Mid-Atlantic Gardening: Neck of the Woods CHAT Summer 2013, 1 by Gitagal

Gitagal wrote:
SSG

Did I give you a paper (Primer) on how to grow and care for Brugs? I usually do--if the
person is doing this for the first time.

The main thing i see "wrong" is that you did not grow it in "Pot-In-Pot.
The pot the brug is planted in gets dug 2/3 of the way into another (bigger) pot.
Similarly--you can dig the pot with the brug into a bed.
This pot has to have about 5 holes cut out in the bottom 1/3 of it to allow the roots of the Brug
to grow out through these.

When it is time to bring the Brug in--you dig up the pot and take that into a cool basement.
Yes! You will be severing all the roots that grew out those holes--NO harm!
Put a plastic grocery bag around the pot to keep the severed root tips from drying out.
Water VERY sparingly during the winter--not much light is needed either.
You are allowing the brug to take a long winter's snooze...All the leaves will drop, except the tips.

In late spring--weather permitting--take the brug out as is and put it in some shade for a week or so.
believe me--it will start growing new leaves within a few days!
Then move the pot to a bit better light--and then, finally, plant it again--pot-in-pot and put it in
some good light. Full evening sun is NOT required! Water profusely--as needed--and feed also.

SO? What did you do wrong? You planted it directly in a bed--and then dug it up (it was almost bare-root--right?)
and then put it in dry peat moss where it could not sustain itself.

ALL this was described in the Brugmansia care paper. If I did not give it to you--I am sorry.
If I did--and if you read it--all this was explained in the 2 pages.

Good luck the next time. I will, probably have cuttings again for next spring's Plant swap--but I am trying to
get away from growing out too many cuttings. Lack of space under the lights .
This past fall I took just 6--2 of each variety. One (The NOID pink) was never claimed--so I planted it in a big pot
and will find some good place for it. Same for one of the Purple/white Daturas.

SSG---Hope this helps. Unusual plants take a lot of "knowing" what, and how, to grow them.
What to do--and what NOT to do. I am always happy to help.

This is how my 3 brugs spend the winter. Gita