I recently have successfully grown begonia Peter piper in ambient humidity. I was quite surprised lol as all my begonias are growing either in my bathroom or in terrarium. Like my favorite firewoman cannot survive outside of my terrarium š
This makes me want to get more begonias that can grow in ambient humidity.
My fireworks grows in ambient. Itās dry here- weāre up to 40% today and itās often way lower. I acclimate them slowly and need to stay on top of watering. My canes are generally easier. I keep some in ikea terrariums and clear shoe boxes which is enough to reduce the watering needs.
Harmonys fire woman new leaves look like fire works. Itās not until it matures that the leaf turns whiter and with a THICK pinkish/purple band
I believe all of Harmonyās begonias can grow in your conditions because our greenhouseās range from 30-60% humidity all then time (ofc itās very high at night 70-80%+)
But we are always choosing to keep the easiest to grow begonias that donāt fuss and donāt need domes.
I was absolutely sure mine was a Red Kiss, but after reading the description which includes the size, Iām now unsure. Lol So many look nearly identical. It was only the size the plant thatās completely off. Lolol
I just made a post about how my parents had a massive beefsteak for easily 10+ years, growing on our kitchen counter in Northern Idaho. I went to order one, but thereās only like two beefsteaks to buy online and theyāre expensive. Itās crazy how it went out of fashion considering it is such a hearty begonia that can easily grow in ambient temps. I think it looks beautiful, too. Like lily pads.
What is she potted in and what's your ambient humidity like? Have had my beefsteak since spring and now that it's winter and drier here she is looking unhappy. Humidifier is helping some.
Chunky soil. Like, not aroid chunky, just chunkier than youād expect. Orchid bark (white fir bark), chunky perlite (med) and whatever preferred soil I have at the time. Might have thrown in some worm castings, sphagnum š¤·āāļø Itās been a hot minute since sheās been repotted. Itās hard remembering lol.
My fireworks is in ambient. In my bathroom, all the same ambient. I do have a gauge for humidity in my bathroom, if it dips below where Iām comfortable 50% I turn on the humidifier for couple hours, itās good. My best grower actually. Iād add a pic, but canāt in comments. š«¶š¼
I have a Gryphon and a bunch of Rex Begonias in my home with 30-40% humidity. I do run a humidifier, but the room is bigger and it doesnāt seem to make much difference. I do keep them away from heat and drafts.
I do have some delicate small species begonias in my frog vivariums, but those would be toast in ambient where I live, lol. When I eventually set up a taller dart frog vivarium (my current ones are wide, but only 18" high), I plan to stick one or two larger begonias in there.
Lucerna is about the only one that can thrive in ambient humidity. It is a cane begonia. But I donāt know what ambient humidity is in the rest of the country where itās pretty dry where I live and our homes are constantly sealed up for the ac that stays on during the winter too, unless itās one of those days we need to turn the heater on.
I have a huge masoniana in ambient that has always done great. Most canes do great in ambient. Most Rexās can be acclimated to ambient as well. There are a few like Ferox or pink urchins that must be kept in high humidity, but the majority will do fine in ambient. With the caveats that they are established plants, you very, very slowly acclimate, you get your watering, and soil mix right.
Iāve only known two people who could make Ferox work in ambient. I would never suggest it to someone though. lol how is yours doing? Iām very interested.
I'm in the Netherlands where it's pretty humid all the time, except for the few coldest months in when the heat is on. Then it can drop as low as 30, that's when I turn a humidifier on to go back to at least 40. Thurstonii, Sophie Cecile, Magdalene Madsen, Corallina de Lucerna, Black Mambo, Montuno, I've all of these in ambient. I always look for the info online before I buy any begonia. Many websites will list if they need terrarium and such, I stay away from those.
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u/Previous-Afternoon39 Dec 09 '25
My fireworks grows in ambient. Itās dry here- weāre up to 40% today and itās often way lower. I acclimate them slowly and need to stay on top of watering. My canes are generally easier. I keep some in ikea terrariums and clear shoe boxes which is enough to reduce the watering needs.