Polka Dot Begonia Care – Spotted Begonia Maculata
The Polka Dot Begonia (Begonia maculata) is a beautiful houseplant with unique spotted leaves. The top of the leaves have silver-white polka dots, while the underside is a deep red or purple. It’s a great plant to grow indoors if you can provide the right care.
Looking to buy a polka dot Begonia? Find it for sale on Amazon!
Light
This begonia does best in bright, indirect light. A good spot is near an east- or north-facing window. It can handle lower light, but the leaves may stay smaller, and the plant may grow leggy as it stretches toward the light. If your space is too dark, a grow light can help.
Watering
Keep the soil lightly moist but not soggy. Water when the top of the soil feels dry, and let any excess water drain completely. Avoid letting it sit in water, as this can cause root rot.
In winter, the plant grows more slowly, so it needs less water. If the leaves turn yellow and pale, that’s usually a sign of overwatering.
If you are uncertain, you can use a moisture meter to help you out with when to water.
Repotting
Repot in spring when the roots outgrow the pot. Even if it still has room, refresh the soil every two to three years since nutrients deplete over time. Always use a pot with drainage holes to prevent root rot.
Further reading: How to repot your indoor plants.
Flowers on a Begonia Maculata
Mature Polka Dot Begonias can bloom indoors with the right care. Most have pink flowers, but the ‘Wightii’ variety produces white blooms. If yours doesn’t flower, don’t worry—many indoor begonias don’t. When they do, it’s usually in spring or early summer.
Humidity
These plants like high humidity. If the leaf tips turn brown and dry, they may need more moisture. a small humidifier nearby is the best solution.
Pruning
If your begonia gets too tall or leggy, you can prune it. Pinching the small stems that branch off the main stem encourages bushier growth. Trim longer stems before winter to help the plant conserve energy—it will grow back fuller in spring.
Propagation
You can easily grow new begonias from cuttings. Take a healthy stem, remove the lower leaves, and place it in water or soil. In water, wait for roots to grow before planting. In soil, use a rooting hormone and keep the soil moist. In a few weeks, you’ll have a new plant ready to grow.
For more detailed information, read my post on how to propagate begonias.
Further reading: 6 easy ways to propagate your plants.
I have a Begonia Maculata , a cutting from my daughter. The flowers are red, not white. I would love to have a white flower one as well. Best source?
Thank you, your site has been quite informative, answering several questions I had.
Hi Hanne,
Glad my articles have been of use to you, thank you for your kind words.
About the Begonia Maculata, I got mine at a local plant nursery. That would be my advice, to go somewhere local, garden center or plant nursery, where you can talk to a salesperson that actually knows a lot about the plants they sell. Ask them if they have the Begonia M. with the white flowers. You could also call in advance to check stock. Hope you find one!
And now I want one with red flowers. 🙂
@Hanne, In case you haven’t found one yet. Mine has mostly white flowers with pale pink centers. I got it from Logee’s.
The leaves have fallen of my maculata ( I am not a green thumb!), but the stem is still green and has green nodes.
I have had it in morning shade and bright afternoon sun, is this a problem?
Hi Margaret, Did the leaves change color before they dropped? My first guess is overwatering. Have you maybe watered it too often without giving the soil a chance to dry out? On the other hand, if you have underwatered and the soil is kept too dry, it could cause leaves to drop as well. So start with checking the soil and thinking about the last time you watered it.
This Begonia likes a lot of bright light, but maybe you overdid it with the sun? Too much could burn and dry out the leaves. Eventually those will then drop off.
I hope this helps you to troubleshoot and find what is causing the leaf drop. Good luck!
Hallo,
My Polka Dot Begonia grows very small leaves. Everything else is ok, but the leaves are really small and they remain small. Can someone please tell me what is it I am doing wrong?
I am fertilizing it and watering regularly and I am keeping it away frm direkt sun light
I will be very grateful for your tips.
Thanks for your help.
Hi Ellie, How much are you fertilizing and watering? Be careful not to overdo it. More is not always better. About the small leaves, my first guess would be either they are just young leaves and need more time to grow and mature. Otherwise, I would suggest moving your plant somewhere where it can get some more light to support the leaves to grow bigger. Hope that helps!
