To grow and care for Begonia maculata, provide bright, indirect light, well-draining soil, and high humidity. Water when the top inch is dry, and avoid wet leaves.
Grow and Care for Begonia Maculata:
Begonia maculata is an attractive houseplant known for its silver spots on heart-shaped leaves with dark red undersides – perhaps inspiring Christian Louboutin in designing his signature red-soled stilettos! Make an excellent home plant! Begonia maculata, native to Brazilian rainforests, can be tricky to cultivate successfully at home.
Beating rainforest conditions requires creating conditions as close to them as possible with heat, humidity and indirect lighting (no direct sun) – you could find yourself reaping rewards like small white or pink flower clusters by summer! Begonia maculata is known as cane begonia due to its upright stems containing multiple segments similar to bamboo canes; due to their leaves resembling angel wings these blooms have earned themselves the name ‘angel wing begonias’.
Polka dot begonia plants can be harmful to both people and animals if consumed; for this reason they should be kept out of reach of children and pets. Learn how to grow begonias both outdoors and as houseplants here.
How to grow Begonia Maculata
For optimal growth, the Polka Dot Begonia needs a warm, bright spot with consistent temperatures of no less than 15 degrees – more if possible. Humid environments such as kitchens or bathrooms work best; otherwise, use moist pebbles in a tray as an alternative method.
Where to Grow Begonia Maculata
Begonia maculata should be planted in a warm, bright area near an east or west facing window for best results. As it thrives best in humid environments like kitchens or bathrooms or moist pebble trays – beware of misting its leaves directly and any nearby drafts or radiators!
How to Plant Polka Dot Begonia
Transplant into a container that’s slightly larger than its root ball and use peat-free house plant or multipurpose compost with added perlite for better aeration and drainage. Report again each spring into an even larger pot.
Caring for Polka Dot 
When growing these flowers indoors in containers or pots they should receive consistent but moist soil, while every month or so give an application of balanced fertilizer during the spring/summer seasons. If the stems become leggy or gangly, pinch out their growing tips during summer to create more business in your plant.
As it matures it may require support. Growing Begonia maculata:
Growing Begonia Maculata: Problem Solving
Sun scorch may cause brown spots on exposed areas to arise when too close is approached by direct sunlight.
Your plant could be receiving too much water. Check for signs of root rot and make sure it receives adequate sunlight. Mealybugs (white fluffy spots on underside of leaves), should be eliminated with cotton wool saturated in organic insecticide.
Powdery mildew appears as white patches on leaves and must be treated quickly and decisively to be effective in protecting plants from this pathogen. You should remove affected leaves as soon as they show symptoms while taking preventative steps such as not splashing water onto them when watering, not overfeeding your plant and increasing air circulation around it.
Depending on where it grows best it could require warm, bright conditions to thrive and will thrive best with adequate humidity levels in its environment. Providing adequate conditions will increase the chances of success when growing polka dot Begonias successfully.
FAQs
Q1. How should an indoor Begonia maculata be cared for?
Provide indirect light, water when necessary and maintain high humidity.
Q2. Does Begonia maculata prefer sun or shade?
Begonia maculata prefers bright indirect sunlight.
Q3. What conditions are ideal for growing Begonia maculata?
An environment rich with indirect light, well-draining soil, high humidity levels and regular watering would provide ideal growing conditions.
4. Use shade cloth to protect your lettuce plants.
You can protect your lettuce from too much heat by creating a supporting structure and covering it with shade cloth. You can build your own DIY frame using PVC pipes or buy tall hoops for adequate support.
Shade cloth cuts down on UV penetration while at the same time allowing rainfall to pass through. It keeps the shaded area significantly cooler while also keeping birds away. Professional shade cloths are lightweight and dark in color. Choose a 60% density shade cloth for protecting lettuce.
A cheaper alternative for shade cloth is burlap or a dark sheet of cotton. They offer less UV filtering but make good options if you have them around the house.
5. Grow lettuce inside containers that you can easily move.
Lettuce is a shallow-rooted plant, and it can be grown easily grown in containers. This way, you get the best of both worlds – you can move those containers around to follow the sun when the seedlings are growing and set them in the shade to prevent them from going bitter when it’s time for harvest.
Grow lettuce plants on your patio, terrace, or balcony. If you have some potting mix, water, and a few hours of sunlight, then you can grow lettuce – and so much more. If you’re short on space, you can grow your own lettuce tower – check out these amazing vertical structures that are perfect for growing greens, strawberries, herbs, and other shallow-rooted plants.
Lettuce cultivars that are bolt-resistant
Lettuce is such a staple in our diets that we just had to find a way to make it last all summer. Enter: the bolt-resistant lettuce varieties. Whether it’s looseleaf, butterhead, crisphead, or romaine, you can test these seeds and enjoy fresh lettuce leaves or heads all summer long:
- Looseleaf: Red Salad Bowl, Green Salad Bowl, Lollo Rossa, Lollo Bionda, Oakleaf Looseleaf, Bronze Arrow Looseleaf;
- Crisphead: Sierra Batavian, French Batavian;
- Butterhead: All Year Round Lettuce, Merveille De Quatre Saisons, Adriana, Capitan Bibb;
- Romaine: Jericho, Coastal Star, Salvius.
Despite being bolt resistant, many of these seeds won’t germinate in the heat of summer, so find other ways to get them to sprout. I start them indoors under grow lights where I can control temperature and humidity levels even in warmer months.
Final Thoughts
Can you grow lettuce in the shade? Don’t be afraid to use shade to your advantage when growing lettuce. It keeps your lettuce plants fresh and tender for longer. Learn to maximize any shade you get in your garden during the summer months for growing all kinds of leafy greens.
The shade will also make your lettuce plants crisper when it’s time for harvest. Never pick lettuce at noon, when the plants are wilted and dehydrated. Instead, harvest lettuce leaves or heads in the morning or on an overcast, rainy day.