How to Start Baby Strawberry Begonias

The strawberry begonia, (Saxifraga sarmentosa), also known as a strawberry geranium, is a compact houseplant with a pleasant rounded shape and fuzzy, dark green leaves marked with silvery stripes. Strawberry begonia is especially pretty cascading over the sides of a hanging basket. Much like regular strawberry plants, the strawberry begonia sends out runners with tiny baby plants, or plantlets, that can be planted to form new strawberry begonia plants.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

things you’ll need:

• Planting container with drainage hole
• Commercial potting mixture
• Saucer
• Parent strawberry begonia
• Strawberry begonia plantlet
• Scissors
• Sharp knife

1. Fill a planting container with commercial potting mixture. Set the planting container in a saucer of water so that water can wick up through the drainage hole in the bottom of the container. Remove the planting container from the saucer as soon as the potting mixture is moist.
2. On the parent strawberry begonia, locate a baby strawberry plantlet that has roots on the bottom. Cut the plantlet away from the parent strawberry begonia using scissors or a sharp knife.
3. Put the plantlet in the commercial potting mixture. If there are no plantlets with roots, place the new planting container next to the parent strawberry begonia and put the plantlet in the container while it’s still attached to the parent. When the plantlet has rooted, it will be safe to cut the runner, severing the plantlet from the parent plant.
4. Put the container in indirect light and keep the soil moist until the plantlet roots, which is indicated by the appearance of new growth. At that time, if the plantlet is still connected to the parent plant, sever it by cutting the runner.