Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Logical question, for a change LOL, 0 by Kell

Kell wrote:
Hi Carol. I have planted 2 brug gardens from seedlings now and both have gotten totally out of control. I realize I was in the wrong mind set. I should not have been trying to get big fat plants but just 1 trunk to flower. So how you plant it depends on your goal. Do you just want them to flower fast and evaluate the flower, or do you want a garden full of big fat brugs?

In one garden the seedlings all grew so tall. I put them about 1 ft apart. It is their 3 rd year and they are huge multi-trunked trees competing for light. The aggressive brugs took over and grew up so fast, the weaker brugs were left to lay on the ground and snake thru looking for light. Some are 10 ft long growing all along the ground. It was not meant to keep the brugs growing in it for more than 2 years. I should have gotten rid of most of the brugs last year.

In my other garden, they all stayed short but are so thick and multi-trunked, they are now too close together. I planted all the brugs in 5 gallon cans with holes cut in the lower half. I gave them about 3 to 4 ft between. I put them 3/4s deep in the ground. This has made it so easy to dig them up when I have wanted to move them. I just take a shovel around the side and cut the roots, then lift up the entire pot. I am now going to cut all the brugs to just 1 stalk. This will cut way down on maintenance and water and food needs. The problem too is that they are not staked. So some have fallen over in the rain and storms of the winter. Their main roots are shallow for they are contained in the pots, so they do not anchor them like if you had them straight in the ground. If I wanted to spend an extra $7 each, I would get a steal stake and put a hole in the bottom of the pot, and drive the stake thru to keep all the brugs upright. But I am too cheap to spend so much on each seedling since I have so many.

In my new seedling garden, I am planting them in the 5 gallon pots, 2 ft apart, in rows. I will not allow any suckering. This will allow them to be very close together, easier to water, and cheaper to feed and treat for bugs. And I must get hard hearted. As soon as I realize the brug is not special, out it goes.

This message was edited May 29, 2005 4:40 AM