Can anyone tell me how to get cuttings, and do you cut the main stem completely down to ground? I have one that has Y'd near the top, should I cut below the Y or above? Alda
HOW TO CUT BRUGS TO GET CUTTINGS
Honey, it blooms above the Y. Wait til Frost nearly to cut back. I live in 7b-8 . so it is usually Nov. Before I have to start dragging them in. I leave some in the ground. I have several, this is 3 rd year in ground.....
these three....Autumn's glow, Monster and Versa Peach....
Just ask for what you want. There may be people on this list that are willing to trade or sale. Ebay has a few good sellers. BGI has members trimming back their trees so they have classifieds up now. This lady is a member and had a small site. Here it is: http://www.gardensbykasha.ecrater.com/
This will be my first time ordering from her. Hope that helps
alday--
I ALWAYS take cuttings from above the "Y"--as they will bloom sooner,
but do not take cuttings from the green growth--only the hardened off, woody ones.
If you take cuttings from below the "Y"--even the main trunk--it will have to
grow until it "Y"'s before it will bloom.
Once a stem "Y"'s--all subsequent growth above it will "Y".
One more thing---
I never root the cuttings in water--just too much chance for rotting out.
Experimented with it in my early years of growing brugs. The water always got yukky
and the cuttings slimy. Then--it was a lost cause.....
Stick the cuttings straight into a Pro Mix type soil--all the way to the bottom--
and they will be rooted in less than 2 weeks.
My cuttings all rooted and growing--Dec. 2011.
Gitagal, Great information...
Where do you find Pro Mix? I can never find it so I use Miracle Gro Moister Control Potting Soil.
Rhapsody
Rhapsody--
Pro Mix can be bought from really lg. Nurseries or growers.
If you have a Green House near you--go there and ask if they have any
and would they sell you a bale. Yes--it comes in 3.8cf bales or larger.
I buy mine from a local farm Store/Nursery combo place.
The last bale I bought was Faford Pro. potting mix.
Do you have a Southern States store in your area? They would have it too.
Potting SOIL is not as good for cuttings--as it actually contains SOIL.
Use the Potting MIX--it is soil free and lighter.Rooting cuttings need loose soil
to spread the developing roots into.
Good luck. Gita
Edited to add--anything made by MG also has fertilizer in it.
Something else tooting cuttings do not need. They have NO roots to utilize it.
This message was edited Sep 29, 2013 6:36 AM
Thank you so much. All this info is so helpful. Alda
Rhapsody,
I was recently in so. California and I am pretty sure either Green
Arrow or Green Thumb nurseries in the valley had it.
Oh dear. That is a 1 1/2 drive. Maybe I can order it? Thanks for the lead.
I take cuttings from below the "Y" to get really tall growth in one year but they bloom later because it takes awhile before they Y. Taken above the Y, you get blooms earlier but smaller plants. So if you live in a tropical area where frost doesn't bother them, they can get to be huge trees, because they never have to be cut back.
I live in a tropical area on the Big Island of Hawaii. I have a golden Angel Trumpet that is 15 feet high and 20 feet wide. I trimmed it a few months ago and made the mistake of leaving the trimming in a heap under the tree. I now have an ugly mess of growing small trees where the cutting have rooted into the ground. Every list piece of trimming branch is growing roots. The tree is also throwing up runners about 10 feet away. I dug some of those up some months ago for a neighbor.
Love looking at the photos of your plants. Wish I had all those varieties. So far I have single white, golden, light red, double white, shredded and yellow.
microb--
Would you please post a picture of your Brug Tree? We here will NEVER see that
anywhere here in the Eastern USA.
I know they grow into trees. It would be so nice to not have to cut them back
and haul them in my basement every year--but that is the price I pay
for having their beauty to admire.
One good thing, having to do this, is that the Brug is always fresh and new.
In about 3-4 years, from a cutting, mine, usually, have gotten too huge to bring inside--
and then I go begging for a place to donate it to. It's like pulling teeth.
In these neck of the woods--most people never heard of one.
I have only been to Hawaii once on a tour--sometimes in the early 80's.
It was short and sweet--and much too structured a 2 weeks to really get to know IT.
Thanks for jumping over to the Mid Atlantic. it never ceases to amaze me
how far and wide DG reaches.
Aloha! Gita
Here goes. Hope the photo attaches OK. This was taken September 2011. Tree is now taller but we have trimmed back some of the width.
If you ever come to Hawaii let us know. We will give you some garden tours.
microb--
What is the name of your Brug?
it looks like mine--which is a Dr. Seuss. Are the leaf edges serrated?
