Angel Wing Begonia problems & how to fix them
Begonia coccinea
Drooping, yellowing, brown tips, or a plant that just won’t thrive? Here are the most common Angel Wing Begonia problems, what usually causes them, and how to turn things around.
Common problems
Powdery mildew
Begonias are prone to mildew when air is stagnant and leaves stay damp. A fungal disease that coats leaves in a white, powdery film and slowly weakens the plant. Caught early and treated consistently, most plants recover fully within a few weeks.
powdery mildew's white coating on leaves
Photo: Dmitry Brant · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Root rot
Fleshy stems and fine roots rot quickly in constantly wet soil. A fungal or bacterial infection of the roots, almost always triggered by soil staying wet too long. Caught early, most plants recover within a few weeks after repotting; if most roots are already mushy, recovery is uncertain.
Phytophthora root rot on a dug-up root ball
Photo: Jerzy Opioła · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Fungal leaf spot
Water splashed on the leaves often triggers spotting. A fungal infection that creates dark spots inside leaf tissue, often with yellow halos, and spreads through water splash on wet leaves. Existing spots will not heal, but with pruning and drier foliage the spread usually stops within two to three weeks.
Cercospora leaf spots with dark rims on a spinach leaf
Photo: Plant pests and diseases · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Mealybugs
Check leaf axils along the canes, a favorite hiding spot. Slow-moving sap-sucking insects that look like bits of white cotton stuck in leaf joints. They are stubborn but very treatable with repeated spot treatment; expect steady improvement over 3-4 weeks.
a long-tailed mealybug on a leaf
Photo: D-Kuru · CC BY-SA 3.0 at · Wikimedia Commons
The mistakes that most often kill it
- Keeping the soil constantly wet, which rots the canes at the base.
- Misting the foliage, which invites powdery mildew.
- Deep shade, which produces weak, flowerless, stretched stems.
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