Begonia sp. Hairy Spots Tissue Culture 1 Plant

(General guidelines – NOT a one-size-fits-all! Every species (and even cultivar) can have slightly different needs. Always research your specific plant’s adult care requirements.)

•  Do NOT skip acclimation – TC plants have lived in 100% humidity, sterile sugar-gel, and perfect lab conditions. Sudden change = shock or death. For carnivorous plants, make sure you are using an appropriate carnivorous substrate which is fertilizer free and appropriate water such as distilled, rain or reverse osmosis - NO tap. Please be aware that that variegation on tissue culture plants is never guaranteed to be stable as this is the nature of variegated plants, there is always a chance they can revert back to normal.

•  Step 1 – Unboxing (Day 1)

•  Open the package in low light / shade.

•  Gently rinse off ALL agar/jelly under lukewarm water (use distilled or rainwater if your tap is hard/fluoridated).

•  Remove any dead or black leaves with sterilized scissors.

•  Step 2 – First 2–4 weeks (High-humidity phase)

•  Pot in a very airy, sterile mix (e.g., pure sphagnum moss, 50/50 fluval stratum/perlite. 

•  Water with distilled, RO, or rainwater until established (tap water minerals can burn tiny roots).

•  Place inside a clear plastic box, propagation dome, or large clear bag to keep humidity 85–100%.

•  Bright indirect light only (50–150 µmol/m²/s or normal room light, no direct sun).

•  Temperature 22–27 °C (72–80 °F); avoid cold windowsills.

•  Ventilate 5–15 min daily to prevent mold; increase venting time every few days.

•  Step 3 – Gradual hardening off (Weeks 4–8)

•  Slowly increase daily venting time (add 15–30 min every 2–3 days).

•  When new growth appears and plant no longer wilts when uncovered for hours, remove dome completely.

•  Very slowly increase light levels over 2–3 weeks (never jump to direct sun).

•  Step 4 – Normal care

•  Once fully hardened (usually 6–10 weeks), treat as a normal juvenile plant of that species.

•  Switch to the species-specific soil, pot, fertilizer, and light requirements.

Common mistakes that kill TC plants

•  Planting straight into regular potting mix or heavy soil

•  Using cold tap water or fertilizing too early

•  Putting in direct sun or dry household air on day 1

•  Sealing in a dome forever (leads to rot)

Final reminder

This is a general protocol that works for most tissue culture plants. However, plants may need tweaks (lower humidity faster, different media, cooler nights, etc.). Always double-check care for YOUR exact plant after acclimation.

Happy growing – patience is key!

Return/Refund Policy for Live Plants

All sales are final. Please contact us within 6 hours for live plant delivery to discuss a refund or replacement for damaged packages with video proof of unboxing package to show damage. Video must begin prior to opening the package, clearly show any damage and plant labels. Refunds or replacements will ONLY be offered at our sole discretion if we determine the damage to be due to our own fault packaging. You can send inquiries to bitebloombotanicals@gmail.com or use the contact us feature on our website. Refunds will not be issued for matters outside of our control such as carrier delays or misdelivery, wrong address, weather, buyer not acclimating plants properly, minor shock during transit, etc.

Processing Times/ Shipping Days

We only ship live plants on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to avoid your package sitting over the weekend on a truck/the post office. For holidays, we will only ship at least 3 days before the holiday for the same reason.

Packaging

All packages are shipped via USPS Priority mail to avoid degradation of media/live plants and ensure you get your package in a timely manner. We carefully wrap all items in crumpled paper and bubble wrap for protection during shipping. During cold weather it is recommended you add a heat pack and insulation for live plant orders from the shop.

Please understand shipping is a traumatic process for live plants - some damage, including browning or melting leaves, is normal. Plants often bounce back with proper love and care/time to acclimate. A DOA plant is a plant that is truly dead.

Please see Shipping Policy and Return Policy pages for information on returns.