Fairly newbie questions

Hi everyone,
I have a few questions for you with a couple of pictures. I just started with my first brug starts in early fall. I've been wanting to try these for the longest time and finally took the plunge - thanks to a few generous DG friends. Unfortunately, I think I've overwhelmed my reasoning by trying to read and retain too much info from everyone!

I started all my plants in water and transplanted them into pots with lots of added perlite about a month ago. I've tried the gentle tug and on all but one I've gotten just a bit of resistance so i know they're finally rooting in the soil. They are in my storage room that stays right at 70 degrees and they have a growlight on them 12 hours of the day. There is an in-wall heater in the storage room (it used to be part of my garage) and it really dries out the soil so I've been giving them 1/2 cup water every three weeks.
Should I be using bottom heat on them as well? I have heated grow mats I can put under them if needed.
Next, should I start giving them half-strength fertilizer? I have MG on hand but my nursery keeps a good stock of all kinds of fertilizer if you think there's something better.

Next - should I be concerned about the side shoots coming up from these or is this normal? None of my other ones have them - most of them have leaves starting near the top of the start so I wasn't sure what to think of these coming off from the bottom.

This message was edited Dec 21, 2010 6:17 PM

Last question - will this possibly bloom this summer from this or will it get more Y's and bloom off of them?

Thanks so much for any help with my questions. I am just trying so hard to get this right and there is only so much this brain can deal with during the holidays!

Di,
With the temperature at 70ºF, your Brugs may be needing a bit more water more often. The small amount of water is meant for dormant Brugs not Brugs that are still active. The soil does look dry. As long as the new growth is this small and since you are not sure whether the cutting have rooted or not, I would wait a few more weeks before fertilizing especially if you use a potting mix with fertilizer. MG all purpose with the micro-nutrients will be fine to use. Instead of sticking to a schedule to water, use a finger to test about 2" below the surface. If the soil at that depth feels dryish, it is time to water. If you used potting mix that didn't include fertilizer, it would be OK to feed fertilizer at half strength, but make sure that all the soil is moist before fertilizing.

About your second post. Leave all green growth on. What you are seeing is growth from buried nodes. Any new growth increases the cutting's ability to make food which is used toward increasing the root system and toward new growth.

Your last question is harder to answer since there are so many factors that determine when the Brug will bloom. If the cutting is kept healthy, if it is fertilizer regularly, if the Brugs get sufficient sunlight anf if the cutting is from above the "Y", then it will bloom in 2011. If any of the cuttings are from below the "Y", they may bloom late 2011.

Cuttings taken from below the "Y" will have to go through its entire vegetative growth cycle before it will form a "Y" and start to bloom. Each hybrid is genetically coded for a specific height be it 5' or 12'. Some of the taller ones may have to grow into the following year before they bloom.

If I take a cutting from above the natural Y that has another natural Y above it; Will the branches of the upper Y have to Y again befor it can bloom?

Gosh I hope this makes sense.

Sola with natural Y's arrowed in red.

Yes, the natural growth pattern for Brugs is a new "Y" and a new cluster of buds, but the "Y"s are close to each other. Under ideal conditions, the time between flushes is about 2 to 4 months.

Thanks so much for your help, betty!

One more question regarding the brugs pictured above - should I start spraying these with Ken's brug brew now? All brugs have some growth on them now and all are resisting when I use the tug method. I did lose one - it's starting to shrivel up on me but all the others are doing fine so far. I read what bettydee said about the MG but do you use both the fertilizer and the brew or just one or the other?

You've done a super job! When you see the green growth, that normally means that roots are taking place. You can then spray the leaves with Rhizotonic to get them adjusted... as long as they have roots.

I wouldn't give them much fert at this stage. A bit of water and some Superthrive may be the best thing to do.

Remember that it's winter and they won't go crazy until the spring.

Thanks Bettydee.
I am trying cuttings for the first time this year. It is exciting, but I want to do everything right and I know so little. Like most gardening, it is trial and error but with help from those who havew gone beforre it makes it much easier.

Di,
I wouldn't use both, but as long as there is growth, there will be a need for some fertilizer even if in a dilute form. Ken's formula has the advantage that an ingredient, Tea Tree Oil, acts as a fungicide, but I wouldn't use it exclusively. I've read some study results that indicate a disproportional growth of tops compared to root growth. A more balanced approach would be better for the cuttings.

Thanks, Teresa and thanks to Bettydee as well. Now I have a better idea about what to do. I was confused about which one to use.

