Begonias start from stem cuttings and from leaves. NCSU names both, plus division and seed. Iowa State: stem cuttings root in water or in perlite under mist, and many houseplant begonias also start from pie-shaped leaf wedges. Leaf work and stem work stay on this URL.
NCSU: moist, well-drained mix and a humid room. For mix in a drained pot, see soil propagation. Iowa names water for stems; for the jar method in general, see water propagation.
NCSU: sap can irritate skin. The roots contain calcium oxalate.
Leaf cuttings
Iowa State, houseplant types: cut pie-shaped wedges of leaf, set them on moist media, and wait for plantlets at the cut edges.
Illinois Extension, Rex begonia and other fibrous begonias: cut through the major veins. Lay the whole leaf on the rooting media. Pin it so it stays in contact. New plants form at those wounds.
UNL, Rex begonia: leaf section cuttings. Cut the leaf into pieces. Insert the edge that was closest to the parent plant into the medium.
Those are three named ways to use a leaf. Do not run them as one hybrid recipe. Illinois: a leaf cutting has to make both roots and shoots, and it usually takes longer to a finished plant than a stem cutting. Illinois does not give a begonia week count.
Stem cuttings
Iowa State: stem cuttings root in water or in perlite under mist.
Illinois Extension, stem cuttings in general (not a begonia-only length): usually 3 to 6 inches, at least two nodes and not more than six, often the tip, spring or summer preferred. Pre-moisten the media. Strip leaves that would sit below the mix. Insert 1 to 3 inches. Hormone is optional. Press the mix, mist, and you may cover with a clear plastic bag. Bright light, not direct sun. Illinois: when roots are one inch long, pot the cuttings on. Illinois’s one-week and 10 to 14 day figures are for tender versus tougher stems in general, not a measured begonia wait.
NCSU, rex types: avoid misting and overwatering, which invite disease. Iowa’s stem method uses mist over perlite. Name both. Rex also wants high humidity without soaking the leaf.
Common mistakes
- Mixing Iowa’s wedges, Illinois’s pinned whole leaf, and UNL’s leaf sections into one set of steps.
- Direct sun on a bagged cutting. Illinois and NCSU want bright, indirect light.
- Wet mix that does not drain. NCSU: begonias rot when overwatered.
- A week count copied from Illinois’s general tender-stem line as if it were measured on begonia.
People also ask
Water or mix for a stem?
Iowa State: water or perlite. UNL says some houseplants root in water, and that perlite or vermiculite often works better. This page does not invent a jar schedule.
Which leaf method should I use?
Iowa: pie-shaped wedges on moist media. Illinois: whole leaf, veins cut, pinned. UNL: sections, base-edge down. Pick one source and follow it.
Can I divide a begonia?
NCSU lists division, including for rex types, which grow from rhizomes. Leaf and stem stay the H2s on this URL.
How long until a leaf makes a plant?
Illinois: longer than a stem cutting. None of these pages give a begonia week count.