Hi Everyone,
I have 3 very nice healthy 5' plus well branched, Brugs growing in the ground. (all three are pink)
I'm Zone 5
I hate to see them just sit there and die, but have no idea how I could overwinter them without a greenhouse. I've tried bringing smaller one's into the house for winter, but they always end up infested with mealy bugs or something and besides these things are pretty big for my house.
Our garage .... if I could clean out a spot .... is attached, but the north and west sides are unprotected.
Any ideas?
There is a greenhouse down the road, but I doubt they rent out space ..... they sell mostly annuals, and by spring all 4 greenhouse are completely full.
Thanks for any help,
Kathy
Help Needed - Zone 5; have 3 Brugs 5' plus and no greenhouse
If you want to salvage the mother plants, you will have to dig up the plants and put them in pots. Because roots are missing, you will have to do some pruning. If as you mention space is a problem, cut off all but a foot of the branches. These pruned plants should be easier to overwinter somewhere indoors. Before you take the pots indoors, use a soil drench to kill any pests living in the soil. If you want blooms earlier, take large cuttings that include "Y"s and place the cuttings in a bucket of water. Take off all but the small leaves. You could try to avoid bringing any pest eggs by submerging the cuttings in a tub filled with hot water (115ºF) for 15 minutes. Place the bucket in a cool place, the cooler the better.
Do you have a basement? If you do and the temperature stays between 32ºF - 45ºF, it would be the perfect place to overwinter you Brugs because they would go dormant and wouldn't need light.
Do you have any idea what the temperature range in the garage is? You could set up a temporary mini greenhouse using a wood frame, plastic and a small space heater or lights. You need to provide just enough heat to keep the temperatures around 40ºF - 45ºF.
you will definately need to dig them up unless you want to cut the top part off and root it over winter, befor I had my plant room built I used to spray mine good, bring them in and put in spare bedroom, also put two in the laundry room.
Doris
Hi Kathy!
I faced a similar dilemma last fall and decided to take large branch cuttings and let the mother plant die. Here's a link to my experience:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/947548/
I'll probably do the same thing this year - it's amazing how quickly the cuttings root, grow and start producing flowers.
Good luck!
Gary
You have all given me a lot to think about.
Gary, my basement stays at about 60 during the winter, is your's cooler than that? Do you have an issue with bugs?
The one time I tried to winter some over in the basement, they all ended up infested with "mealy bugs" or "mites" .... don't really remember what they were, but I tried spraying with some kind of insecticidal soap, that didn't help much. Before winter was over, I gave up and threw them out. They were smaller one's that I think grew in pots all summer, and I probably brought them in without any treatment.
I think you said you sprayed your cuttings before bringing them in ... just with water?
Here's a photo of one of mine .... I hope to get another color next season to hopefully add to the pink ones.
Will try to prune them next time too, so they are more of a "standard" form.
My basement is probably in the 60 degree range - it definitely doesn't get below 50.
I have had no problems with bugs (knock wood). I bring in several hibiscus and foxtail ferns as well. I give everything a heavy dose of systemic insecticide outdoors a couple of weeks before I bring them in and spray them topically the day I bring them indoors. I repeat the systemic treatment after they have been inside for a couple of months, just to be safe.
I don't do anything with the cuttings except strip off all leaves and put them in a bucket of water in a dark corner. My hibiscus and ferns all sit in front of windows in the basement, to get as much light as possible. If you are interested in cuttings, I have Charles Grimaldi (bright yellow) and a NoID white which I am happy to share.
Here's a pic of the Charles Grimaldi. It's VERY fragrant.
Here is the NoID white variety.
how large is the pot with the white noid?
It's a concrete planter with a 19" opening at the top.
I mixed dish soap with water and put in a spray bottle, I sprayed every leaf befor bringing it in if it needed it or not, No Bugs all winter
Good to know about the bugs ... since it was an issue for me in the past, I'll spray the cuttings as a precaution. (maybe even give them a systemic shot this week if I find the time.)
I hope Mother Nature gives us a break and holds off on the frost for a while.
Thank You for your kind offer Gary, but I think I better see if I can get these through the winter before I go getting more.
The thread you linked to above about taking cuttings was full of great information and the photos are so helpful to those of us who are visual learners. ;)