How To Propagate Begonia Maculata (Expert Tips)
Welcome to my guide on how to propagate begonia maculata. I cover all you need to know about water, soil, moss and leca propagation as well as a few other care tips.
Tip: we recommend Etsy for buying plants. Look for the best rated seller you can, and try to buy as close to your home as possible so the plant does not travel too far.
A note about affiliate links: when you buy a plant, pots, soil, or other goods through links on this article we sometimes earn a commission. It doesn’t cost you anything, but it really helps us out if you do use them. Thanks a lot! An example of this is if you buy a plant on Etsy using this link. Read our privacy policy for more information. Thanks again.
Introduction
Welcome to our guide to how to propagate begonia maculata or an angel wing begonia. My favorite way to propagate them is in water until they root well, then I move them to soil. In this guide I cover water, soil, leca and sphagnum moss propagation. I also include step by step instructions and pictures from my propagations.
See also: Begonia Amphioxus, and some of our other prop guides: Prayer Plant Propagation, Propagate Ivy, Bird Of Paradise Propagation, Propagating Peperomia, Rubber Plant Propagation, Philodendron Pink Princess Propagation.
What You’ll Need
You will need:
- A plant big enough to take cuttings from
- A sharp knife or scissors
- A jar of water
- A medium to move it to afterwards (like soil or leca)
How To Propagate Begonia Maculata In Water
Follow these steps to water propagate your begonia maculata:
Step 1:
Decide where you’ll cut on your plant, make sure the plant is big enough and you’ll be happy with how it will look once cut.
Step 2:
Take a cutting using sharp scissors or knife for a clean cut. A begonia like this will root from the stem, so you don’t necessarily need a node.
Step 3:
Leave the cutting aside for 3 hours so that the wound has healed. Putting an open cut in water can increase the chance of rot.
Step 4:
Put the cutting in water. Use filtered tap water, especially if you live in a hardwater area. Aim to keep the leaves out of the water and as much of the stem submerged as you can. Leaves can rot if they are in contact with water.
Step 5:
Keep it well lit and the water topped up and it should be well rooted in 2 months.
Step 6:
You can then move the plant to soil or another medium…
How To Propagate Begonia Maculata In Soil
You can water propagate your begonia first, as we mentioned above, then move it to soil once rooted. I get the most success with this method. But if you want to go straight to soil, follow these steps:
- Take your cuttings… take a few at a time if you like. You don’t need to include a node as they can produce roots from the stem. Use clean and sharp scissors/knife.
- Put the cuttings aside, so that the open wounds get air for a few hours to scab over. This way you’ll reduce the chances of rot as the cuts will be sealed.
- Get a pot of soil, water it and let the water drain off.
- Put the cutting in the soil so the stems are as deep as possible and the leaves don’t touch the soil.
- Put the whole thing in a plastic bag that is about twice the height of the pot, leave the bag slightly open. This will increase humidity around the cuttings and encourage them to root. Leaving it slightly open allows air to circulate so you don’t get rot so easily.
- Keep it well lit but not direct sunlight, keep it warm and keep the soil moist but not soaking.
- You’ll know when it’s taken as it will put out new leaf growth out of the top of the plant. It can take 2 to 3 months to root and put out new growth. At this point you can take it out of the bag and treat it as a small plant.
How To Propagate Begonia Maculata In Leca
You can use leca, I always water prop the cutting first, then once it has rooted, move it to a cup of pre-washed and pre-soaked leca. Keep a small level of water in the bottom of the cup (about half inch or 2 cms) and the leca will wick up the moisture it needs to the roots.
They root really well in water to be honest, so it’s best to water prop them first. If you want to go straight to leca, you can fill the whole cup up with the water and keep it topped up for the first week or so, then let it drop down to the normal levels. This will help water propagate the roots a bit.
How To Propagate Begonia Maculata In Sphagnum Moss
Begonia maculata tends to take well to moist moss. Soak some moss, and squeeze if off so that it is not soaking, then plant your cuttings in it. You want to let the cuttings’ wounds heal over for a few hours first.
Keep the moss moist and give it indirect sunlight (but no direct) and then put it in a bag or box to increase the humidity until it roots well and produces new leaf growth. You can then keep it in moss ongoing or move it to soil.
FAQs and Common Problems
Yes you can, but honestly, since begonias like this will root from stem cuttings wihtout a node, it makes the need for node cuttings much less than with a philodendron for example.
Begonias will root from the stem (they don’t need a node) and can be propagated from leaf cuttings.
Where To Buy
Try our list of Rare Plant Shops. Or Etsy…
Other Articles You Might Like
You might also like our other articles:
Begonia Amphioxus, Prayer Plant Propagation, Propagate Ivy, Bird Of Paradise Propagation, Propagating Peperomia, Rubber Plant Propagation, Philodendron Pink Princess Propagation.
Please follow us on Instagram and Pinterest for regular plant updates and occasional plant giveaways.
