I thought something was wrong with the pod when I first saw that the penduncle thingie was yellow, then I noticed several that way. I picked them and here's what was inside. I couldn't believe that they were ripe this soon. I don't think I'll have enough pods to last me all winter so I will have to pollinate more.
so how old were these pods??
I was trying to remember, when was it I went on the wild pollinating spree?? It was back in April or May. Someone said they mature much faster in the summer.
So Cala, that is all viable brug seed?
The pod stems on my Isabella have turned quite yellow but the pod itself is green.
How do you know for sure when they are ripe?
snow, you open a little place and look, lol....cala looks like EP X ?
Thanks Arlene, I'll try to take a peek later. Right now it's too cold out. 55 and a cold wind blowing.I'm sitting here with a sweater on and freezing.Had to close all the windows cause my poor cockatoo was sitting on his perch shivering. I'll get the nu skin ready. LOL
duck tape will do in a pinch........
Hee hee, the pencuncle was all yellow and mushy. I did take a peek inside before cutting it loose.
Snow, I have a cockatoo also, it's a Goffin's. What kind is yours.
Arlene you're good, it's CG X EP, one of my favorite crosses.
Cala, Katy is a Sulphur Crested.
Snow,
I'll be happy to take some of your cold air...send it on!!!
What pretty birds! I have a Indian Ringneck, Macho Baby.
http://www.petbirdpage.com/goffin.htm
http://home.mira.net/~areadman/cockatoo.htm
and mine
http://www.mjvn.co.za/ringneck/Darkgree.htm
This message was edited Wednesday, Jul 10th 11:30 AM
Beautiful Birds!!!!
Kell and Snow, those are beauties!! Elliot is a sweetheart, are your birds sweeties? I know he will miss me on my trip to Maine, and he will probably not talk while I'm gone. It's cooler here tonight, we finally got rain.
Cala, do you grow a lot of your seedlings to see what you might get from them? I don't have room to do that with many, but hope to give it a shot when and if I get any seed from mine this year.
Brugie
I was hoping to "farm" them out. I'm out of room. Brugnanny will be getting some of them. She's good with seeds.
Cala, some of the seeds u gave me has sprouted. the seedlings are 8" tall. they seem to like the hot weather, so i noticed. i do not know what they are, these seedlings came from the mix seeds u shared with me. do u think they will have a chance to flower this growing season? thanks!!!
MaVie, your climate is frost free isn't it? Seems like the ones with suaveolens or insignis bloom faster. The ones with CG or versicolor seem to take longer. JMO as Arlene and Eric are much more experienced than I.
Cala, eric is much more experienced than me, i'm not more experienced than you, i just can't keep my mouth shut. you are right though, suavolens and insignis seem to bloom faster coming back from frost for me. Aureas seem to bloom early and grow really well, at least the hybrids i have. will have to see after next winter.
Cala, we do experienced 10 degs. F during the winter months. at least that is the least lowest temperature i've experienced in the 4 yrs. i've lived up here. we are situated about 3,898' above sea level. so far the past 3 days, we have been experiencing record breaking 110 deg. F.
so far the best growth i noticed doing great is the Eric's White. it has grown to 4' high. the tallest brug i have so far. other brugs are dense in growth that produce side shoots and has Y'ed. each Y has 3 branches on each Y. i seemed to be forever awaiting for a bud. am hanging in there. keeping my fingers crossed for a bud to appear.
MVR, add some extra fertilizer.... I really like Eric's hybrids, they are sturdy and hardy. he has some really pretty ones.
Arlene, when i planted i used a 2 lbs coffee can as a measuring instrument. i used 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 perlite, 1/3 steer manure. i added 1 cup of superphosphate on each 5 gal. pot. added half a cup of osmocote 14-14-14. a month later i added 1 cup to each pot Bayer's 2-in-1 Systemic Rose and Flower care 12-18-6. once a week i foliar feed alternating Fish Emulsion and MG 15-30-15. i used the above formula, using my common sense, for lack of better knowledge on how to plant brugs and limited budget.
i would appreciate additional input on where i am going wrong. TIA.
MVR,
What problems are you having?
Glory, something is eating the leaves of the brugs. leaving large holes on the leaves, but could not find the culprit. one observation here, some brugs had Y's that transform to 3 branches on each Y. no sign of buds. or am i just getting impatient? there are too many side growth along the branch, which i took off while small to be able to acquire a tree like form. although i have taken off some side growth on the main branch, i notice a lot of new growth emitting from the root. some of the new growths are as tall as the mother plant... almost an inch in circumference, rough estimate. i would like to take off the shoot emitting from the root area... thinking that this new growth are robbing the mother plant of nutrient supposed to aid in flowering.
apart from the new growth growing more vigorous than the mother plant. i do not know how to separate the new growth, fearing i might interfer with the flowering of the brug. should i just leave it alone?
since i do not have a green house, i would like to be able to see some bloom this season. is that possible or am i being over anxious and impatient here? TIA.
i dig up the side shoots on some to root for others. you can cut them off at the soil, shouldn't hurt anything. i abuse mine all the time. i can't answer bug questions, mine are snails and cats, i mash the snails, sometimes the cats, sometimes i let the cats munch.
are all of them growing in the same pattern, new growth faster than the older?
most of the new growths are more vigourous on Isabela, JP, Insignis Pink, and a certain brug tag only as 1 yellow and 1 pink. these are the ones that are planted the longest here. these are 6"- 10" rooted cutting i got Spring of this year. i have 11 brugs growing on the ground, another 15 brugs growing in 5 gal. pots. 5 seedlings growing in 1 gal. pot.
