Most plants either go dormant, or die off completely during the colder months. But what about a betulia plant in winter?
If you need to know how to keep your betulia plant alive over the winter – or if this is even possible – then we have the best hints and tips for you!
What You'll Learn Today
Betulia Plant In Winter
Betulia, and all the begonia family, are native to warm, tropical and subtropical areas. As such, they do not like to get too chilly!
Your betulia will be happy to be planted in your garden as long as the temperatures remain over 15 degrees C.
Most plants have a dormant period in the colder months, and betulia is no exception. Once the flowers die off, the leaves can keep going – as long as the plant doesn’t get too cold.
If your betulia is growing indoors then there is less for you to worry about in the winter; simply keep up with the care, and ensure it doesn’t get hit with cold draughts.
If you live in an area with cold winters, or you know a prolonged cold snap is coming, you may wish to think about what to do to keep it safe.
You can either leave it to its fate, and replant a new plant in the spring, or you can dig up the roots, store them then replant in the spring.
Can I Keep My Betulias Over Winter?
You can, of course, keep any plant going over winter (assuming you don’t live in Siberia) but some will need a little more TLC than others.
Betulia is one of the ones that will need a little extra care in the winter to ensure that it survives till the following year.
Keeping your betulia going over the winter is simple if you are growing it indoors – just keep an extra eye on the room it is growing in, to ensure it doesn’t get too cold.
If your betulia are growing in pots outside, you can either bring them indoors or even keep them in a heated greenhouse, if you have one.
For those with betulia outside in the ground, you will need some extra vigilance to make sure your plant survives those colder months.
Do Begonia Tubers Come Back Every Year?
Some plants are annual, some perennial. This means some will pop up year after year, while others are a one-year wonder.
Some species of begonia are annual while others are perennial; it depends which type you have as to whether it is annual or perennial.
Betulia, a type of begonia, are generally perennial in their native habitats, but are often treated as annuals because they generally can’t survive the colder winters.
You can keep your betulia going throughout the winter, however, just be making sure their temperature doesn’t drop too far for too long.
This article shows you how to make sure that your begonia tubers live to grow another day!
How To Overwinter Betulia?
Overwintering betulia is not as simple as some other plants – you can’t just mulch it or cover it with fleece and hope for the best!
If you want your betulia to live to see another year, you’re going to have to get a little more extreme.
Digging up and storing your betulia’s roots is the only way to stop them from dying off in the winter – luckily this is not too challenging, and you should end up with a plant in the spring.
- Start by digging up the root ball before the first frosts, while the temperature is still around 10-15 degrees C.
- Cut the foliage off the top of the root ball, and store the roots in a cool, dry place for several weeks.
- After this “curing” time, shake off all the soil and remove any leftover roots or shoots that can cause the roots to rot.
- Lay the roots out in a single layer and cover them with sand or sawdust to keep them dry.
- Keep them in a dark place to prevent any regrowth, and ensure that the temperature is cool but not below 10 degrees C.
- Once the weather starts to warm up, replant the rhizomes in moist potting soil and keep them warm – you can use a greenhouse or indoors, covered with a plastic bag.
- When the roots and shoots have established themselves, replant the betulia in fertile, well-draining compost and keep them warm.
- You can choose to replant outdoors for another year, or you can grow them on indoors.
- If you have replanted outside, repeat the exercise the following winter.
As you can see, overwintering a betulia is slightly more complicated than for some other plants – but let’s face it – it’s worth it for betulia!
This video show you the best way to overwinter your tubers – this one is about begonia, but the process is the same:
How Cold Can Betulia Tolerate?
These plants won’t thank you for letting them get too cold at all, although they can cope with cooler conditions for a time.
Generally, if temperatures drop below 10 degrees C for more than a few hours, your betulia will be in serious trouble!
Although they don’t like direct sunlight, they are subtropical plants, and need to be kept warmer than some other plants – a cold snap can wipe them out.
If you know a cold winter is coming – or in fact, any winter where the temperature drops below 10 degrees – you should definitely bring your betulia indoors.
If they are already growing in pots then simply bring these indoors, but if they are growing in the soil outside then you will need to dig up and store the roots.
If your betulia are growing indoors full time, make sure that the room they are in stays at a constant temperature over 16 degrees, and keep them out of cold draughts.
If you want to give your plants the best chance of surviving the winter, they should be brought indoors or placed in a greenhouse.
If your betulia is indoor growing then you have much less to worry about – just bear in mind the fact that they too will have a dormant period.