@Ellie, mine have the same problem. They are not young leaves anymore but have stayed the same size since last year :(. Often get new leaves but they also fall off sometimes.
Hi!
I recently bought a spotted begonia. The leaves are a little dull. Does the amount of light it gets affect the colour of its foliage? Just trying to figure out the best place to position it in my apartment!
My plant is about 18 inches tall. Do they like to be root bound or is it time for me to re-pot. It is in a well draining 9 inch pot. Also it has never bloomed. And, I have seen where they say this is also a perennial, which I’m guessing it can be planted outside. Is this correct? Thank you for any help you can give me.
Hi Jeanne, I am not a believer in plants liking to be root bound. Think about how they grow in their native habitat. They have space to grow. Without seeing your plant it’s hard to say if it’s time to repot. Does the soil quickly dry out? Are there roots coming from the drainage holes? Then yes, go ahead and repot one size up.
Don’t worry about your plant not blooming. Some plants just don’t bloom indoors. They need their conditions to be just right. Continue caring for it the best you can and maybe next spring your plant will reward you with flowers. Good luck!
Hey! So my polka dot begonia is sparse. I had it from a friend and it literally has 9 leaves which are all around the edges of the pot so nothing at all in the middle. It looks well, sparse lol I use filtered water and feed maybe every 6 or 7 days (I push my finger in and feed when it mostly feels dry. Fertiliser I give maybe every 2 weeks or so. The tips are brown, aside from that the leaves look really healthy. It doesn’t flower, they always go brown before they’ve even opened up, like all of them. Should I just prune and propagate each one to essentially start again? Oh I have her on a tray of clay peoples which I water twice a day. She just doesn’t seem happy. Help!
P s sorry for the essay ?
Hi Kirsty, I’m sorry to hear about the state of your polka dot begonia.. *sad face*
How much light was your plant getting? If it’s very sparse and leggy it could be a good time to move to a spot with a little more light and see if it does better there.
It’s not uncommon for these plant not to flower indoors. Even with the help of fertilizer. Again *sad face*.
For now, I would let the plant rest a bit, continue with regular care, and see if new growth appears that looks better. If you don’t want to look at your plant in this state any longer, you can definitely take the route of pruning and water propagating your cuttings. It’s drastic, but exciting when roots start growing and you can transfer them to soil.
I’m not sure what you mean with a tray of clay people? Do you mean it is standing on a humidity tray? That’s good. Just make sure the bottom of the pot is not touching the water.
Let me know how your plant is doing! Good luck!
Hello 🙂
My begonia maculata is rolling leaves inside. Before it missed almost all old leaves. Now the new ones are coming but also rolled inside. The stem is allright from the bottom but the higher part is “rotten”(?). Its weak, soft, looks like its going to die.. but the bottom is ok so i dont know. Before it was on east window, about 1 meter for the window with wooden blinds. Today I put it further from the window. About 5 meters. It still have light but less.. I dont know what to do 🙁
Hi Julia, I am sorry but I don’t fully understand what you are describing. New leaves always start out curled up. They then should unfurl and grow in size. I can’t say what is causing the tops of your stems to rot as you say. But if I were you, I would start by removing all rotten and damaged parts and re-assess from there. Good luck!
I just got my Polka Dot Begonia. It is in a 3-4 inch pot. Should I repot it
Hi Patty, without seeing the plant it’s hard to say if it’s time to repot or not. Is your Begonia crowding its current pot? Are there roots coming from the drainage holes on the bottom? Maybe check out this post about when and how to repot your plant. Hope it helps!
Hi!
I have a polka dot begonia which I bought a year ago, all of a sudden it’s grown very leggy, sideways and I’m not sure if I need to wait until the autumn until I repot and significantly trim it back. Or would you suggest I use canes to hold the stems up? After years of killing numerous houseplants I’m finally keeping some alive so I need to make sure I help them along!
Grateful for your help
Thanks
Hi Emma, how is your polka dot Begonia doing now? Have you trimmed it back? If so, it is probably growing new leaves already. I would suggest moving it somewhere where it gets a bit more light and see if it gets less leggy. Hope your plant is doing good!