That is one ID-ing factor of a Dr. Seuss. I cannot tell from the pictures--
Also--the wide, sprawling growth (like an umbrella) is typical of the Dr. S. brug.
Here is my Dr. last month.....see the sprawling growth habit and the leaf edges???
Gita
Gita,
Thanks for the pics - looks really nice.
Sorry I don't do the details thing in my yard. Could not tell you the name of any of my plants. I just grow lots of plants and must have one of everything - Brugs, bromeliads, bamboo, costus, orchid cactus, ponds, gingers, heliconias, azaleas, orchids.
Stepped out on the back deck, second storey level as house is elevated, this morning and checked the brug leaves and they are NOT serrated. Its great to get out there and be in the brug canopy looking at the shedded white and single white blooming 12ft off the ground
Below is a Mendinilla and an impatien and water lilies
Mike
Mike--
I don't really need to know the "real" names of plants anyway--but I do know the
common names.
To me--people that only call their plants by their Horticultural names
seem too "fu-Fu" to me...to the rest of us--"I don't know what you are talking about!!
Thanks for the pictures....Hawaii IS a heaven when it comes to flowers.
Have you always lived there?
Gita
I am at work--so cannot send you any pictures....:o(
We've lived on the Big Island for 20 years. Prior to that my wife and I lived on Oahu for 17 years. I'm originally from England - the gardening mecca of the world.
they are all beautiful...
I think there are some brugs that large in the eastern U.S. but way down in the tip of Florida. Does your flush off and on all year?
I usually get 3-4 flushes of bloom. Dr. Seuss beats them all.
This summer has been hard on the Brugs (and gardens in general).
Cool, wet spring, and hot dry summer. Too dry by now!
A real drought. We have not had a decent, soaking rain in a month.
The best bloom flush for me is always in October because the weather
cools down.
My Brugs have had some kind of "issues" late in this summer.
leaves yellowing and curling and falling off.. I have sprayed...but it continues....
Go see the "Garden Pests and Diseases Forum". I have pictures there...
DrOBAR (John) is the guru on this Forum. He knows everything....
He IS, actually, a Dr. in the plant diseases realm.
Gita
I am hunting for some kind person to send me a couple of cuttings of Dr. Seuss. I could swap for Solid Gold, Cupid's Blush, Charles Grimaldi, Sunny Smiles, Super Nova or Santa Anna. Please d-mail me.
Hi Everyone...
This is my second year with a Brugmansias. I live in the Pittsburgh area and picked one up at the local nursery. The first one was white and grew to about 5 1/2 feet tall. I had it planted in the ground and when fall came I just left it in place. So Sad! This year I picked up another one and plan to be smarter. This is one that blooms a warm peach and then fades to a pale pink. I left it in the pot and want to bring it in the sunroom. Do I need to do anything special when I bring it in? It is about 3 1/2 feet tall. Thanks for any advice as I really want to keep it alive and beautiful for next year.
Burgh--
If I may add this lengthy "How To"--it will explain everything.
I wrote this several years ago--and it has helped a lot of newbies
deal with all kinds of brug questions.
My favorite is Dr. Seuss. I am attaching some pictures.
It is an amazing bloomer and the evening scent is heavenly.
I will be taking cuttings of it very soon. I want it to finish its October
glorious bloom-flush. October is always the best! Cooler weather--i suppose.
I can mail you some cuttings--if you are interested. Just for postage....;o)
They root easily right into a pot of soil. D-mail me!
I also have a "Maya" brug--which has variegated leaves and the blooms are
milk-white and fade in a pale, pale apricot. I cut it back today.
It is still fairly small--so I do not have a lot of cuttings from this one.
LMK---asap.
Please print it out the below Primer to use as reference.
There IS a bit to know about growing brugs...but they are tough.
Real survivors.
1&2--Dr. Seuss end of September.
3&4--from 2009. The "Maya" brug--it grew extremely big that year. Not normal...
Gita
********************************************************
Re Brugmansias-----(“Brugs” for short)...
Spring, Fall and Winter care….by Gita
I plant my Brugs Pot-in-Pot...By that I mean---get a black, or other cheap, plastic3-4gal. pot and cut 4-5-- 1" holes around the lower half of the pot (for the roots to grow out of--if they need to) and then sink THIS pot 2/3's of the way into a much bigger Patio pot, or in a flower bed--leaving the rest of the smaller pot sticking out above the soil level.
This provides the Brugs with the cooler temps the roots like---keeps them from drying out as quickly--and also keeps them from blowing over in windy storms. Still--I have had even the bigger pots of Brugs blow over if they were Pot-in-Pot above ground---like on a patio. Their leaves are very large and act as “parachutes”...BAM! Over they go!!!!
