Plant Care Spotted Begonia

Spotted Begonia

4.6 out of 5 (162 experiences)

Spotted Begonia has a Fast grower plant personality Fast grower
Spotted Begonia has a Large, lush leaves plant personality Large, lush leaves

About Spotted Begonia

There are over 2,000 species of Begonia, and horticulturalists have created even more varities by cultivating all sorts of shapes and colors! They're native to tropical regions around the world, but are now found in homes in cold climates as well. Their taxonomy is far more complex than other plants, with species belonging to different cultivar groups. They contain oxalic acid, so be sure to keep them out of reach in homes with pets or children! ⚠️

Taxonomy

Begonia maculata
Begonia
Begoniaceae
Cucurbitales

Also known as

Polka Dot Begonia, Polka Dot Begonia, Trout Begonia, Begonia corallina and Begonia flamingo, queen

How to care for Spotted Begonia

💦 Water

How often to water your Spotted Begonia

Water needs for Spotted Begonia
0.5 cups
every 9

Spotted Begonia needs 0.5 cups of water every 9 when it doesn’t get direct sunlight and is potted in a 5" pot.

Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.

Calculate water needs of Spotted Begonia

Water 0.5 cups every
9

Does your plant get direct sunlight?

Select the pot size

5"
☀️ Light

Finding light for Polka Dot Begonia in your home

Light needs and placement for plant Spotted Begonia: 3ft from a window
3ft or less from
a window

Spotted Begonia may have difficulty thriving, and will drop leaves 🍃, without ample sunlight.

Place it less than 3 feet from a south-facing window to maximize the potential for growth.

Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Spotted Begonia in your home 🏡.

🪴 Nutrients

How to fertilize Spotted Begonia

Nutrient, fertilizer, and repotting needs for Spotted Begonia: repot after 2X growth

Most potting soils come with ample nutrients which plants use to produce new growth.

By the time your plant has depleted the nutrients in its soil it’s likely grown enough to need a larger pot anyway.

To replenish this plant's nutrients, repot your Spotted Begonia after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.

Browse #Begonia
💡 FAQs
⭐ Difficulty Level

Spotted Begonia is generally easy to care for, though some plant parents report facing challenges with growing it. Check out the reviews down below to read more about their experiences!

Benefits of Growing Polka Dot Begonia →

Common Polka Dot Begonia Problems →


💦 Water Needs

Spotted Begonia prefers for the soil to dry out between waterings and should be watered regularly. Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.

Polka Dot Begonia Water Frequency →

Polka Dot Begonia Root Rot →


☀️ Sunlight Needs

Spotted Begonia may have difficulty thriving and will drop leaves 🍃 without ample sunlight. Place it less than 3 feet from a window to maximize the potential for growth. Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement in your home 🏡.

Polka Dot Begonia Light Requirements →

Polka Dot Begonia Direct Sunlight Needs & Tolerance →


🐶 🐈 👶 Toxicity

Spotted Begonia is not safe to consume. If you, a family member, or a pet has ingested any amount of plant material contact Poison Control, US (800) 222-1222, or your veterinarian. If you have children, cats, or dogs in the home, we suggest keeping this plant out of reach.

Polka Dot Begonia Toxicity to Dogs →

Polka Dot Begonia Toxicity to Humans →


💨 Humidity

Spotted Begonia doesn’t require additional humidity. Plants absorb most water through their root system rather than their leaves, so the best way to provide humidity for your plants is through watering the soil.

Polka Dot Begonia Humidity Needs →


🪴 Soil

Spotted Begonia does best in well-draining soil. A good soil will contain lots of organic matter such as coco coir as well as perlite or vermiculite to help with drainage. Adding a handful of perlite to regular store-bought potting soil should do the trick!

When and How to Successfully Repot Polka Dot Begonia →


💩 Fertilizer

Spotted Begonia should be repotted after it doubles in size or once a year, whichever comes first. Fresh potting soil has all the nutrients your plant needs, so as long as it’s refreshed yearly, you shouldn’t need to use fertilizer. Remember, plants get their energy from sunlight, not fertilizer!