I have this plant and it is extremely tall and leggy; falling to one side. Should I post it and tie it for support or prune it now. It’s loving the heat and humidity right now. Where on the stems to I actually cut if that’s what you suggest? Thank you
Hi Leslie, How is your polka dot Begonia doing? Have you pruned and propagated it? If not, maybe this post about how to prune and propagate your Begonia can get you started.
The leaves on the bottom curl under
Help!
Hi!
What to do with the leaves that turned brown in some places?
Thank you
Yael
Hi Yael, It happens sometimes, especially indoors. If they bother you, you can just pinch those leaves off. New leaves will grow where you removed the old one. If you don’t remove them, they most likely will fall off by themself if they dry out some more.
Do you think if a clay watering stake will be ok for the polkadot begonia?
Hi Zoey, I have not used a watering stake for my begonia maculata myself. So I’m not sure. Why don’t you try it for a while, keeping a close eye on how your plant responds. Let me know how it goes!
My Begonia Maculata has lost all it’s leaves except for a”baby leaf”. I was told to put it inside of a large plastic ziploc bag & mist the inside. I do see growth on the stems. My question is “will this way promote growth faster”? I can’t figure out what to do to save it. Please help! 😞
Hi Quannetta, Keeping your Begonia inside a ziplock bag can help to keep moisture and humidity high. This can promote growth, but you would mainly do this to help cuttings grow roots. Don’t forget to open the bag occasionally to let it breathe. You don’t want mold to start growing inside the bag.
my begonia has produced a thick stem,what should I do with it,there is a plant growing at the top.
Hi Florence, I’m not sure if I understand what you mean with a plant is growing on top of a thick stem? Older, more mature stems naturally get thicker and woodier. They can still grow new leaves and side stems.
Polka dot Begona
Var uheldig å brekke en grein da jeg skulle binde den opp.
Nå gråter den, mister jeg planten ? Hvis det ikke gjør noe om den gråter vil jeg få nye blader og vil greina vokse videre fra der den knakk
Mvh Anne Grimstvedt
Hi Anne, I am sorry but I don’t understand. Could you reply and ask your question in English maybe? I would be happy to help and talk plants!
@Mod and Mint, Was unlucky to break a branch when I should tie it up.
Now does it cry, I lose the plant? If it doesn’t do anything about it crying I will get new leaves and will grain further from where the crack – per google translate
Hi, I just bought a begonia maculata from a lady this last week and it was already looking kind of sad, but she assured me that some leaves would fall off and new ones were growing in (I do see some new growths starting). I put it near my window with only east facing morning sun, but two of the more mature/dark green leaves have dried/shriveled up 🙁 I’m assuming that was too much sun, so I’ve moved it now. Would it be best to just clip those leaves off or let them fall off on their own? It’s a very small plant without many leaves, so I’m hesitant to just clip them.
Also, the other leaves are more of a dingy lime green than the typical rich green. Will they turn darker eventually or is that just that leaf’s forever color? I’m sad she’s already looking so sad and just want her to be happy!
Hi Elisha, hope your begonia maculata is doing well. It doesn’t matter if you remove the damaged leaves or let them fall off naturally. Your plant might look a bit bare for a while, but new leaves growing is a good sign.
Let the plant acclimate to its new environment and keep an eye on those pale leaves. Good luck, hope your plant pulls through.
Hi! Thanks for all the info and help! Just a quick question. If in the summer I have my ac on, not directly on the plant of course, would it help to take her with me to the bathroom when I shower? Humidity wise. Thanks!!
Hi Antonella, your Begonia would love the humidity, if you have a window in your bathroom you could leave your plant in there all the time!
@Mod and Mint, thank you so much!!!
You’re welcome! 🙂
Hi, I have a polka dot begonia and it is leggy, but I’m more concerned that the stems are turning black. Can you tell me why that is happening? Thank you.
Hi Leanore, I’m sorry to say but stems turning black is generally not a good sign. Usually, this means you have overwatered your plant. The roots did not get any time to dry out and breathe and are basically drowning. It will start with the roots rotting and turning black and mushy, then the rot will continue up the stem. That’s likely what you are seeing. How often do you water your begonia currently?
@Mod and Mint, Oh no! I currently water it every time I see that the top inch of soil is dried out. Can you tell me can I save it? The long leggy stems are still green it’s just the big fat stems that are black. Can you help me? Thank you.
