Does anyone know how long it takes for the seed pods on a datura to ripen to the point that they are viable (in this climate). Frost is just around the corner and I'm wondering if they have time - my first bloom opened about the 21st of August.
Overnite temps are dipping to 6 and 7 degrees. If you see this thread Liz is it time to start taking the brugs in at nite or are they ok til the guy tells me its going to hit 1 or 2 degrees?
And a great big welcome our newest canadian subscriber, debpack - who actually lives in Edmonton.
datura seeds
I'm thinking mine took a bit longer than what you have
left in time...I'm sure the ones that developed seeds
were blooming end of July, early August...hopefully
Liz can tell you more.
Welcome to Dave's Debpack...glad to see another Canadian
member!! What do you have growing??
JJ,I would not worry too much if your Dat pods get hit once by frost,now Brugs is a different story.
If you hear frost is coming, pick the pod and bring it in. Leave the pod intact, don't open it. I imagine the seeds use some of the nutrients from the pith to finish off their development.
I have had them finish ripening indoors if they are nearly ready and the seeds were viable.
Thanks for the welcome to Dave's. I have nothing growing, I don't even have a flower bed yet! I am designing my back yard garden over this winter and am hoping to get seeds to start on my own...never done it before and need all the help I can get!
Welcome debpack. Tons of great info on daves.
Pam and Lynn, the versicolors, have to come in earliest, around 6-7c. Aureas are next in line to come in then the rest come in at 5c. Arboreas next, then sanguineas, they like it cool. Suaveolens and insignis can take a touch of frost but only if you don't mind having die-back. Whatever you lose to cold will take that much longer to bloom next year.
If they're not too much trouble you can wheel them out during the day and inside at night.
If they are inside for longer than 48 hours they will have lost their hardening off.
sorry, I can't help you with daturas, I haven't grown them in years.
Hope this helps.
Thanks Liz. Here is an updated image of their growth since arrival (planted july 17, first images sent aug 4). I will soon be getting my daily workout moving these babies in and out of the garage. Tomorrows low is forecast at 6 but it will be warmer against the house. So probably next week the dance will begin.
here is another
oh yeah the little holes are from a bit of hail we had in august.
We all have little holes in our brugs. I used to go crazy when I saw them but now I'm a little more laid back.
Another thing (or 2), the more soil around the roots, the warmer in the winter. So don't put into a bigger pot in fall unless you can keep it warm. Also, the bigger the plant, the tougher it is. Smaller plants (like anything in a 1-2 gallon pot) should be kept warmer than a 6 foot tall tree.
Moving plants is my life this summer. We are having some terracing done which involves rock cutting. I usually keep many of my plants on a series of decks. To protect them from guys wielding tools and bags of concrete, I move them, then I move them again, and again. Now my lawns look like a brug parking lot. Pots everywhere.
Debpack I just saw your posting on the Hops vine-we have
it growing here, on a trellis against the house and I
really like it-doesn't seem to attract the pests like the
other old standbys.
Thanks for the info Liz-thought my sang. could stay out
longer but wasn't sure about the others (and their temp.
ranges)- I gots alot of hauling to do! Temps here
have risen again-usually our Sept. is alot cooler but
the last two nights we have cooked. The sky is rumbling
here now and a good fireworks display but it too could have
gone to B.C. The rain won't help the crops here this late
in the game!
Lilypon, how invasive is hops and how high does it get. The nursery told me to plant every 4' and with the 6' fence I want to cover, maybe? That means $350.00 for hops plants in the spring. Someone told me from a seed store here in Edmonton, that I should try a couple of plants first...in case they don't like my soil. Should I be concerned, I heard they grow in just about any type of soil.
debpack I have a couple of the aurea hops ~ they travel maybe 50 feet (if not more). I'd start with a couple.
More on the brugs and cold ~ you can temporarily protect the tops of your plants by enclosing the canopy in newspaper.