How Much and When to Fertilize Polka Dot Begonia →


❄️ Dormancy

Spotted Begonia does not have a typical pattern of dormancy. If you notice their growth slowing down substantially, double check that they are getting enough sunlight and water to thrive!


🌎 Native Region

Spotted Begonia is native to Tropics and Subtropics worldwide.


🌸 Flowers

Yes, you may see your Spotted Begonia bloom with the right amount of sunlight and water.


⬆️ ⬇️ Growth Pattern

Spotted Begonia grows vertically and new growth will emerge from the top of the plant.

How and When to Prune Polka Dot Begonia →


🌦️ Growing Outdoors

USDA Hardiness Zone
Spotted Begonia can be grown outdoors in USDA Hardiness Zones 10a-12b. Find your local hardiness zone here.

Polka Dot Begonia Temperature Tolerance →


🌱 Propagation

Spotted Begonia can be propagated by the stem method. To propagate:

  • Make a cut just above the node. The node is the break in the stem where the leaf emerges.
  • To get the cutting to root, you can either:
    • Place the cutting in water until roots emerge and are ~2” long and then transplant into well-draining soil, or
    • Place the cutting directly into well-draining soil and water when dry.

🍂 Yellow Leaves

Yellow leaves aren’t always a reason to panic, and can be a normal part of a plant’s life cycle. Unless brand new leaves are turning yellow or all the leaves change color at once, it’s likely just your plant shedding old leaves.

Overwatering and root rot are the most likely cause of problems in Spotted Begonia, since they are sensitive to wet soil. The leaves may also appear to be curling or drooping. Less often, yellow leaves are caused by underwatering, nutrient deficiencies, or pests.

Replace soggy soil with fresh, dry soil and download Greg to make sure your plant never gets overwatered again!


🧐 Troubleshooting

When troubleshooting a sad-looking houseplant, start by checking for signs of distress in its leaves, such as yellowing, browning, or drooping, which can indicate overwatering or nutrient deficiencies.

Inspect the soil moisture; too dry or too wet soil can cause problems.

Ensure the plant is getting the right amount of light, as too much or too little can stress it.

Finally, consider environmental factors like temperature and humidity, and adjust care routines accordingly to revive your plant.


Care Summary for Spotted Begonia

Spotted Begonia

Spotted Begonia


Greg recommends:

Water

0.5 cups every 9 days

Placement

< 3ft from a window

Nutrients

Repot after 2x growth

Based on the 4” pot your plant is in, and that it doesn’t get direct sunlight.

What other plant parents say

Spotted Begonia has a Fast grower plant personality Fast grower 106
Spotted Begonia has a Large, lush leaves plant personality Large, lush leaves 96
Spotted Begonia has a Survivor plant personality Survivor 55
Spotted Begonia has a Easy to propagate plant personality Easy to propagate 47
Spotted Begonia has a Browns easily plant personality Browns easily 39
Spotted Begonia has a Blooms easily plant personality Blooms easily 26
Spotted Begonia has a Pest magnet plant personality Pest magnet 6
@LeadCucumber avatar
@@LeadCucumber
leaf-1 3 Plants
xp 50 XP
globe Green Isle, MN
04/08/2022

Very easy to care for, grows fast, unique and fun colored

Fast grower Fast grower
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
@FastAster avatar
@@FastAster
leaf-1 2 Plants
xp 63 XP
02/22/2022

easy to grow,the process of growing leaves is delightful

Survivor Survivor
Fast grower Fast grower
@MariansOasis avatar
@@MariansOasis
leaf-1 90 Plants
xp 18,641 XP
globe Solana Beach, CA
01/23/2022

Grows fast even in winter. Gorgeous leaves!!

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
@Swellsquid768 avatar
@@Swellsquid768
leaf-1 90 Plants
xp 2,063 XP
12/07/2021

I use orchid stakes and clips to keep it growing up instead of out.

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
@AleahFrancesca avatar
@@AleahFrancesca
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 75 XP
globe Arlington, WA
11/15/2021

When it’s happy, its really happy. I got this plan a year ago it was really unhappy and only had 1 leaf. It currently has 25 full leaves and a a bunch of babies.