I put 2-3 bricks on top of the pot to try to counteract this...Works sometimes???? Sometimes NOT!
When it comes time to bring your Brugs in for the winter--lift the smaller pot out of the big pots--or the flowerbed-- YES! You will have to sever the roots that grew out those holes and trim off any remaining roots sticking out— NO HARM DONE!
Put a plastic bag around that pot for the winter--to keep the exposed roots from drying out--and haul the whole thing into your basement. Light is not necessary—but OK.
Unheated garages are not the greatest--unless you can run a small heater in there--just to keep the temps above freezing...Water just a tiny bit during this dormancy period.
IF your Brug has grown all wide and big during the Summer--you will have to prune it back--just try not to prune below the first "Y" of the stem...Brugs HAVE TO "Y" before they can bloom! Simple as that! A “Y” is where the stem splits in two—or “Y”,s.
You can also remove most of the leaves before bringing the plants in,
as they will fall off anyway. Leave the leaves on the stem-tips be!
Rooting cuttings taken from above the "Y" will guarantee sooner bloom the following year. Stem cuttings taken from below the 1st "Y" root just as well--but you will now have to wait until that stem cutting grows tall and “Y"s on it's own before expecting any blooms from your new Brug. Sometimes this won't be before October.
The trimmed stems can be cut up in 6"-7" pieces and rooted--right into a 5"-6"pot of fresh potting mix. You can use Rooting Hormone on the ends if you like...
Shove the cutting all the way to the bottom of the pot. Keep it barely moist for now.
I have found that stem cuttings root so much more easily--compared to tip cuttings.
The soft, new growths just do not root all that well. I have not had much luck.
In a matter of weeks--do the gentle tug test...There WILL be resistance...That means it has started to root in. Celebrate!
When new leaf-growth nubs start to appear--you will need to water a bit more regularly...Keep it just moist, though until leaves appear. Watch for wilting!
Let the plant tell you when...:o) Also a weak fertilizer might help here at this point...like--1/2 strength MG. The 7 drops to a quart kind--in the green bottle--for Houseplants...
In the SPRING--
When I bring my Brugs out from their dormancy --I keep them in shade for about a week...then in filtered light for a week--and then in the bright light they will be living in...By now--most of them are back to normal and growing already.
Usually--they don't even "blink"...just turn all green and march on...
About every 2-3 years--you will need to root-prune the root ball. Trust me--It will NOT hurt the plant!!!! Brugs are nearly indestructible!
To root-prune--pull out the Brug from the pot it has been growing in--get an old, sharp, kitchen knife---and just slice away. Cut off the outer part (rind) of the root ball--maybe 1"-2". Don't be shy! It won't hurt the Brug..
Cut off the same amount from the bottom of the root ball. Doing this will be VERY invigorating to the plant!
Re-pot in the same “holey” pot--adding fresh soil mix, with maybe some Osmacote
(slow release) type of a fertilizer mixed in, and fill back around the now smaller root-ball with the soil mix –do the bottom first--- then the edges and a top-dressing as well.
Water in well.
NOW-- You are set for a whole new Season...Not so hard!!!!
***Brugmansias like a bright, sunny spot, but need a bit of protection from the searing, afternoon sun.
Hope this helps all of you “newbie” Brug-growers. These plants are tough!
Feed them weekly and keep them watered. In hot weather—every day!
Literally—sometimes 2 gallons a day! If they wilt—they will come right back.
Later in the season—yellowing leaves are of no concern. This happens….
Just remove them.
***NOTE***Brugmansias are toxic if ingested!!!! Be safe!
Wash your hands after working with them!
The only thing you will need to look out for is Mites on the leaves.
This could happen overnight. Leaves will look mottled. A sure sign you have them.
Spray the whole plant with “Neem” or other insecticide that lists Mites, especially the undersides of the leaves and the new growth. Repeat as needed—every 2 weeks.
You can also use Systemic Granules (Espoma makes it), applied to the soil and watered in, which should help. Systemics are absorbed into the plants “system”, making all the juices toxic to sucking insects. It also kills any bugs that have crawled into the pot.
I would suggest you print this out and save it...for future reference.
Gita
Gita ~~ Thanks for reposting that!
Rhapsody
Gita that helps everybody. Great information.
Thanks--and You all are welcome! Yes--it has helped a lot of people.
My advice is usually from experience and down to Earth.
Easy to understand--and I will help anyone that still has questions via D-mail.
Those of us who live in zones that get a winter and freezing temps--
need to know how to make their plants survive...
Gita