Growing & Maintenance Tips for Hanging Basket: Shade Begonias

Nonstop begonias thrive in partial shade. Too much shade and they will stop blooming but too much sun and the leaves will get sunburned. They prefer warm temperatures so avoid putting them outside too early in the spring. Night time temperatures need to be above 10℃.

Keep them protected from the wind.

We recommend fertilizing these hanging baskets weekly with a balanced fertilizer like 20-20-20. Adding a slow release fertilizer on top of the soil is also recommended if weekly fertilizing is not practical. Follow manufacturers instructions for rates.

If Begonias are kept too wet, their stems will rot at the soil level. It is ideal to water them in the morning and keep foliage and stems dry. Keeping begonias cleaned up by removing spent flowers and old leaves will also help prevent stems from rotting. The water requirement of these baskets tends to be lower than other baskets. Avoid watering on cool or rainy days but be prepared to water as soon as the warm sunny days come again.

Deadhead begonias as flowers begin to dry. Pinch out old flowers and seed pods by following the flower stem back to where it intersects with the larger stem and pinch it back at that point. If the Begonias are getting long and gangly or floppy, pinch tips of stems back to keep them compact and to stimulate fresh growth. Taking off some of the flowers will also help the plant to put more energy into new stem and leaf growth which then becomes a good base for new flower growth.

Some of the trailing flowers may need to be deadheaded as well.  If the trailers get too long for your liking, cut them back to keep them stocky and strong and to stimulate fresh, compact growth.