Any suggestions on how to bring back the flowers on a Begonia house plant? My mother has a very healthy one that hasn't flowered for a few months now. The foliage is growing beautifully, and I think that is the problem - all of its energy is going into producing leaves!

Most plants do well not overwatered or underwatered. They do like to dry out a bit before the next watering, but don't let it get like a rock. Watering a little bit frequently isn't usually the best way of dealing with house plants eiter.

I would try adding fertalizer. KMart makes cheaper immitations of Miracle Grow. They have fertalizers that will fit you needs. These have worked very well with my house plants.

The problem may also be the pot. Check about how sensitive the roots of the plant are. Some don't take well to having their roots messed with at all. I read in a gardening book that many people make the mistake of potting up. The book said to remove the plant from the pot and trim back roots. They should have an inch or more depending on the size of the plant and root system. You fill with new soil. This allows the root system to grow and keeps house plants healtier.

I was very relived to read this. I love the Asian ceramic containers which I keep all my plants in. As long as you allow for continued root growth, the plant will thrive. I tried it. It does work. Be careful with this one. Just use common sense. There are no hard rules. Again, check web sites to find out what plants are root sensitive or call a good garden store, not Franks.

Good luck! It takes trial and error. I used to kill a cactus. Now, with a bit of practice, my plants do great.

I'd recommend a couple of things - first feed it. Because there is so little soil in the houseplants, the nutrients in the soil gets depleted pretty quickly. Secondly - the leaves on the begoinia's tend to get pretty big and the bigger they are, the more energy they require. I would pinch back on a few of the larger ones - just reach to the base of it and break it off with your fingernails. This will enable more of the energy to go towards the health and growth of new leaves and new buds.

Lack of flowers is often due to inadequate light. Indirect sunlight is best. I feed mine once a month. According to my house plant book, "Most thrive with fertilizers containing a little more nitrogen than phosphorus or potassium, but those grown for heavy displays of flowers need a fertilizer with adequate amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium".

If you are already doing this, and the excellent tips in the posts above do not work, then maybe the plant is just old and a new one would be the answer.

Thank you for your help, Wildflower, Lydia and Vixen. I will pass the information on to my mother.