Can You Divide Rex Begonias?

Growing new plants from existing ones is a great way of getting more of your favorite plants. But how can you divide rex begonias? It’s actually pretty easy, once you know how! Read on for the best ways to divide and propagate this lovely plant.

Can You Divide Rex Begonias?

Creating new plants out of existing ones is a fabulous pastime – it’s fun, plus you get some new plants for nothing but the cost of compost and pots!

Dividing rex begonias is pretty easy, and it is very rewarding as these little plants are very keen to grow.

1. Divide your begonias in the spring, before the main growing season has started, for the best results and healthiest plants.
2. Take your mother plant and remove it (gently!) from its original pot. You should see lots of roots, also known as rhizomes.
3. Brush off the soil, and inspect the rhizome – you are looking for little pink or red bumps on the roots.
4. Carefully cut the rhizome, aiming to get at least 3 growing eyes on each piece you cut off.
5. Check the roots for health, and cut away any parts that are soft, shriveled or rotting. You can now repot the mother plant.
6. Brush a little begonia fungicide on the roots to prevent disease – you can buy begonia fungicide in any good garden center.
7. Fill an 8 inch pot with well draining, quality potting mix. Water the soil well so that it is moist throughout.
8. Plant each section of rhizome into a separate pot, with the flat part facing up. The surface of the rhizome should be very close to the surface of the soil.
9. Place the pot in a warm, brightly lit room. Water the soil to keep it moist, and fertilize fortnightly with an all purpose fertilizer.
10. After a few weeks, you should start to see new growth sprouting. Well done, you have successfully divided your begonia rex!

Can You Propagate Rex Begonia From Cuttings?

This plant, unlike many other houseplants, is very easy to grow and will happily sprout new growth from all types of cuttings.

Propagating plants is great because you get to create new life from an existing plant – ideal if you want to keep your mother plant going forever.

Propagating begonia rex from leaf cuttings is a slightly different process to other types of plant, but it is a simple process once you know how.

You will need to remove a healthy leaf from the plant, then turn it over and make little cuts into the largest veins you can find – this is where the new growth will sprout from.

Place the leaf down flat in a tray of moist potting soil, and hold it down as flat as you can – you can use pins, or weight it down with small stones.

After a few weeks, new growth will start to pop up from the stems that were cut – these are your new begonias.

Once the babies are about 3 inches high, you can pot them on into individual pots to grow and develop further.

How Do You Propagate Rex Begonias From Stems?

There are many different ways to propagate this little plant; from rhizomes to leaves and also stem cuttings.

1. Choose a strong, healthy leaf from your main plant, and snip it away from the stem using a pair of sharp, clean scissors or secateurs.
2. Trim the end of the stem until it is about 1-1.5 inches long. Snip it at a diagonal angle for the best results.
3. You can dip the end of the stem into rooting hormone to help it on its way, but this is not absolutely necessary – the plant will grow regardless.
4. Place the end of the stem into moistened potting soil, firming the soil up around the end of the stem to keep it upright.
5. Cover the pot with a plastic bag to allow for a nice, humid atmosphere that begonia rex loves.
6. Place it in a warm spot, ensuring that it has plenty of light but is kept out of direct sunlight.
7. After about 6 weeks, you should start to see new growth on your baby begonia.

It’s pretty much that simple! As long as they are kept moist, humid and warm, with well-draining soil, your begonia babies should thrive.

Propagating from stems is a different matter than doing it from leaves, so here’s a video showing you how to do it:

Do You Put Begonia Cuttings In Water Or Soil?

Some plants prefer to be rooted in soil, some do better in water – the type of growing medium depends on the plant.

Begonia rex much prefers to be rooted directly into the soil – this allows the roots to start growing straight away.

You can, of course, start them off in a jar of water, but this tends not to show as good results as placing them directly into the soil.

The technique for growing cuttings in water is pretty much the same as in soil; it’s just one extra step as you will have to plant them in soil eventually.

Take your cutting and place it directly into a glass or jar of water. Leave it in a warm place with a plastic bag over the top to create humidity.

You should start to see roots appearing in a few weeks (one advantage of using water is that you can see the roots beginning to form).

Once the roots are about half an inch long, it’s time to plant them into pots filled with all purpose compost.

What Time Of Year Do You Take Begonia Cuttings?

It’s best to start taking cuttings of any plant in the period between winter dormancy and the start of the new growing season.

This means that the plant has time to get itself established before the growing season has properly started.

If you take cuttings in the winter, chances are they will not grow and thrive as well as those that are planted in the spring.

As you can see, this little plant is very keen on growing and it is fairly easy to grow new plants from existing ones.

Once you have got the hang of dividing your rex begonias you will not look back, and soon your house will be filled with them!