I used Brugie's method of "Stick a cutting in the dirt any old place and it will grow." And they did! I just picked up a bunch of 6 1/2" pots for a quarter a piece, so I am hoping that it will be okay to move the rooted cuttings into them just for the winter. Are these pots big enough for the babies or should I get gallons or larger?
Caring for my stick garden?
Well you have the touch! Depends on how big they are and what you want them to do over winter. If you want them to stay the same size over winter, smaller is better. If you want them to grow bigger and have a good growing environment for them, go bigger in the pot size.
They seem to like to send a long taproot down so if in the ground, it may have sent down a good one. With that being said, unless they have really grown big, I would think they would do fine in a 6 inch pot. If you seem to be cutting off lots of roots, cut off some or all of the big leaves to compensate for the root loss.
In your zone, I'd go with a little bigger pot if they are well rooted or you could be doing a lot of watering. If you don't have a chance of frost, you should be able to have some blooming brugs as soon as the day light gets longer. Wish I lived there or in Kell's area. Can't imagine being warm most of the year. We are so cold here and the top inch or so of the ground is now frozen.
LOL Brugie, I didnot even notice Frogsu's zone! You can leave yours in the ground all year in San Diego. You never get frost do you? Brugie, I am much colder here in No. California. Opt to move to San Diego. It is just beautiful there!
Kell, you know where I'll be moving to and it isn't CA. Probably just 2.5 miles south of where I am right now. LOL!!
I was just thinking Brugie that I may move to San Diego to join you!
Hey, we can dream can't we? LOL
Never hurts....I think my kids would like us to move to a warmer climate. Would make vacations during the winter more pleasant.
Here is the stick garden. These are from the 10/18 Ru at SoCal's. Thanks Brugie and Kell. Bigger pots it is. They will have to wait until Thanksgiving weekend though. LOL I have to make time to get to the nursery for pots.
Those look like pretty good sized pots. I think I'd let them get a little root bound before you put them into nursery pots. At least wait until you see some roots trying to escape the bottom of the pots. They are looking good.
Shirley
While I have the experts online, one more question. This is the base of tropical sunset. The plant is about waist high in a 5 gal pot. It did this once before and I carefully cut back the extra foliage but it has all come back and more. I was hoping to turn it into a tree. Is this one just a plant that wants to be a bush or do I keep trimming the base until it gets the hint? The main trunk is getting nice and thick. If it is a bushy critter, I have a place for it where it is welcome to do that too.
V. Peach is very happy in the ground and this one will go in as soon as I hear from you.
You are right, kell. No frost here. Just once every few years or so. Where are you in N. Ca? Dad is in Napa.
Right outside of San Francisco. I love Napa!
Your cuttings have a way to go. When just rooting they are more sensitive to rotting so be careful with your watering. But where you live it probably is not that much of a problem as it is where it is cold. But too big a pot with too much wet dirt can endcourage rotting when they are just rooting.
If I were you I would cut off the tree part and start it in its own pot and leave the bushy bottom growth to grow into a bush. How tall is this tree?
The only ones that dried out at all were the Butterfly and butterfly X. Everything else said Yahoo California sun! lol All but one has leaves now. Do the leaves on the Golden Lady stay so soft and fuzzy? DD goes out and pets it and talks to it. No wonder they grow.
Janice
kell, it iwas a rooted cutting that I got from Brugie this summer. The plant itself is probably three feet tall. It is one of my first two brugs. I have a place for it by the house where it could get 10 ft if it wants to. Nasty juniper has got to go. I hate the ugly bug ridden things. Crows like them too.
Cut up my baby?! Aaaaahhhh do I have to? I am really new to this and dont want to kill it although they do not seem to kill that easily in these parts.
They have had some Charles Grinaldis at the Home Depot. Good sized and boy o boy are they proud of them!!
If you don't want to whack on it, just let it go to bush and then take a cutting from below the Y on one of the side (basal) shoots that are coming up from the soil line ir take the whole piece and root it. You should be able to get a taller one from it for next summer. I would go ahead and plant it in the ground. It looks to be growing very well.
