Tropicals & Tender Perennials: New to Brugmansia, 1 by pineviewplanter

pineviewplanter wrote:
I was wondering about potting soil for Brugs. Do you mix your own, or buy commercial soil like Miracle Grow? I am raising worms so I can harvest the castings.... and thought maybe mixing some MG with Castings would make a nice rich medium in which to plant Brugs... I am considering planting some of my Brugs in pots and some directly in the soil.... and then mulching them heavily for the winter.... but keeping a few cuttings just in case they don't make it.

Also, would it be advantageous to plant Brugs diredtly in the soil but amend the soil with MG and Castings there as well?

What do you fertilize them with and how often?

I have order some New Zealand Spaghnum Orchid Moss for placeing my cuttings in. They say the NZ moss has some sort of natural antibacterial quality to it. Is that so? I imagine that would help with the health of the cuttings eh?

Sorry for so many questions, but I really do want to get off on the right foot here and not end up losing a raft of cuttings and get all disappointed because of my ignorance about raising Brugs.

BTW, A lady at church gave me this Brug... she dug it out of the ground and said it didn't do anything for her, so maybe I will have better luck. She said it was pink and it had a tag, but the tag is inside the dirt and I did not poke around to see.

Thanks,
Carolyn