One of the most beautiful leafy plants is undoubtedly the begonia maculata. The problem is when the begonia maculata loses its leaves. Has this happened to you?
As a general rule, this plant should not lose any type of leaf unless we talk about its natural cycle. But if you have noticed that they are starting to fall off and you do not know the reason, we will talk about some causes that can cause this problem.
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My begonia maculata is losing its leaves, what’s wrong?
When you come home with a begonia maculata, you know it will grace your entire home because of its spotted leaves. In fact, they are prettier than the flowers themselves.
The problem is that, After a while you may notice that the plant begins to lose its leaves and if you don’t remedy this quickly, within a few days you may find that it is dead.. And you certainly don’t want that.
But why does a begonia maculata lose its leaves? We give you some reasons.
For adaptation to the new home
As you know, moving from place to place puts stress on plants. It’s common and is the reason why many stores and nurseries advise you not to transplant it for a few weeks. Just leave it somewhere and it adapts to the new climate.
During this time It is common for the plant to be duller, or even lose a leaf. But if this drop is not excessive, nothing should happen because it is a natural process in plants and it is normal that after this time new ones start to sprout.
Now, if that doesn’t happen, then we have to step in to prevent it.
environmental drought
One of the things you need to care for your begonia maculata is humidity. And when the correct one is not given, the plant is very “dramatic” so that you realize that something is wrong. Specifically, discard the leaves.
When this happens, one of the reasons may be that it is not getting the moisture it needs. And what is it? Well, between 50 and 60% minimum. It does not need it as much as a fern, but it suffers a lot when the environment is dry and one of the first consequences generated is leaf fall.
Therefore, if this happens to you, have a moisture meter handy to check how much there is in the environment.
And how is it solved? There are several ways. If the variation in humidity is not too great, you can remedy it by spraying water or by placing a plate with stones and water next to it. (or even with perlite and water) so that there is more humidity.
If the humidity is much lower than it should be, our advice is to buy a dome and place it during the warmer months so that there is more constant humidity and you can control it. .
poor drainage
If your begonia maculata is losing leaves, have you noticed the substrate? As you know, this plant needs moist soil. But when it begins to clump together and no longer filter the water well, accumulations of water can form inside which, in contact with the roots, cause them to rot.
In fact, it’s the worst thing that can happen to her because it could kill her.
The solution is simple: take the plant out of the pot and place it in a new substrate mixed with perlite or similar. A good solution is to use a universal substrate with humus or coconut fiber and perlite. Try applying 50% of the latter, and 40 and 10 of the previous two respectively. This way you will have a more suitable ground for the begonia maculata.
Excess light, heat or fertilizer
Another of the reasons why the begonia maculata loses its leaves covers two problems: light or fertilizer.
You don’t lose them all at once, but the leaves turn brown to the point where they eventually fall dry and dead.
But why?
In the case of the light, it is because it is placed in a place where it receives too much sun, usually direct sun causing the leaves to burn and start with these symbols. If you do not realize this, in the end the whole leaf ends up remaining brown and, with it, losing it.
For its parthigh temperatures will also take their toll on begonia maculata, to the point of slowing down its growth and the leaves turn brown (because they too burn due to the lack of humidity in the environment).
Finally, the subscriber can be both good and the worst thing that can be given to him.
And it is that when a dose is used that is too high for the plant, or a fertilizer that is not adequate is used, the plant reacts in this way.
over watering
We continue with the problems for which a begonia maculata loses leaves. This is perhaps the most serious problem, to the point that you could lose the whole plant if you don’t notice it.
To do this, just touch the earth and see if it is wet or soaked. The difference? Take a handful of soil and squeeze. Do you get water out of it when you do it? This is when the plant is too waterlogged and the roots rot.
Given this, do what we told you with the drainage of the substrate: change the pot and the soil (only dry soil, do not water it until you see a response from the plant). And wait.
Lack of light
When begonia maculata lacks light, its leaves lose their characteristic color and turn yellow. Of course, they fall off over time. Unless you catch them in time.
And the solution is simple: give it more hours of light. Of course, don’t confuse more light with direct sunlight. And less in this situation which will already be weak. It needs to be given more hours of indirect light and over time, and if it reacts, you will gradually put it in full sun for a few hours, but only in the morning (until around 9 a.m. in the south of Spain, until 11 a.m. in the north), or in the afternoon (from 8 p.m. in the south, from 7 p.m. in the north) . .
Do you now understand why a begonia maculata loses its leaves?