How to Prune & Propagate an Angel Wing Begonia
Hi, Judy –
I’m hoping you can help me! A friend gave a cutting of this plant almost a year ago and it has grown beautifully, including blooming over the winter. She gave it to me in a small vase; the roots were just in water and I repotted it when I thought it had a good root mass. We moved a month ago and it was left outside for one night; it was very humid at the time. It looks to be recovering up top but I would like some advice on what I can do to help it. Should I prune it at all? Repot?
Hi Amy,
Pinching back your Angel Wing Begonia is the best way to get it to become bushy. Use a clean, sharp scissors or a knife to cut the stems back to a leaf node. A node is where a leaf joins the stem. Begonias can be cut back to within 3-5 inches of the soil to help them regrow. Your plant will then send out lots of new side growth. Here’s a picture of a healthy, blooming Angel Wing Begonia.
You can use the stem cuttings to propagate new Angel Wing begonia plants. Cut the stem pieces you removed into a 3”-5” sections. Each piece should have two to four nodes on it. Dip the cut ends of these stems into a small amount of Rooting Hormone and plant them in a 4″ container of perlite or sand. Be sure there are drip holes in the bottom of the pot. You can read all my care tips for an Angel Wing begonia in the Popular Houseplant section of the website.
https://www.houseplant411.com/houseplant/angel-wing-begonia-how-to-grow-care-guide
Begonias are considered poisonous and should be kept away from pets and children. Read more about common houseplants that are poisonous in my book Don’t Feed Me To Your Cat! A Guide to Poisonous Houseplants.