Arlene, if i dig around the plant, take off the side shoot... won't i somehow harm the root of the mother plant? thereby hindering the bud formation.
there are no snails in the harsh desert sand. they will not and can not survive the dry weather here. so snails and slugs is out of the question. i do not see any caterpillar. one time i saw 1 green worm like creature the size of a pin, about 1/2" long, which i pluck out of the plant. never again have i seen one, but the leaves of the brugs sure form big holes the size of half a dollar overnight. no cat or dogs to mess around the garden either.
well, since this is the 1st time i am growing brugs, i am somewhat jittery for lack of knowledge & experience. normally, most of the plants i grow, once they are planted, they are on their own. brugs from what i gathered and read takes more attention and care, which buffles the living daylight out of me LOL!
MVR, I think what Arlene meant was to just cut the side shoot off at the ground level and then root pieces of it if you want to. I don't like to mess around the roots, but have been able to get a side shoot or two with roots by cutting down beside the main stalk. I guess I don't recommend doing this. Just about as easy to cut and root at this time of the year. Sounds like you are doing a great job with the fertilizing program you have. Just be patient, you will have blooms. I have one plant that has made the original Y and then that Y made another one and am just now getting tiny buds on it. Others will Y and shoot buds right away. They are all different. Good luck. Hope to see some pictures of your brugs in the contest too.
Thanks Shirley :D! i guess am over anxious and getting impatient. hehehehe. i will just cut off the new growth and try my luck in rooting them. i was so concerned about the new growth taking energy from the mother plant.
Thanks Everyone for ur patience and kind advice.
I think the vine weevels that come out at night are the culprits, they are brown, smallish and only feed at night.
Yes, MVR, sounds like you are doing good. cutting off at ground level is fine. but i told you, i personally abuse mine, though i don't recommend it. i have suckers that come out of creamsickle. i scoot dirt away and dig down as far as i can and cut them to get as many roots as possible. i've been doing this since i think april, and they keep growing back! which is lucky for some traders out there, have traded 7 cuttings, sent CC and Brugman theirs, have 3 more about ready to mail out, and next week i'll cut those little babies out again, there are 2 perky ones coming up from the same places.
the first year i had mine i wouldn't cut on them for nothing, if i hurt them i can't tell it.
Cala, the only one i've seen are green in color... very thin like a pin or needle, 1/2" long. they are kind of hard to see. one has to really take a good look through to see them. so far, i only caught one. extremely evasive. what is funny is they chump up a bit at a time... leaving the leaf veins intact. then consume one particular leaf at a time. never saw one again, but the leaves are still being eaten. my neighbors must think i've lost it :), i am constantly flipping the leaves in search of this puzzling creature.
no signs of caterpillar or grass hopper either. a real puzzle!
MVR,
I agree with the above. How about grasshoppers...I know in Colorado Springs we used to get those great big ones and they'd eat everything in sight....have you seen any of the grasshoppers?
Or June Bugs, they are chomping on mine too.
Glory,
no grasshopers either. i've been keeping my eyes open for grasshopper cause i hear in Texas they are having problems with them coming in big groups. so far i have not seen one around. Hesperia's environment i would associate with the climate and immediate surrounding of Texas cause of the weather and dry climate.
Every other day, i do spray the brugs with w/ Cooke Garden Insect spray, containing Thiodan - supposed to be good use in controlling spider mites, longhorn, cabbage looper and whitefly. it was recommended by the local nursery owner.
June Bugs?? Wow, I didn't know they would eat my brugs. Maybe that is what is eating Candida D. White instead of a cat. Does anything kill them besides a shoe?
what the heck is a June bug? how does it look?
one question though, there is a white [what seems to be like a butterfly], local people around here tells me they are white moths. do moths eat the brug leaves day or night? i see them the tomato plants which is on the other side of the building where i live. i never see them near or around the brugs.
MaVie, don't use the Thiodan that often, rotate it with something else. If insects are constantly exposed to one chemical(for some reason, they don't get immune to the 'natural'insecticides as much)for most of their lives, they develope an immunity to it. They change genetically so that it no longer kills them and their offspring.
I think Thiodan is a cyclodiene, so you might try Malathion(organophosphate), or maybe some pyrethrins or Neem Oil, it's an insect growth regulator, but also has the reputation of keeping insects from feeding because of the taste. I've used cinnamon oil spray, but it did spot the leaves really bad.
June bugs around here fly into the outside lights at night. They are brown and hard shelled and nasty looking. Can get quite large, probably from feeding on my brugs. If one lands on you, their feet feel very sticky. Giving myself chills just thinking about them. Don't remember if they have pinchers or not. Seems like they come from Grubs, those white and nasty looking fat, short worms that eat the roots of the grass in the lawn. Correct me if I'm wrong here. Memory doesn't serve me anymore. :-)
Brugie, you are right. Forgot about the brown ones, we have green ones too. The green ones are worse, the fly in the daytime, mostly about ankle high.
Gosh Cala, if I had those along with the mosquitoes and chiggers, I'd never get outside. Hate bugs and worms. Had company tonight, but the bugs were on their best behavior. So wet here we pulled a blooming brug out of the ground for them to take home. Serious here.....pulled it. No shovel required. Had about 10 open blooms on it. They were tickled to death to get one already blooming. I was glad to get rid of it. Another white one.
