name begonia rex. So it is supposed to look like this? It's hard to tell but the "stem is lying in the dirt here. That's how it was but when I got online, I kept seeing pics of begonia rexs that were upright like the second pic below, which is what led to the staking incident.

If you look carefully at the second picture you will see that there is no central stem. Each leaf is on its own stem (petiole) and they are all coming from the creeping rhizome which is on the soil. Look at some more pictures and you’ll see. Let your plant sprawl. You can even pin the rhizomes down to the soil with a hairpin or similar.

Rumba is not on the tag but if you looked for Exotic Angels online and then begonias, they may still have it there. It is a beautiful rex but very susceptible to mildew. I found out that if you just give them a tiny drink each time you water IN WINTER, that they do a LOT better.

I think my Rumba died out but I would get another one when I find it (usually in spring).

This was from Lowe's 2 years ago. The new leaves are so much brighter than the old ones.

They do better outdoors in summer.

Here is a Walmart rex I got this past spring/summer. I am removing the oldest ugliest leaves but there are still several in this photo from last week.

The other one I got at the same time.

Escargot from WM (there 3 plants in there and I paid less than $3 for the first one and $2.24 for the next two which were 20% off).

A rex I got from Walmart 2 or 3 years ago is showing up mighty fine indoors last week. This was the day after Christmas.

Here are some I grew 2 to 3 years ago and they did great in summer. These were all Exotic Angels and from either Lowe's or Walmart.

http://www.costafarms.com/plants/rex-begonia

@hc mcdole, Those look great! So many different leaf patterns! I like them all. The escargot is very interesting. I need to check WM next time I go. Hopefully they will start getting more plants in now that Christmas is over. This one I have has grown SO slowly....I think it's around 4 years old and i've never cut it back so it obviously hasn't grown much. Thanks!

@floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK, Should I put it in a bigger pot? I'll see what I can find around here to secure it a bit...thanks!

lorraine,

I doubt you will find much at the big box stores now (maybe but probably not). Next month around Valentine's Day, they may start trickling in. Starting in March and April will be your best bet.

DO NOT pot it up. Keep it in a small pot or smaller until it shows some vigor and needs a bigger pot. You can keep them indefinitely in a small pot but it may require more water. If you want a big plant then you need a big pot but you run the risk of drowning them.

I take that back about big box stores. I did buy my first Escargot Jan 8 last year at Walmart. They were so new, that I wasn't sure they were that begonia.

Then I bought the other four (two for myself and two for a friend) at another Walmart for a reduced price March 27. These were more mature (still a tiny pot - about 3 inches). Well I bought two for myself and when I showed it to the friend via email she asked me to pick her up two so I went back the next day.

I usually have to pore over the hydrangeas as well but this was too common.

Late June in the same tiny pots (due to COVID it would be later before I could deliver two of them to my friend). You can see that they do indeed grow in tiny pots.

I potted up my 3 plants on July 1.

They grow pretty quick if you don't over water and water when they either wilt or before they wilt (no heavy watering unless it is hot and dry).

Here is the top of one leaf last week showing the fine hair.