I bought one (Brugmansia) at a nursery in Valdusta Ga. while visiting the kids. I know nothing about the care of Brugs but luckily being a D.G. member I am sure someone here wouldn't mind helping me out The one I have is about 3 foot tall. It is still in the pot in my greenhouse. What is the deal with the Y everyone is talking about. I have two pods growing at the top they look like seed pods or will I get a flower there, I water everything in the greenhouse everyday and it seems to be doing great. Is there any special care that I need to know about?
new brug owner question
Rucky,
I can answer you questions, but just a reminder to take advantage of the Search Forum feature located at the upper right hand side of this window. You can enter a few keywords. The next window will allow you to further refine you search. There is great information in old threads as well.
Regarding the "Y" thing: Brugmansias exhibits two types of growth: vegetative growth with the height determined genetically and flowering growth which results in blooms. The "Y" signals the transition from vegetative to flowering growth. Vegetative growth is usually straight up and single stalked. This growth is usually seen in seedlings and growth that comes up from the ground or low on the trunk of mature Brugmansias. Once the plant produces a "Y", the new growth has a tendency to zig zag. This is when you start seeming the production of flower buds. From this point on those two branches, sometimes 3, will continue to produces more "Y"s and with each "Y" more flower bud clusters. This is one plant you do not want to pinch to force side shoots for more flowers or bushier growth. You would eventually get more flowers, but the short term effect would be the formation of side shoots that start their vegetative growth from scratch.
When cuttings are taken from below the "Y", those cuttings will have to go through the entire vegetative growth cycle and form a new "Y" before they will bloom. However this kind of growth produces straight trunks which make great standards.
Cuttings taken from above the "Y", behave as if they were still attached to the mother plant in terms of flowering. They will continue to produce new "Y"s and flower buds. Your plant probably came from above the "Y" and those are flower buds you have.
Brugs are heavy feeders and need to be fed with a complete fertilizer often. A bloom booster fertilizer is really not necessary.
Large and mature Brugmansia plants can handle quick dips of light frost without much damage. A few hours of freezing weather may kill it all the way to the ground, but if the root system is well established, new growth will return from the roots in the spring. I live in zone 8b/9a. Temperatures can drop down to 25ºF. The Brug I have in the ground dies down. Not all Brugs will return. I lost 2 Jamies this past winter that I had planted in the ground last summer. Most of my Brugs overwinter in my greenhouse which has a thermostat set at 50ºF. Growth slows down, but the plants don't go dormant. I fertilizer them about once a month in winter.
When growing fast, Brugs need to be watered often. They can suffer root rot if over watered, especially in winter when the soil is cold and the roots don't take up much water. So I cut way down on the water and keep the soil barely damp in winter. I hope this helps you get started with your Brug.
Thank you I knew there was someone here that would help me out. It seems that this is a very intresting plant. I just retired and am enjoying finding new and intesting plants. But it allways helps to know how to take care these thank again.
I am new to brugs myself, and have two growing in my yard here in SC.
I hate to assume...but I will ask...can I leave them in the ground over winter here? They are nicely mulched and I have babied them all summer, I would hate to lose them. I have a Creamsicle and a Dr. Suess.
Thanks!
Leah
Betty, Thanks for the Info on the Y, I have read a lot but your post cleared up the muddy water in my brain. You post just clicked.
Thank you.
ladygardener, You're welcome. I'm glad my explanation helped you.
Leah, I would hate to say yes and then have them die completely on you. You appear to be in zone 8a and that means most Brugs are root hardy in your zone, but not all Brugs exhibit the same hardiness. I live on the border between zone 8b and 9a here in Texas with temperatures that drop down to 25ºF for a few hours once or twice during winter. Last summer, I planted a mature Audrey Hepburn on the east side of the house and two small plants of the cultivar 'Jamie'. I spent all winter running out, when a freeze was forecast, to wrap them with burlap and bubble wrap. I took the extra precaution of inverting a large fiberglass pot over each of the Jamie plants.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/61202/
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/129577/
About a foot of the Audrey Hepburn survived winter and started growing again. The tops died completely on the two Jamies and never returned from the roots. Some Brugs are more cold sensative than others. Also large mature plants can withstand a freeze a bit better. The only way to find out would be to try it and see. However, I would take lots of cuttings as backup in case they die completely. Here, I'm talking out of the top of my head, but I believe double Brugs are more cold sensitive than singles. My Creamsicle died down to soil level in the greenhouse when my DH, in an effort to save propane, lowered the thermostat down to 40ºF winter before last. I know the Dr. Seuss will die down to the ground in zone 8. You will have to decide whether to take a chance.
Hello, I started 3 Brugs by seed in March, and they are outside in NH Zone 5-6...Obviously I have to bring them in for the Winter...do I cut them back, or leave them...one is over 5 l/2 feet tall...I read somewhere it can take 3-5 years for the first bloom? I'm not sure I have that much patience.
Thanks.
Liza
Are the plants in pots? If they are, don't prune back or next springs new growth will have to start the vegetative growth all over again. Do you plan to have them go dormant or keep them warm enough that they will slow down, but not go dormant? How long it takes for them to bloom when started from seed depends on how tall they have to be before they produce a "Y" and how much fertilizer you give them. During active growth they can be fertilizer about 2 times a week. If you keep them well fed next spring, they should produce some blooms for you.
If they are in the ground, dig them up carefully and plant in a pot.
Betty said that a cutting taken above the Y would continue to grow like the main plant does, growing more Y's. Does that mean that if you took a 6" cutting above the Y, that cutting's first growth is going to be another Y and then that SHORT plant is going to bloom?
Hanna,
That's the general idea and many do exactly that. Bernstein produced a bloom for me that was bigger than the cutting. Most of my cuttings will spend some time putting out new growth from dormant buds that lie along the side of the cutting first. Then they will produce the "Y"s and bloom a bit later in the spring or early summer. However, it is also fairly common to see a cutting put out a few new shoots along the side of the cutting then redirect its energy to producing new shoots that come up out of the ground. Those shoots will have to go through the vegetative growth stage before they "Y" and bloom. So you don't get any blooms from those Brugs until they have completed the vegetative stage. Cutting those vegetative shoots off at ground level usually doesn't direct the energy back to the original cutting. So it's best to leave them. In fact those are the shoots you want if you prefer having a tree-shaped Brug.
This ia a photo of my little Bernstein cutting
If I plan on keeping them in pots, what size should I use. And WOW...feed "at least twice a week". Is the blue water type OK, or osmocote (which seems to me it would need frequent watering to release the 'food' to the plant.
Ideally, 25 gallon pots would be the final sized pots,but that means using a pot about 26" wide — large, heavy and expensive. Seven to 15 gallon pots are more manageable especially if you use a dolly. You will have to re-pot once a year though. You don't, however start off with pots that large. Each time your Brugs outgrow their pots, you transplant up to a pot that will give you about 2" more all the way around and work your way up to the final size.
^_^ thanks Betty