How Do You Care For Begonias Outside In Pots?

Caring for Begonias Outdoors in Pots

Begonias are a popular choice for adding colour and texture to outdoor container gardens, as they can survive and thrive in both sunny and shady areas, depending on the variety you choose to plant.

With proper care, begonias can bring your patio or balcony garden to life with their bright flowers and lush foliage for months on end. Read on to learn more about how to care for begonias outdoors in pots!

Choosing the Right Pot

When selecting a pot to plant your begonias in, it is important to ensure that it is large enough to accommodate their root system without overcrowding them, so that they have enough space to flourish.

Clay pots provide excellent drainage, while plastic pots provide insulation against temperature changes and retain water more effectively than their clay counterparts.

Whichever kind of pot you decide on, make sure that it has several drainage holes at the bottom for excess water to escape from, this will help prevent root rot from occurring due to over-watering.

Preparing the Soil

Begonias prefer well-draining soil with a pH level between 5.5 – 6, if your soil does not meet these requirements, then you can prepare a suitable soil mix by combining peat moss, sand, composted manure and topsoil in equal parts by volume.

Make sure that you mix it thoroughly before filling your pot with the soil mix, this will ensure that all of the nutrients are properly distributed throughout the soil and will encourage healthy growth of your begonias’ roots system over time.

Planting Begonias

When planting begonias outdoors in pots, ensure that they are planted at least 10 cm (4 inches) apart from each other, this will give them enough room to grow without overcrowding them or competing for resources such as sunlight or water from their neighbours!

Also make sure that you plant your begonias at least 10 cm (4 inches) deep into the soil, this will give them enough stability when facing strong winds or heavy rainfall that might otherwise cause them to topple over without proper anchoring into the soil beneath them!

Watering

To keep your begonias looking their best during hot summer months, they should be watered regularly but not too often – as mentioned above, overwatering can cause root rot if left unchecked!

Generally speaking, they should be watered when the top few inches of soil feel dry when poked with a finger, this should be done either early in the morning or late at night so as not to evaporate quickly under direct sunlight during midday hours!

As a general rule of thumb – if you’re unsure whether or not your begonias need water yet – then it is better to wait until later rather than earlier, overwatering can do more harm than good!

Fertilizing

Fertilizing is also an important step when caring for begonias outdoors in pots, fertilizers provide essential nutrients that help promote healthy growth of leaves and flowers throughout the growing season!

The best type of fertilizer for begonias is one specifically designed for blooming plants such as Miracle-Gro Bloom Booster Flower Food, apply this fertilizer every 4 weeks during spring and summer months according to package directions!

Pruning and Deadheading

Pruning helps keep your begonias looking neat and compact while also promoting new flower growth, deadheading spent flowers encourages new blooms by diverting energy away from seed production towards flower production instead!

Prune any dead leaves or stems back with pruning shears until just above where new growth appears, deadhead spent flowers by pinching off individual blooms just below where petals attach themselves onto sepals!

Controlling Pests and Diseases

The best defenses against pests and diseases are keeping your begonia moderately moist but never soaking wet, making sure they are not overcrowded (as mentioned earlier) and also avoiding overhead watering as much as possible since this can spread disease spores between plants easily due to contact with water droplets!

To control pests such as aphids or mealybugs which often infect Begonia plants outdoors in pots, use an insecticidal soap spray according to package directions – repeat applications every few days until all pests have been eliminated entirely!

If you notice any signs of fungal diseases such as powdery mildew on your begonia’s leaves then try spraying them with a fungicide spray specifically designed for treating fungal infections on ornamental plants like Begoniae according to package directions – repeat applications every 7-10 days until all symptoms have been eliminated entirely!

Overwintering Begonias In Pots

If you live in an area where temperatures are likely drop below 0°C (32°F) during winter months then it is important to consider how you will overwinter your Begonia plants outdoors in pots! If possible move containers indoors into an unheated garage or shed where temperatures remain above freezing point during coldest times of winter season – if moving containers indoors is not an option then protect roots by insulating pots using straw mulch around base of potting compost before temperatures drop too low outside (below 0°C/32°F).

Foliage may still die back during coldest times but roots should remain protected enough over winter period so that new shoots will emerge again once temperatures begin rising again come springtime!

Group Plantings Of Begonia In Pots

Begonias look especially attractive when planted in groups – either clustered together within one large container or spaced out across multiple smaller containers depending on available space available on patio/balcony etc… When planting Begoniae outdoors in groups think about overall effect desired – consider colour combinations favoured when selecting different varieties prior planting stage so that finished result looks aesthetically pleasing once all planted together…

Give attention also towards light levels required by each variety chosen so that each Begonia has chance thrive regardless where planted within group etc… This way all Begoniae planted together should be able maintain healthy growth throughout growing season ahead even if conditions outside do change somewhat unexpectedly over time…

Conclusion

Caring for Begoniae outdoors in pots is relatively easy once initial preparations have been taken beforehand prior planting stage ie choosing right pot size/type plus preparing suitable compost mixture – afterwards focus shifts towards providing adequate levels moisture/fertilizer plus controlling pests/diseases which may arise unexpectedly over time…

Once established correctly these hardy flowering plants will bring life onto patio/balcony gardens over long course summer months ahead – don’t forget pruning/deadheading spent flowers regularly so as encourage fresh bloom production come each new growing season ahead… Good luck & happy gardening everyone 🙂