That looks like MY writing on the Creamsickle.........guess are the cuttings I sent you. They look good, regardless of who sent them. :>)

It is your writing, Anna and thanks! All the ones you sent me are doing great- are you receiving all those good thoughts I keep sending you? LOL Honestly, I'm having the best time babying them and trying to make sure I do it right. Having these brugs reminds me of when I received my first plants as a present at my very first house and I watched them every day and was so careful with them. Nice to have that 'excitement of gardening' feeling back again. :)

Glad they are performing well for you. :>)

Just wondering how your cuttings are making out? Do you have an updated photo to compare growth over the last 2 months?

Took this picture a few moments ago. It's been interesting growing the brugs. I started with more watering and that really seemed to help but the room is so dry - it's seperate from my house furnace and does not get the humidity at all -just a dry electric fan-forced heat - so I'm really trying to mist constantly. Sometimes I don't get in there and then they drop leaves. I've had two more shrivel up on me but the rest are doing well. I never did use Ken's brew or the Rhizotonic on them because they were so 'new' to being planted and getting adjusted. I will probably try that in the next few weeks. I have Spray N Grow here also so might try that too. Honestly, I'm not sure if I should wait until it closer to putting them outside or do it now. lol- I'm so excited by them that I think I just drive myself crazy about them.

They are looking good! I love your matching pots and tags!
Watch for spider mites if its dry.
Thanks for the picture.

Thanks, it's always good to have a reassuring voice that I'm doing okay. When I received most of my cuttings this past fall I went out to find some pots for them and found 15 of the pots on clearance at the local grocery store - .79 each; needless to say, I bought all 15! Spider mites are terrible here on everything so I've been checking for them like crazy. I've been lucky so far - knock on wood.

I read about using Original Windex with Ammonia on the plants for Spider Mites. I tried it and it took care of them! And the Ammonia that drips down is good for the plants. It only took 1 time on a couple of them and a couple time on the others.

None of the yellow ones I got rooted. Has anyone else had trouble with yellow brugs? I read where someone had trouble with yellow's and that they got SB virus? I don't know what that is.

Stenglebrand (We call it stranglebrand) is more complicated than a virus. It is a fungalvirus and is characterized by a black ring around the dead tissue often starting around an old leaf node. It can appear on any variety of Brug, but yellow Brugs appear more susceptible to SB as are Brugs with suaveolens in their ancestry. There is no cure against it and can spread like wildfire. The best thing to do is to get rid of the Brug, pot, soil and all as quickly as you know it is stenglebrand.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/456593/
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/419685/

I haven't seen any rooting difference. Maybe you'll better luck with yellow cuttings in the spring or summer. There are other ways of killing spidermites that are not as harsh as Windex. Pure Neem oil mixed in the recommended dosage is safe around humans and pets.

I have looked and looked or Neem at our HD's and Lowes here. I cannot find it anywhere. From what the author of that thread said, it is not harmful and has not had any adverse affects on anything.

Before I used it I was having trouble with leaf drop. Since then they haven't been dropping leaves and seem to be starting to grow more.

Thanks for the info on SB. I really love the yellow and gold brugs. I wish I could get some started. I did pretty well of the brugs I started. I probably started 25+ and only lost 4 or 5. Well, didn't really lose them, they just never sprouted. Finally did the tug test and they came up.

I had to order the Neem oil I bought, but then I do most of my shopping online otherwise I'd have to go all the way into Austin, ~ 50 miles away. After factoring in the price of fuel and the stress of driving in Austin, shipping costs are not bad.

Di, those plants look good. I always learn good things from this forum. I hope the ones I sent you are doing okay. they were doing good here.
I don't water as much as I would if they were outside, but since they are growing and leafing ( and one blooming) I do the finger test and make sure they are watered when needed.I thought I had lost a brug, it was hollow, but when I pulled it it wouldn't give, so I dumped it and found a new shoot comiing up from the roots. I never give up on anything that won;t come out when I pull it, no matter how dry or hollow it is, that is how my Frosty was a two inch shriveled up little thing, I didn't give up and he was my first full bloomer last year.
Cheers to all of us Newbies at Brugs.

Thanks, Debra...The ones you sent are looking great so far. I am mostly lurking on this forum am have found so many answers to my questions just by reading but being able to ask something in particular is such a comfort since I'm so new at these. It helps that everyone is trying to help out with questions too and not just leaving me and my brugs high and dry. The finger test is working so far for me. I was going by the guidelines for dormant brugs in a basement (instead of a lighted, heated room) when I first started and they were quickly wilting on me. Bettydee suggested some more water and that really helped. If I hadn't read on another thread about pulling/tugging on them I probably would've thrown them out because they looked dead a few weeks after I got them. I did have one that came right up and had no roots but everything else was holding fast to the soil. I think I need to get through a whole summer to really feel more comfortable with them. Just like a new mom :)
And to be honest with you, Debra..as much as you've helped me with these, I consider you more a mentor than a newbie!