The big fat stems are the ones down at soil level? Rot would show up from soil level up. If you wait long enough it will get to the parts that are not affected yet. Before I water my begonia I stick my finger into the soil (maybe you did too). If it still feels slightly moist, I don’t water.
Since you said the parts that still look healthy are leggy, I would take cuttings and water root those to start over. You can plant multiple cuttings into one pot so you don’t start out with just one stem.
@Mod and Mint, Thank you for all the information you have given me and I will go ahead and do stem cuttings so I can actually keep my plant alive. It might not be my old big plant but it will be a new big plant. Thank you again I appreciate everything you have done to help me to learn the right way to grow my plant properly.
You’re very welcome!
My Begonia Maculatas (I now have about six of them from propogating the original) all have brown tips on their leaves and are falling off. I can’t quite work out whether I’m over, or under watering them. Keen to hear your thoughts. Many thanks. Kathryn
Hi Kathryn, first of all, congrats on your propagation success! Yeah for new plants! Without knowing their situation and watering schedule it is hard to say. When do you water them? Did you recently turn on your radiators nearby maybe? If they did good before, try to think of anything that has changed for them. Hope that helps!
why my begonia maculata leaves fall down eventhough the leaves are so healthy.
I’ve had my begonia Maculata wightii for about eight months now. But, over the last three or four months, I get new leaves dropping out of nowhere. I try to keep the soil moist, out of direct sunlight, and don’t let the water rot the roots. Just recently, I’ve been using a humidifier which seemed to help, but yesterday I lost two of my beautiful healthy 3 inch baby leaves. What can I be doing wrong? I love this plant so much, but I can’t seem to get it to grow anymore.
Hello and thanks!
When my pd begonia begins to unfurl new leaves, the new leaves are thin and have holes in them. It gets plenty of light thru grow lights and spotted sun thru a window in late afternoon. It is watered when the top of the soil is dry. A saucer of water is kept underneath with stones for humidity. I have recently begun to fertilize it.
Whar causes thin leaves with holes upon unfurling?
Hi Renee, How is your polkadot begonia doing? Hope it pulled through.
When someone tells me they started fertilizing, my first question is how much and how often? It is easy to overdo it. Fertilizer is not a medicine. And when used when a plant is already struggling, it could even make things worse.
That being said, these plants are very delicate and prone to leaf damage. It might be that the grow lights with the sunlight are a bit too much for the young, new leaves.
I would start there, stop fertilizing for a bit and move the plant a little away from the window, or see what happens when you don’t use the grow light that much.
My Begonia. Maculata. Had three new leaves blooming but it loss two of them before they even opened up.. could it be because I used the tap water when I watered her. I’ve only had her for a couple weeks and watered her once. I did put my plant meter in the soil first. And it said dry so I watered her help me figure it out Thank you!!
Love your articles on the begonia maculata. I currently have one that is about 4 feet long with several large leaves on the end. Where is the best place to cut it back…I’m very nervous to cut it at all. Thank you for any help.
I have a cutting I just potted with 7 nodes and three leaves on top, so it’s leggy. Should I or could I use a stake of some sort to tie it up? It’s leaning terribly.
Thanks @ModandMint for the helpful article.
Regarding Propagating: I took 5 stem cuttings from my Polka Dot Begonia. They’ve been in water for 4 weeks, and still no roots growing. 🙁
I’ve read loads of blogs, watched videos, and it’s difficult to see the *exact* spot to cut, maybe I cut in wrong spot?
New “buds” are coming out at the very top of a couple cuttings, but the stems in water have no roots.
I change the water every 4 days. 4 weeks no roots. I wish I could attach a couple of photos. I have all stems in 1 tiny vase. Any advice appreciated!
Really good information I have a huge plant it seemed to have gone wild and crazy growing last year iv moved its position this year so I wonder if it will slow its growth as a little less light. Also iv never had flowers on mine in the 3 year if had it is there any that dont bloom flowers.
Regards
Hi Heather, How is your begonia doing? I would definitely think it is growing slower when it is getting less light than before. About the flowers, it is wonderful if a begonia flowers for you, but it is very common for indoor begonias to not flower. So as long as it is doing well overall I wouldn’t worry about that too much. You can fertilize in spring in summer to encourage blooms.
