Begonia Blues :O(

Now there are no blue Begonias ( I think ?) But I have grown trailing begonias for years . I save the corms each November . Dust them with sulpher ,wrap them loosely in shredded paper , and store in a dark cool garage. Around mid march I unwrap and plant in seed trays - just covering the corm . I bring them into the warm house and let them do their thing, in indirect light. I used to get 80 - 90% showing. Last year wasn't very good , this year about 40%!
Any ideas to reduce my increasing incompetence ?

TIA

 

I dont really grow that many tuberous begonias these days Harry, but I bought one of those pendulous types last year and it wasn't great.
At the end of the season I found out why.
Vine weevil, not enough to kill it, but enough to stop it growing properly.

 

I feel your pain FC

 

I have a begonia in a pot called (I think) Dragons Wing. It gets hauled out to the patio every May (in the shade) then back in every November. It's been around for 3 years now and appears to be doing well

 

Lynda I had a dragon wing type for a few years excellent and very reliable plants .

I always do OK growing the trailing begonias . Just seem to have trouble restarting the corms nowadays. For the few I do need I may do as JWK says and buy plugs.
Heard a lot about vine weevils , not too sure how to recognise them . I did have little white maggots appearing two years ago . Is that a sign of them ?

 

Cut any tubers that dont grow in half @HarryS .
They will either be brown right through, in which case they have just rotted overwinter, or have tunnels in them, that will be vine weevil.

 

I'm growing them for the first time this year and started the corms off in small pots and left them on a windowsill. With nothing happening I moved them into my electric propagator and the first one has the start of a shoot, two weeks on. Perhaps bottom heat is the way to go Harry.

 

You leave my bottom alone Sheal !
I think that may be the way to go next year Sheal - good tip
@pete , another good tip I'll section the "dead" tubers in a week or so

 

@pete , I have planted my trailing Begonias into baskets this morning . The non starter tubers were cut into sections ,they are pure white with no weevil trails. So they are just being downright awkward !

 

If they are white @HarryS I'd say they are probably still alive.
So, you could dust the cuts with sulphur and replant them, bearing in mind you only cut them in half,.
That way you could end up with twice as many plants.

 

my tubers are taking for ages to get going I re checked them last week and changed the compost to Jack Magic and they are now slowly starting to get going

 

I cut the tubers into many sections , so they are in the green bin now . I'll buy a pack off 4 next week . They should be in the garden centres now. Seems for simpler way for a few quid