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
@alycia_maree avatar
@@alycia_maree
leaf-1 120 Plants
xp 2,509 XP
globe Perth, Western Australia
11/06/2021

This plant loves bathroom with great lighting and hot showers so it gets a good amount of humidity every morning/night

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
@Cassrose avatar
@@Cassrose
leaf-1 51 Plants
xp 1,155 XP
globe New York
11/05/2021

Super easy to propagate from. The leaves are a bit too tender for my liking. I’m a bit rough so it can easily damage leaves if I’m cleaning them.

Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
@Roxanne avatar
@@Roxanne
leaf-1 37 Plants
xp 12,869 XP
globe Portland, OR
11/04/2021

Such a beautiful and rewarding plant to grow. She has polka dot leaves but my favorite are the red and pink hues under her leaves. She’s puts out a few leaves every month and is growing fast! I have her at a northwest facing window and she loves the bright light!

Fast grower Fast grower
@NellBell85 avatar
@@NellBell85
leaf-1 20 Plants
xp 495 XP
globe Boulder, CO
09/17/2021

She’s so pretty with the pink on the leaves, cute flowers that show up pretty often, & have a beautiful pink color. The care is easy; I’m looking for another begonia to join it. I did have a trellis to give her some support. Shes one of my very favorite plants.

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Blooms easily Blooms easily
Survivor Survivor
Judith avatar
@Judith
leaf-1 12 Plants
xp 146 XP
globe Mesa, AZ
09/13/2021

Where i got mine, the roots were still wrapped in cloth and were suffocating the roots. Half my plant died.

Browns easily Browns easily
@noneofyrbeesmax avatar
@@noneofyrbeesmax
leaf-1 67 Plants
xp 8,443 XP
09/09/2021

This is just such a beautiful, fun plant! I have mine sitting in an east-facing windowsill and it’s thriving with the early morning light, and so far it hasn’t been fussy about watering either. It’s grown a new leaf just about every week or two, some are big and some are small. Such a lovely plant to watch grow with their beautiful spiraling buds and iridescent white dots!

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Austin avatar
@Austin
leaf-1 9 Plants
xp 266 XP
globe Burlington, VT
08/31/2021

a lovely plant to grow!

Fast grower Fast grower
@cjred avatar
@@cjred
leaf-1 45 Plants
xp 6,260 XP
globe Downtown Core, Singapore
08/26/2021

Easy plant just give lots of light and humidity

Fast grower Fast grower
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Survivor Survivor
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Rachel avatar
@Rachel
leaf-1 10 Plants
xp 161 XP
globe Hinsdale, NH
08/26/2021

It’s pretty when it leaves are t browned but really easy to take care of

Fast grower Fast grower
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Survivor Survivor
Browns easily Browns easily
@z.white18 avatar
@@z.white18
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 256 XP
globe Edgewood, WA
08/24/2021

good for a plant beginner
very easy to take care of:)

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Siddiqa avatar
@Siddiqa
leaf-1 10 Plants
xp 146 XP
globe Luton, England
08/24/2021

You can put a dying stem in the water and it’ll start growing again

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Survivor Survivor
Fast grower Fast grower
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
@sharnirose avatar
@@sharnirose
leaf-1 20 Plants
xp 710 XP
08/23/2021

Beautiful and easy plant with unique appearance

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
@elecia22 avatar
@@elecia22
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 128 XP
globe Dallas, TX
08/17/2021

very finicky, slow grower, very delicate and easy to damage

@Sunflower_Sam avatar
@@Sunflower_Sam
leaf-1 12 Plants
xp 2,766 XP
globe Ottawa, Ontario
08/12/2021

This thing grows so fast. I love her so much. It was one leaf clipping and now she’s got 6 leaves!!

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Survivor Survivor
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
@Obot avatar
@@Obot
leaf-1 7 Plants
xp 542 XP
08/10/2021

I got this plant from my art teacher years ago I keep propagating it and keeps on growing

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Fast grower Fast grower
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Survivor Survivor

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