Tropicals & Tender Perennials: My Back Yard Adventures with Brugmansias 2010, 1 by joeswife

joeswife wrote:
hi Jon, are you growing from seeds or cuttings or rooted plants?
seeds need bright light. just lay them on top of the planting area and press them in, give them a spray and make sure they don't dry out too much. some People soak them and some don't. some peel them until they see the whole nut and plant is, some just peel a corner off so that a part of the nut is visible, and some just plant them. I peel a corner off, no soaking.

Cuttings are different. I have tried all kinds of ways to root cuttings. The best way for me was with seed starter mixed with spagmom moss wrung ut and the cutting down inside to almost bottom. larger cuttings ( standards) I kept in a big plastic tub with handles, a small water pump with a hose wound around the bottoms of tehm and large rocks for anchoring them. That worked best for me , but the cuttings have to be pretty long and thick. I also grew some from a couple logs. They were about two and a half to three inches thick and literally looked like a log. Those is started in the water to get little bumpy things that later turn into roots. I cheat, I use rooting hormone in the watering cans and the bubbler tub when rooting cuttings.
The brug experts can give you lots of good advice. I treat cuttings from brugs the same way I do other plants including hibiscus and ruella. I put peroxide in the water cans, the bubbler, and the moss.
Rooted plants are easy in the winter, hardly any water, but I do spray them alot .
In the spring/summer, just put a cutting or side sprout bottom side deep enough into another potted plant outside and then when there are roots I move them to their own pots.
These were very nice thick cuttings, with Y's in the shape. This particular group, were all forked cuttings, and I used some potting mix and directly planted them all the way up to their crooks.. and kept them semi moist thru the winter,
re-potted them in the spring and now they are really nice sized plants.
You will love them. If you love tropical Hibiscus like I know you do, ( thats okay because I love them too)
You will love the beautiful brugmasias.