Small part of the winterquarter
My winterquarter
wow!! another whole set of questions comes with this one!! How big is this? do you ever have a bug problem? I'm assuming you let them go dormant?
It has about 35qm. Doesnt sound much but there is room for about 200 plants, seedlings not included. Lice or aphids I think you name them, appear in February. I use Imidacloprid
or Pyrethrum.
Monika, This is amazing. How high is your ceiling and do you cut your plants down at all or keep them tall?Also how warm do you keep them through the winter? So many questions, so much to learn.
The height of the ceiling is 2.50m The trees are cut down to this size, not more. Temperatures range from +5C up to 10°, depending on outside temperatures.
I had to show hubby this picture. I told him this is what our basement will look like next year.... so he'd better get rid of some fishing equipment. He's not as impressed as I am! Monika do you winter 200 plants? It's gotta be a labor of love.
I always have so many plants. About 90 large plants, the rest are new hybrids. Since I have new seedlings every year, its never less.
monika, these are ones you are letting go dormant, correct?
Correct, tiG. Brugmansias do that on their native habitat too for about six weeks in Dec. to Jan.
I am planning on bringing mine in under plant lights. Should I let them gradually go dormant, then little light for 6 weeks, and then gradually increase the light? Mine will have to be in the greenroom from November to April. I had planned on keeping the lights going the entire time, but need to know if I should adjust that.
So you let your seedlings go dormant too? I was gonna try to keep some of mine going because they have buds coming and I wanted to see the flowers. Maybe I should just bring them all in & let them all go dormant.
tiG, in my opinion, artificial light for old plants is a waste of money. First: the plants need a rest. You never reach the amount of lux that equals daylight. When the days become longer, thats about in March, it takes three to four more weeks before they start really growing.
Your winter season is shorter than mine. My plants have to stay in the winterquarter from end of September until 15 - 20th May. Much more important as light is the care for the roots. Sensitive species such as versis loose many roots when kept to cool.That makes them start slow next spring.
so keep them fairly warm? what about your seedlings? do you keep them under lights? I have other plants I'm bringing in as well, if I kept the lights on in one half, would they affect the older brugs? It would be like winter daylight I'm thinking.
It wouldnt affect the brugs. The lamps are only effective when placed 50cm above the plant. Fresh seedlings are placed under the ceiling of the GH, several month old seedlings are placed around the trees. If you dont have a GH, you should place one or more lamps above young seedlings and cuttings. Energy saver bulbs with about 23 Watt are top for that. Or special plant light (I use Osram daylight color 11) with 53 Watts are very good.
thanks!! I have a 15x20 inside room that I'm using with lights. I'm glad we haven't put the lights up yet, now I know better.
Ok now here is what puzzles me, I have always heard to remove your foliage before overwintering, but your plants are covered with it. So do we leave it on or remove it? I am not taking any chances this year.
Tracy, the foilage will fall off by itsself. The plants will close the wound by itself, before the leaves fall off, that no funghi can enter into the plant. By breaking them off, the injuries often continue to bleed a long time afterwards (its not water but ptoteines,important energy is getting lost) and its a entrance for bactis and funghi.
After heavy fall rains, the leaves help to evaporate the water out of the soil in the pots. Leafless plants dont evaporate
almost no water and wet soil forces root rot.
Monika..............so when I take a cutting and I cut off all the big leaves to help it put it energy into the roots and not into trying to save its leaves, I am wrong? Even though they wilt, I should let the plant drop them on its own?
You are so nice to let us question you so much! thank you
So, if we are going to bring our brugs indoors for the winter, what do we need to do? I have a basement that should stay around 50 degrees. Is that cool enough to keep them dormant? How often should I water them and how much?There's not much light in the basement either. I'm assuming from reading this thread that I should just let the leaves fall off on their own? I'm getting confused.
We are looking at a hard frost next week, and I need to figure this out soon. Some of my brugs I'm willing to let go dormant now, so I want to figure out how to do this. I only have two that have buds, and I'm going to pack them inside at night to prolong their season until they are done blooming. Is that okay?
Time for bed Joan, someone smarter than me will be along in about 2 hours to answer you! night
Thanks Monika, I was about to make a great mistake, I will leave the foliage on and be ready with the bug spray. Gosh no wonder everything died last year, I won't say who, but there is a site giving horriable advise..... Thanks for the new home Dave and you guys are the best!
Tracey, I keep wanting to give them advice, but the best advice for them is to join Dave's.
kell, cuttings are different. Here you HAVE to remove the leaves to reduce the evaporation because a cuttings has no roots and the foilage draws all the water out of the cutting. It wilts and doesnt root.
This message was edited Tuesday, Sep 17th 1:03 PM
Thanks Monika................. I will continue doing it then! See a little bit of knowledge in the wrong mind can be dangerous!
Monika, I didn`t have time to read all the questions and answers about wintering Brugs, so maybe the question have been asked previous in this thread. How much light and how high temperature do Brugs need through the winter period to keep on blooming and put out new growth? We put 10 or 16 mm polycarbonate channel plates as roof in the wintergardens and large thermo windows as sides. The new wood stove, that will be installed in the house shortly ahs high capacity and we hope to keep wintergarden temps. up between 14-18 degree celsius. Will this encourage blooming and growth in the Brugs?
It will encourage them to bloom but the growth isnt overwhelming. Day light hours are too short for an aquedate growth. Denmark has even lesser daylight as I have available. Several halogen power lamps with 500 Watts each are needed for growth stimulation. Brugmansias quit blooming at their natural habit in about Dec. for ca six weeks. If you force them to flower you will be without flowers sometimes during the summer month.
That's the first time that I ever heard that. That could explain why some people are still waiting on blooms. How large does a plant have to be before it will survive a few months of dormancy? A 1 gallon size pot?
Liz, maybe my sanguineas just need a good December month nights rest. They were produced from cuttings in the Netherlands last winter. Do you think, that lack of sleep make the sanguineas fail to bloom? Well, I`ll give them winter rest and if it don`t help I`ll see, if I can put up a trade for Kell`s garden. *LOL*
Mobisu cuttings start blooming after six weeks of rooting.
Cuttings taken from the flowering region. Mobisu flowered this year all summer with yellow colored flowers during the hot weeks and has now her normal rich yellow/apricot/pink color. The Tree stood all day in burning sun.
Pictures please! I haven't heard of this one.
When I look at this picture, nothing comes to mind but WOW! That is impressive!! Loads of great information on this thread. :)
bumping this so my brugs will know what they are supposed to be doing!!!
Man, I wish mine looked like this.
Thanks for the Bump tiG,lots of info I had never seen.
Rootdoctor - in the dead of winter we pull up the best of the best - it keeps us going when times are slow. We're all counting on Monika's glorious pictures around February.