Last season I didn't get any blooms until right before the first frost. Could be that I didn't get them in the ground early enough due to a move, not sure. This season I'd like to enjoy them a bit earlier.
What are some of your tips to get these little monsters to bloom before the snow flies *grin*
Kristi
Edit for typo* suppose to be tricks! YIKES
This message was edited Thursday, Mar 6th 1:18 PM
Tips and tircks to get brugs to bloom early in the season!
I need this info also. Do not know if it is where we live, but most of mine here in Ohio don't get buds until fall, then after I bring them inside, they bloom.
Have had them over 5 years, it is the same every year.
Hiya's! I keep my Brugs growing over the winter in my glass house and they flower all year! I used to have a similar problem to your's but with Cannas! But with my new glass house, In spring I place some of my plants inside the GH just to give them an early start for the year!
Like alot of plants, the sooner they begin back into growth, the sooner they'll flower!
!!!Tips for early flowers!!!
-Keep them warm!
-Keep them in a sunny position!
-Water established plants well!
-Feed several times a week!
-Change most of the compost annually!
-Don't hard-prune! *(never remove the Y)
Best wishes Always,
Bruno
Kristi,if you keep the brugs inside during wintertime never put them in direct sun in spring. The sunlight will burn the young leaves.Shadow under trees is best for two or three weeks.
Sorry,Hibiscus..itīs for you,too.....
Here you see a small tree with a uncutted flowerregion ( in wintertime) If you can overwinter in this size ( without cutting back) you will have first flowers after three or for weeks.
Or you will take cuttings from the flowerregion,they will flower very early,too.
Ludger, what is your feeding regimen, is it the same as monika's?
It is about the same.I also use some "...clacks "" from the animals,understand? I make liquid manure.
And I use miracle grow as an leafe fertilizer,special in spring when roots are still not grown much and the young plants need food.
I understand. I make compost tea, I don't have access to animals leavings. thanks!
I put the winterpot in the ground( like you see in Monikas book )roots will grow very good.
Thanks to all. Been there, done that! They are inside in room/65-70/lot of light through windows, just like an inside GH. Never trim them back, only whatever is dead, (very little). When I put them outside, they have bloomed some through the winter, feed everytime I water, some in semi shade, morning sun, some full sun, same thing every year??? No manure available here, Miracle Gro, 20-20-20, sometimes 15-30-15. HELP!
Hibiscus, Brugmansias stop flowering in their native habitat in Dec - Jan. for about six weeks. I noticed, wthat plants, which didnt have that pause during the winter, take this time out during the summer. When kept in growth inside a tempered GH, the tissue of stems and leaves are soft and are not adjusted to outside conditions. After moving outside, the plants 'grieve' for at least three to four weeks, they just quit growing.
Thank you. I have some that I let go dormant in basement, they are large plants, Y's, they do the very same thing outside in summer(don't bloom). I checked my fertilizers, have 19-24-18 and 19-26-16, the ones you mention with a high last number, are only sold in very small packages, for african violets, etc. Will keep trying for a better fertilizer, maybe that might do it.
Appreciate everyone trying to help us, to have blooms like you do. Sigh...... someday.
My brugs are generally grown from cuttings and I have at least two bloom cycles and sometimes three. Right now the majority of them are in the basement and are not much bigger than when I took the cuttings last year. I don't try to make them grow in the house. I just want them to stay alive. I have given them just a tiny bit of fertilizer a couple of times during the winter. I'll put them out the first or second week of May and they will take off and be blooming by July. The trees that I kept over will bloom sooner, but they also have received very little attention and light during the winter months. I still use Peters 20-20-20. I change the soil on all the pots that are large and of course, the small cuttings will have new soil when they go into the ground or big pots. Monika can correct me, but I think she said to NOT use a fertilizer that has a high middle number often. That would be our BLOOM fertilizers. I use it a couple of times during the summer, but that is all. I know, I got windy here. Hope you guys can get some bloom this summer. It wouldn't be worth all the trouble to me if I couldn't have them bloom when the weather is warm.
Should cuttings be taken AFTER they bloom??? Never before they flower???? ....still learning!
You can cut off side shoots but don't cut anything above the Y or you will be cutting off the part that flowers.Even in the fall you don't want to cut too much off above the Y.
Kristi, my suggestion is get them in the biggest pot or in the ground asap, and lots of fertilizer/good soil/improved soil. i took a brug from seed popping up to blooms last spring like that, special seedling. unfortunately, the flower was a dud. double flowers, the top layer was nasty before the rest could open and i could never find the sex organs to use for pollinating.
http://davesgarden.com/t/305174/
TiG, How do you make tea compost? And how often do you use it on your brugs?
I take about a 3 gallon pot of my compost and put it in a large trash can. Fill with water (one of those big trash cans)
Let it set for a few days before using. To be honest I didn't keep good records last year on who got it and who didn't, this year I'll be doing side by sides, one with MG and the other with compost tea. Maybe someone can give me a clue how often, otherwise it's test time. I will have to find Horseshoe and get him to answer this for us.
I do manure tea,I take a old stocking or knee hi, fill it with fresh manure(yes ,its yucky) take a 5 gallon bucket,fill with water and use the filled stocking as the teabag.I let it steep for a week or so.Its very strong so I usually take some of it and add it to a watering can and add more fresh water.
Just don't do this in the house!Unless you water it down well!
You could probably do the compost thing that way too....
Thanks guys! I will have to try some of these things and see how it works. I'm down to only 2 brugs....I think that bad squirrel got my other 2 brugs, I found them out of the soil and next to the pots. I wonder if he tryed to eat them? He sure has been a pest...he even has dug up my gingers.
Thank you for all the information listed here-it
answers alot of questions I had as well! I'm looking
forward to next summer and earlier blooms!
Thought this would be of intrest to see again......
Dee