Hello Everyone:
We had a frost last night (I live in Maryland, Zone 7). I was lucky enough to keep three of my in ground planted brugs alive by covered them with blankets and keeping a light on them all night (didn't that look funny?). I don't have a basement or any other place that I can keep them where it doesn't freeze and they are so big I can't bring them inside. I have taken cuttings and I wanted to know ~ can I place the unrooted cuttings in newspaper or in a bucket of water and keep them in a cool place where it doesn't freeze all winter? I would rather do it that way meaning keep them in water or roll them up in a newspaper from now until spring and than plant them up as plants in the spring? I'm thinking it will take up too much time and space to get them to root and then plant them in soil keep them alive all winter as plants. If anyone has any information on this I would greatly appreciate it. I had two plants that were so beautiful and they didn't bloom until the first week of October so I really would hate to completely lose them. Also, I took the cuttings from above the "Y" as I read to do, however, I also read that the soft cuttings are much harder to root. So how can I root them or what should I do?
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I really appreciate any help any one can give me.
Unrooted Cuttings Can I overwinter in water or newspaper?
that might be more than they can endure... .. mother did keep a pile of them [ big limbs ] in a big galvanized watertrough...through to spring...they were heavily rooted .. but alive in the spring.. she never changed the water.. but then again she has a good touch with plants and animals... I've never heard tell of another such success.. if yours are soft green cuttings.. chances are that you'll have little success.. not having them grown out in soil IMHO..
Veronica seems to believe you can keep them in water for the winter.. perhaps she'll share some pointers with you for pulling it off.....
This message was edited Nov 7, 2009 7:41 PM
I have kept large (4-6 ft) cuttings in water all winter for 3 years now, and have only lost a couple to rot and that was because they actually got frostbit before I cut them down. I keep them in kitchen sized plastic trash cans and the smaller ones (2-4 ft) in bathroom sized trash cans. (Reason for the trash cans is I wanted new containers and they were cheap) I do change the water ( Not often enough, I would recommend weekly) They loose their leaves at 1st and then they sprout out at the top and get nubbies at the bottom, and finally roots and nice leaves and by spring they are ready to go. I have eaven had a bloom or two in the bucket, but these were from buds that were on them wahen I cut them down. I do not remove buds when I cut them down, in hopes that they will open. They do!
I do keep these in my greenhouse. I don't know what would happen to large cuttings if they were in a very cool environment. Monika posted a thread where she showed pictures of smaller cuttings in jars that she kept fairly cold all winter. I will try to find it and post a link.
It was an interesting thread...
Hresko, yardqueen has already shared what I would have.
LOL. Gordon, I overwinter mine whole in my greenhouse. I base my comments on a little practice and relate information I have gleaned from old threads. After losing some to dieback the first year, I don't even prune until spring. I can't remember from whom I got that bit of information. I have tried overwintering a few cuttings in a bucket, but had a devil of a time untangling the roots later. There are ways around this, but I just don't have the room in my greenhouse of a large number of buckets or old aquaria. So I learned to leave the cuttings in water long enough to get short roots, then I transplant the cutting into 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" x5" pots and water sparingly with a dilute fertilizer solution. That works best for me mainly because, my Brugs don't go dormant — too many warm winter days.
This message was edited Nov 7, 2009 8:33 PM
Veronica,
My brugs must be better behaved than yours! LOL Their roots never have gotten tangled and I do put a lot in the same tub. I never even thought about them getting tangled. I guess cause I have done the same thing for 3 yrs now and they never have.
Mine don't go dormant either. I was going to try that in a large storage room my husband has in his "big barn" which is a metal building that looks like a barn. I thought I was going to have to do that becasue there isn't room in my greenhouse for all of my brugs any more. Even if I didn't have other plants to go in there also. But my DH built a new picnic pavillion which he will screen in, in the spring. But right now he has put plastic up so that I can have a "second greenhouse." He is going to build another greenhouse for next year in the spring. I am ashamed he has to do that! I may try to get rid of some of my plants so he won't have to.
Brug blooming in water11/ 2007
Another
I think this was mountain magic...
some of the shorter ones in February 2008
Here is another "bucket bloom"
One of the taller cuttings blooming in Dec 2007
I have many cups and vases full of brug cuttings every winter. They do just fine in water. I change the water a couple of times a week, add a little peroxide and bingo! By Spring I have a lot of rooted cuttings ready to go.
Juanita
Do you ever root the large ones, like 6 ft?
Yes.. very informative thread... Thanks.. Imust havemissed itthe first few timesaround...the cool technique Monica usesis interesting... I've not had a cool place till last year.. but then Istill water rooted them inside and then had piles of pots to keep watered..fed and free of pests all winter.. underlights in the 74* inside temps... they grew nicely.. but the answer seems to be yes.. keep the cool.. and they can stay in the water for a long long time.. 40* - 50 * F were Monicas temperatures..
Yes, but I did keep mine in higher temps and still left them in water from Nov till April. That is the amazing part to me. And they do so much better than the ones that come back from the ground. A lot of them started blooming in about a month after potting.
Several years ago AuntB gave me a start of 2 brugs she had in water all winter long, they were probably 3 or 4 feet tall. I planted them in soil, but she seems to do it all the time.
There's a thread here somewhere that shows cuttings much larger than 4' being rooted. Brugs are fantastic plants.
Then there are the ones that absolutely refuse to root. Those are usually the ones you want the most. LOL.
There are several thread about that. Here are links. The very last one is where I first read about it and started doing 6ft or more cuttings. It works for me very well. and once potted up and fed they take off. Beats coming up from the ground and waiting till fall for blooms. These bloom in spring, and the tougher ones will bloom in the summer too and all of them go crazy in the fall.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/661617/
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/947548/
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/554205/
Wow ~ Was My Question Answered Or What??? You are all so amazing!!! I really cannot believe these responses, they are so helpful. I just can't get over that you all took so much time and energy to help me I want to just cry. It really restores my faith in people. No really, I'm serious ~ I had a question and I asked it and you took the time to help me and I can't tell you how much I really appreciate it. Now I know exactly what I'm doing and it makes me feel so much better. You guys really are the best and I couldn't have done it without you. Thanks again and again.
One thing you should note - they will not root in water unless they are kept warm, at least room temp.
I have kept cutting in zip-lock bags in the ice-box for a very long time. I don't remember how lone it was but they seemed very fresh. Keep in mind that these were not green cuttings but large healthy ones. As far as large cuttings ( 4' to 6' ) I try to take as many as I can of the more popular Brugs every year. I cut the tallest one of each cultivar and cut it off at the groung, then cut it back to the second set of Ys. I plant that in a five gal. pot and as soon as it starts to put out some green leaves I hit it with the recipe. I strip off all of the side shoots, forcing all the new growth to be above the Y. If you allow lots of side shoots it will sometimes put out very healthy side shoots and dieback at the top. This way I get some blooms much earlier and then I now have two large plants of the more popular ones. You just can't have enough Adelines. LOL
Ken, do you water and spray the cuttings with the recipe?
Thanks,
Karen