Why is spotted bogoina not too dark green?
My first thought is that it could be getting too much or too little light. Look at where your plant is and try to move it closer or further away from the window a bit. It could also be a lack of nutrients if it has been in the same soil for a long time and hasn’t had any fertilizer before. So maybe repot it in fresh soil or start giving it some liquid fertilizer every two weeks. Hope this helps!
Hi, my plant is starting to have soft leaves that do not stand up on their own anymore. They start to flop over a lot of the time. I am not sure what is wrong
Hi there!
My polka dot begonia seems to be pretty happy & has a bunch of new growth. I was wondering if pruning is necessary or if it’s possible the plant can trail/cascade?
Thanks for your advice!
Hi Sarah, how is your begonia doing? Did you prune it, or did you let it grow? You can certainly do that. You can grow a tall begonia if you help it with some kind of stake. It will look great!
Hi, is it better to bottom water Maculatas? Or not.
I found a POLK A DOT BEGONIA at Home Depot today!! It’s a beautiful plant
I recently bought a spotted the Bonilla in the Lowe’s and it was already in rough shape that has two leaves on it and they were drooping and banged up a little bit and it wasn’t a huge pot and when I got home I took it out of that pot it had that paper stuff wrapped around his route so the roots were not even the size of my thumb so I took it out first took that off put it in a little pod and now both of leaves fell off but it is still Sam is green and has two little things growing out of it is it going to come back and what do I do
The underside of my plant’s leaves are not red.
A friend of mine gave her angel wing a cup of cold coffee. It is dying. Can she save it?
Hi, my Polka Dot begonia leaves seem to have developed what appears to be a type of mould on the back,then drying up and falling. We are not sure if it is mould or a insect?
Thanks Elizabeth
I have this begonia maculata we bought it last week early morning unfortunately the plant was left on the car and we went to the museum the whole day it was too hot in the car. When we went home some leaves on top was dried. The following day I repot it. Now after about 5 days some of the leaves fell down and the top leaves edges was brown but the stem looks fine. How can I revive this beautiful plant? I placed it in bright filtered place near by the window. Please help me. Thank you!
Hi Ella,
I’m sorry to hear your begonia is struggling! My advice for now is to do nothing for a few days. The plant has been through a lot of stress already. Moving out of the store, being in a very hot car all day, repotting. It’s a lot and some leaf drop is definitely expected after all that. As long as the roots are not rotted and I think they should be fine since you don’t mention any overwatering, I think it should recover.
It will just take some time to grow back into a full plant again. Placement sounds good.
I would keep an eye on it, if it starts growing new leaves resume regular care.
If it keeps getting worse, you can always remove any good parts and propagate those cuttings. But that will mean it will take even longer to get back to a full plant like the one you bought initially.
Hope you are able to save your plant! I’ll keep my fingers crossed!
I’m just starting to be an indoor gardener and know nothing! I just bought the begonia macular today and have also purchased self watering pots. I’m wondering if this is the correct way to water these ladies? Will the roots stay wet and be sad?
Hi my angel wing begonia is tall and spindly. Can I prune it now or should I let it be and wait till spring to prune it? Thank You!
My polka dot has a lot of new stems coming from bottom. Is that normal
Wd anyone have any idea why my begonia leaves keep going soft and squishy pls. I’m not constantly watering it, as I know it needs to dry out a little. I have it on my patio with another similar begonia that is a healthy and happy one !🤷🏻♀️
My polkadot begonia has gone wild while I was in treatment for cancer. It’s 4 for tall or so and seriously needs a reporting. Is it okay to do this in winter?
Ive managed to keep my spotted begonia happy, I think, as she is flowering with some pretty pink flowers. However, her leaves have turned more bright red with less green. Wondering if thats too much sun now that we are summer and the window she sits in front of is south facing…
Hi Natalie, my first thought was that your begonia is probably getting a lot of direct light for the leaves to turn redder. You can move it away from the window a bit, or put a sheer curtain in between to protect your plant from the strong summer sun. But it does seem your plant is happy since it treats you to a show of pretty flowers!
Hi, I’m trying to root my begonia and the waters very cloudy and the stems are wilting. It’s only been 7-10 days?