Angel Wing Begonia Care for the Commercial Grower

Is this your first time growing Angel Wing Begonia in your commercial greenhouse? Your customers will love the long bloom and wonderful foliage of this plant (also known as Cane Begonia, Spotted Begonia, and Dragon Wing), which is a hybrid of Begonia Aconitifolia and B. Coccinea ‘Lucerna’  first bred in 1926 by Eva Kenworthy Gray. 

Our Angel Wing rooted liners arrive ready to be transplanted into your final containers. Follow the tips in this short guide on Angel Wing Begonia care to successfully finish and sell your starter plants. You will learn:

• The basics of transplanting and finishing Angel Wing Begonia rooted liners
• How to time your starter plants
• How to coach your customers to succeed in growing their new plants

Angel Wing Begonia Care: How to Grow Angel Wing Begonia in Your Greenhouse

Plant one rooted plug per 4-inch or one-gallon container, or three plugs per two-gallon container. Use well-drained soil and plant your plugs in the middle of your container. Angel Wing Begonia makes a lovely hanging basket for indoors or outdoors in warm climates. Space containers for sufficient airflow. 

Pinch your starter plants 5-10 days after transplanting, and then additionally as needed to shape them for your final application. Deadhead flowers once the blooming season has started to encourage continued blooming. 

Proper pinching typically controls growth for Angel Wing Begonia. If you need chemical growth regulators, these plants respond well to 3-5 ppm Bonzi spray.

Maintain a daytime temperature of 65-70℉ and a nighttime temperature of 60-65℉. Do not allow the temperature to drop below 55℉. These plants require short days; long days will delay bloom by up to 4 weeks.

For best results, use 175-225 ppm N fertilizer constant feed and 1.2-1.5 EC and maintain a pH of 5.4-6.0. Once the plugs have begun to root out, switch to 200 ppm N fertilizer once a week. 

You may see aphids and mealybugs with Angel Wing Begonias. Powdery Mildew, Root Rot, Stem Rot, and Botrytis may affect your plants. Angel Wing Begonias are less susceptible than other Begonias to these fungal diseases, and you can take these simple steps to prevent them:

1. Space containers to allow air and light to penetrate all the way down to the soil.
2. Provide sufficient airflow in your greenhouse. We’ve found horizontal airflow fans to be useful in preventing fungal diseases.
3. Water early in the day, at the base of each plant, to keep the leaves dry and to allow the soil to dry out before nightfall. Do not allow for standing water or continually wet soil. Use well-drained soil for transplanting.

You can also use a fungicide to treat your plants. For more information, check out our video about preventing and treating fungus in your commercial greenhouse. 

Starter Plant Timing

For 4-inch containers up to one-gallon containers, start one plug per container 7-9 weeks before you’ll make them available to customers. For two-gallon containers, three plugs per container will take about 8-10 weeks to finish. 

Varieties of Angel Wing Begonia

We offer twenty varieties of Angel Wing Begonia. They vary widely in the look of foliage and flower. Foliage ranges from dark green to mint green, with some polka-dotted leaves, some deeply lined, and others rounded. 

Flowers vary in color: white, pink, red, or orange. All our varieties are non-patented, allowing you and your customer to propagate the plants without permission; you don’t need to buy tags for these plants. Propagate new plants from stem cuttings grown in a rooting medium.

Check out these resources to learn more about the differences between Angel Wing and other types of Begonias.

How Your Customers Can Use Angel Wing Begonia

Your customers will love the long bloom, variegated foliage, and low maintenance care of Angel Wing Begonias. These plants can grow 1-5 feet, depending on environment and variety. In most climates, these evergreen and nearly everbearing plants are kept indoors. 

They can be grown outdoors in tropical climates as perrenials or as annuals in cold climates. Outdoors, space starter plants 12 inches apart in well-drained soil in shade or mostly shade. An indoor potted Angel Wing can summer outdoors as a lovely porch or patio addition. 

These plants flourish in typical house temperatures and are easier to care for than some other Begonia varieties. Instruct your customer to plant their starter in a container that will allow the plant to be slightly pot-bound, as this can help prevent too much moisture around the roots, which could lead to root rot. 

Use well-drained soil and water the plant only when the soil is dry. Apply a balanced fertilizer once a month spring through fall; stop fertilizing when the plant is growing more slowly in winter.  

Encourage customers to place plants in bright, indirect light. Deadhead flowers for continuous blooming. Prune the canes to create a bushier habit and to keep the plant from looking wild.

Enjoy the benefits these wonderful plants add to your commercial greenhouse selection!