Well, the freeze hit my beautiful brug (still blooming). What I need to know is do I need to prune the branches back to where they are firm or do I leave them as they are until later (like early spring)? Will leaves come back on the branches that exist as long as they stay firm/strong or does the plant start all over from the roots? Thanks for your help.
pruning brugs
Glory
Jan 02, 2002
Gingerlily,
Everyone has a different way of trimming their Brugs once a freeze hits them. I live in zone 8b which makes you further north then me. I cut mine down to the top of the ground and cover with pine straw. Since our last freeze the canes that I left above the ground are now soft....they will be cut down ASAP and covered till March or so. Since I have been growing Brugs for quite a while now I always have cuttings in the greenhouse just in case the Mother plant in the ground may not come back....better to be safe then sorry.
Gingerlily, where is Paxton? If you want to start some babies, try cutting some stalks for rooting before they freeze again, can probably be started in water, and give you a jump on blooms. with the cold coming, i am sure they will come back from roots. if you wait until new growth in spring i think the old stalks will be hard to cut back....
I would personally leave them be right now as messing with them at this stage could hamper/damage the plants more. I have had good strong hardwood pieces only die back a few feet in a short burst of 28 degree weather. Better to wait till later at this stage to cut them back significantly. a 3 yr old ground grown brug will generally be able to sustain a few light freezes on the lower few feet while the newer growth will still freeze. Often times the damage is just to the outer bark though and it is unsightly while it is healing. Leaving open wounds over the trunk etc....
Could well be, brugman, but i have a few plants i am going to go cut off to try to save some cuttings..it's gonna be COLD the next few days, 20-25 here tonight, don't think anything will survive that here. i have only one plant that has been in the ground a year. i agree with the light frosts, we had several short frosts of 30 or so, just damaged a leaf here and there on may 5 plants... have you ever heard of Paxton?
Arlene,
I wholeheartedly agree-I always save cuttings of anything I don't have 2 of and even those I save cuttings of if they are fairly new and haven't overwintered before. I have a whole house full of cuttings and rooted aurea/arborea types right now. Still under the delusion that I can get an aurea x arborea cross one day I think.
Brugman, delude away, that's what makes things happen. i am sure you will cross til you do. bet it'll be in the teens at your place tonight. did you look at photos? tig's place in covered in snow...
i googled paxton, is apparently near crestview where my sis lives, 33F there right now...brrrr
brugcrazy, is tempting....would love to visit there anyway....
Well, I did take your advice and made some cuttings, but I didn't cut it back totally. It's suppose to be around 18 to 22 degrees in this area tonight. Does it put out leaves on old stalks or does it start totally over? Yes, Paxton is about 25 miles northeast of Crestview, right on the Alabama-Florida line. Actually saw some snow flurries this morning while unloading fire wood. Thanks ya'll.
Gingerlily, i think it depends on just how cold it gets and for how long. with that kind of cold i am guessing it won't put out new growth on old stalks, but should grow bigger and with more stalks this coming year than last year. good luck to you, keep warm! a few more people turn up in north florida i will have to make a johnny appleseed tour this summer, running up and down the interstate to visit!
There's somebody near Bonifay I think. I've seen someone post before, but I don't remember the name. Where's Newberry? Past Chatanooga from the time on your messages I think.
Thank God I live near the water,going to be cold here tonite but only low 40's or high 30's will just bring in my small seedlings.
Irish, you are so lucky to live warm!!! into the teens here with windchill. you should see my house!!! the kids kept saying there's no room, i kept saying i don't care! they are in every room....
gingerly, newberry is about 12 miles west of Gainesville. on a good day we can get to sis's house in crestview in about 4 hours, I75 to I10. can't remember her screen name but she is near chipley(i know your real name), brugman is about an hour north of me and irish is about 2 hours south, plus several traders i met on the net (no kidding) within 10 miles of me!
Hey Arlene,
My husband and I demonstrate at a craft festival in Starke in October. Maybe next Oct. you can come to it. We make white oak baskets, lye soap, and my husband is a storyteller. Must have been neat to get together with some folks so close. Know what you mean about a houseful. My daughter (before she left for college) use to cringe when I started lugging in plants for the winter.
Ginger, don't forget and post! maybe we could have a mini- plant swap or at least do a little trading ourselves. starke is about an hour from here, about 1/2 hour from my brother. story teller, sounds cool, bet that's a lot of fun.