I’m a beginner Bruger and new to Daves Garden. This pic is my first brug bloom and I am hooked.
I bought 2 yellow brugs from a catalog last may. Put them outside for the summer and they grew from 8 inch sprouts to 5 foot tall miniature trees. Well, not quite trees because they don’t have any limbs – just giant leaves coming out of an inch across stem. They never bloomed.
I moved them inside in late September when the weather was getting very cold at night. Put them into a south facing window and I’ll be darned if one of them bloomed. Anyway, now it has 9 buds. The other has none - weird. (Almost can’t call them “buds” because the buds are as big as a small banana.)
I have questions…
Should I stake or tie them up…I think that when all these buds open, it will weigh the plant down.
How often do I fertilize them and with what? (Through this winter period while they are inside.)
I am concerned that they may not get enough light this winter – do they go dormant? Do they need to? If I can find a way to up their light how will they respond?
Should I turn them to keep them growing evenly upright?
Oi ve – they are so beautiful.
Some brug questions
Enabling a Brug addict is so much fun!
I overwinter my Brugs in a greenhouse and because winter temperatures fluxuate so much, my Brugs don't go dormant. They just slow down, but some things are the same regardless. If the trunk of the blooming Brug is a tender green, it would be better to stake it. Once the wood matures and turns a brownish color, it should be able to handle the weight. Most Brugs will eventually produce thick trunks and branches, but Brugs that are heavily influenced by B. insignis have thinner branches and trunks. They definitely need staking. If you keep them growing, turning will help to keep them from growing in one direction.
Your Brugs will not go dormant in normally room temperature. They may slow down a bit. If you can't provide enough light naturally, you could set up some florescent lights so they don't grow too rangy. I would keep the soil on the dry side, allowing the soil to dry out before watering. Since you are cutting down on the water, you could use a dilute fertilizer solution when you water. My Brugs were much healthier last winter, when I continued to fertilize through winter. I don't think they are going to suffer if they don't go dormant. They are just easier to care for in winter if they go dormant. For they to go dormant, they have to be placed in temperatures below 45ºF and in a darkish place.
http://www.hort.wisc.edu/mastergardener/features/indoor-tenderplants/brugmansia/brugmansia.htm
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/exotic/growing-brugmansias-in-containers.htm
http://pattisplants.com/index.php?main_page=page_5
Welkom here! I am also not so long here. But they are all so nice here!
mstish, thanks for asking all the questions I had.
We brought ours inside and couldn't bear the thought of putting it in the basement, so we put it in the (unheated) sunroom and it went nuts!
I was wondering where to go from here, thank you bettydee for steering me in the right direction.
Me too. Another brug addict is attending.
One is not enough. They are a learning plant.
Love them.
Charleen
Thanks everyone. I tied the one brug up with a strip of old towel. The other one isn't blooming or doing much of anything but it doesn't look in distress so I'm watching and waiting.
Do brug blooms make very good cut flowers? Their tendency to hang down seems like it could be a problem.
I just received a crate of 350 daffodil bulbs. Apparantly last winter when I was jonesing for some gardening I had a few beers and ordered bulbs from the web. Now I get to spend the weekend trying to find room to plant them. My kind of weekend. :-)
That is a Strange Color, but very pretty.
Has a pearlish glow to it.
Very Nice.
As it ages it turns almost peach. I'll try to capture a pic of the color when the bud that is about to open starts to turn. I don't know if this is normal coloring or not because it is my first brug and first brug bloom. They are seducive.
This is my cat Dustbunney. He thinks he's a tough guy but with a name like that he just can't quite pull it off. The big lover is a puss and has lounged in my gardens for 13 years now.
He Dustbunny is beautiful. Is he a lover?? He looks like he could be.
But I don't think he likes his pic taken. He looks surprised.
Very pretty.
Thanks.
Cute kitty. I love seeing all of the pictures of your pets.