That is how I have gotten most of my standards Frogsrus. I just cut them off at the base and pot them up. If you are nervous you can airlayer the tall one and then cut it off. I just wet some moss, place the wet moss all around the base of the piece I want, and crumple tight silver foil so it totally encases the moss around the full circumference of the stem. In 6 weeks to 8 weeks peek and see if roots have formed.
Okay. I will hold my breath and cut the brug. Do I fertilize or anything or just water until it roots again?
I will leave its spot in the yard until it is re-rooted. Should I put it in another 5 gal pot or something smaller? It will be interesting to see what becomes of the mass on the base of it.
LOL. What kind is it agian in case I have to replace it? LOL
I would put it in a gallon can just to get the rooting on more of the trunk. Cut off all the big leaves also for they will just wilt. I use rooting hormone. I make a hole in the dirt with a pencil in wet dirt and then dip the wet cutting into the hormone and stick it into the hole. Push dirt tight around it but do not water it again until it is dry. You just wash off the hormone. You can spray mistit daily though. Even if the stalk wilts over, only water the dirt when dry. Keep in total shade till rooted well.
frogsrus, your stick garden looks pretty good to me. Here after 6 mornings of 10 to 12 degrees, my ground is like Brugies, frozen more than an inch. However this morning only got down to 25 degrees and warmed up to 43, a regular heat wave!!! Donna
Rutholive, all I have to say is Brrrrrrrrrrr. We are still wearing shorts.
The stick garden will be moved to the cactus area to insure that they do not get over watered. Surgery will be performed on Tropical Sunset. Poor baby!
kell, can brugs be left in the ground in Napa or do they get too much frost? I have more started that I can put in my yard so I was hoping......... Truthfully, there is no shortage of good homes for the babies.
Gee I do not know. I know it gets much hotter there in the summer but do not know how cold in the winter? I am right on the bay so we usually do not get freezes here but Napa is inland. Can grapes grow where it freezes? Ask your Dad. I bet if you started them in the ground early spring that by the time winter came, the roots would go way down and then even if it did freeze, the plant would come back from the roots.
Napa definately freezes but it is freeze at night and thaw in the day. The ground does not stay frozen. Grapes definately grow where it freezes but if they get a late freeze after the fruit has set, there are sprinkler systems in place. This is a vast improvement over the smudge pot and burned tires they used when I was a kid.
Frogs, you can definitely put them in the ground. Just make sure you put them where you want them to stay. SD has some gorgeous brug trees that have been there for years. Kyle has posted pictures of some of them from time to time. I would think that the worst that would happen in your zone would be a light frost and that won't hurt them other that make them drop their leaves and they will grow back quickly or maybe just burn the edges some. If you to think you are going to have a light frost, you would avoid a leaf problem by just tossing a sheet over the plant for the night. I can't wait to see what your cuttings produce in a year or two. I'll bet they will be gorgeous.
Well the brugs then would die to the ground Frogrus. But if it was not long lasting they probably would come back from the roots.
Some brugs are more tolerate of cold than others. Versicolors would probably not like it there. Sangs would not like the heat of the summer. I am sure some one else will chime in with cold tolerate kinds. Brugie knows I am sure, she knows every thing! LOL
Surgery is complete. Poor thing looks naked without all of the big leaves. I am going to let the thick mass of leaves on the bottom of the plant grow and see what happens with them. Thanks for all of the advice. I cant wait to get more of these into the ground. By spring I should have the front yard ready for them.
Kell, I'm so far from knowing it all that it is pittyful. I just fake my way through. LOL.
Oh right Brugie! You are one of the most knowledgeable people on here. You just quietly go about helping anyone who needs it. Which is probably why you are so nice to me, you know I need a lot of help! LOL
Thanks Kell. You are too nice. If I had the brug blooms that you have, I'd be in heaven. I'd say you have had some good teachers over the last few years. How long have you really been growing brugmansia, not counting your sang?
Just thought I would let you know that surgery was a rousing success. Here is the tall piece. I think the stem will be forever crooked lol.
And here is the bushy piece in its new home where it can bush out to its hearts content. Thanks for all of your help.
I have a few of those crooked ones too. I don't know why it happens, but maybe it is because I don't pay enough attention to them and turn as they are growing up in their pots. Doesn't bother me. I just let them go bushy to cover the trunk up. Yours are looking great. It won't be long and you will be posting bloom pictures. I can't wait.