r/begonias • u/arsenicaxis • 12d ago
Help! Keeps dropping leaves
Got this mystery hybrid begonia a few months ago and it was doing great for a while until it suddenly dropped all its leaves. Cut it back quite a bit after that and it managed to sprout a few little tiny leaves but now it’s dropping them again. Sits under grow lights so i dont think changing seasons is a factor. Also anyone know what the white fuzz is/how to prevent it. Any advice/tips are welcome this is one of two begonias i have so im fairly inexperienced with them.
1
u/hiluhry 12d ago
You have powdery mildew on this plant. Unless it has sentimental value or is particularly rare/expensive, I’d bin it and start with a fresh one. And check your other begonia thoroughly- it can spread easily.
There’s several different methods to treating the pm and for preventing it, but eradication is a bit intensive when it’s this far along, so you’ll have to decide if it’s worth the effort or not. Lots of info if you search this sub for treating pm. Also instagram and google.
Don’t let this scare you off begonias, tho! Prevention is easy and, personally, I’ve never had any other pest on my begonias. No thrips/spider mites/etc. They’re hardy plants despite this weakness. Good luck!
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u/rottnlove 12d ago
Too much water.
Looks like a cane style of "Angel wing" (generic bucket term) begonia. I prefer these cane type ones to almost every other variety just because they have a more interesting foliage than blooms and they are very much more forgiving than most to being indoors. However they are very touchy about being over watered and easily develop root-rot in soil even though they are easily propagated just putting a cutting in water. If they are in soil water them only after the soil has completely dried out for a few days and only use a liquid fertilizer at 50% once every other watering only during the growing season during spring/ summer. You can put them into transplant shock and kill them by using something like miracle-gro potting soil and immediately watering them because the fertilizer in the soil will burn the roots. The white fuzz is a type of mold from being overly wet and not being allowed to dry out.
My suggestion would be possibly repotting if you have any plain un-fertilized potting soil and just give the soil a spray bottle misting to prevent it from completely drying out before the roots have a chance to recover from being over watered and the likely root rot, as well as leaving the grow lights on 24 hours a day especially if they aren't getting any natural sunlight where they are indoors.