Brugmansia

Bought some seeds today. Any advise please on the best way to start them?

echoes

echoes, I think we have many Canadian Brug growers on this forum...brugnut, sunrize, ...good luck, or go straight to the Brug forum and ask....just a suggestion....E.

Yes, thanks Elaine. I found some good info I think.

can you tell where you bought the seeds from.?? have cutting doing so good i want to put them all over.

I bought them at a local nursery. They are from Thompson and Morgan

What were they named echoes? There has been an ongoing T&M problem with brug labelling.

As they are my first attempt, I'll take anything. They're all pretty. These are supposed to be x candida Double White Lady.

ummm, have you ever grown daturas before? Not saying for sure, but don't be surprised in case.

Yes, I don't like daturas. If that's what they are, I'll throw them out and get my money back. Wouldn't be the first disappointment I've grown.

Hey, Liz is back!!!!!!! Hi Liz! Elaine

Hi Elaine. I've been having computer probs. My server has been messing around because of the virus. I spent 2 hours on the phone with tech support yesterday. I detest tech support with a passion.

Tech support like raising and training horses builds character through teaching patience - so says the buddha! (but at least tech support doesn't break your ribs) LOL
Hey two out of four of my brugs actually looks happy today, one looks like it hasn't made up its mind and the fourth looks like it has bird flu or something.

Take a look at this thread. This has been a problem for years.
http://davesgarden.com/t/417636/

LOL!Liz,I bet they sell a lot of seeds that way!

You're right Root. Maybe that's why they still haven't changed the catalogue even after they'd admitted it's wrong.

Wow, look how long ago I started those seeds. So far only one has come up and is starting to put out its first true leaf. I'm losing hope for any more. Will I be able to tell if this is a brug?

echoes

OK now I'm very suspicious this is a datura. Do brug leaves stink? I don't have a camera right now to get a pic. The leaves have a greyish-blue cast to them and the sides are sort of scalloped like holly, not a smooth curve like the pic on the seed pack. The other seeds finally germinated, but I'm not sure I care.

Some Brugs do smell,pleasent to me,but I find only mature, healthy ones do,if it is a seedling,and it is showing scalloped leaves,chances are it is Datura,but hard to say without a pic.

Not only is it very likely a datura but not one of the nice ones; the very scalloped edges are often the one they call gypsom weed I believe in the south country - grown for its foliage because the flowers are very small and non scented. I have been fooled by this one before.

Do the leaves look anything like this? Scroll down to the second picture.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=www.phoenixpages.com/manion/Herbs/DaturaLeaves.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.phoenixpages.com/manion/Herbs/datura.htm&h=400&w=284&sz=64&tbnid=Wfq522gbNLIJ:&tbnh=119&tbnw=85&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddatura%2Bleaves%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8%26client%3Dlgtech-kb%26sa%3DG

I don't think they're quite that scalloped or rough. I'll try to post a pic tomorrow. Thanks for the link.

Well what do you think?

closer view

If that is a Dat it sure looks healthy!!! Are ther any hairs on the leaves? Dang this looks like a Sang cross to me. I'd grow it out.

Sort of, a very fine, hardly can see. Sort of a 'bloom'. Four more seeds are up today, one to go.

I'm taking this over to the Brug forum.

This message was edited Apr 8, 2004 1:16 PM

Well a long time has passed, the refund came and went and it looks like Tompson and Morgan has corrected this in their catalogue. Won't matter to me any more. Here is the nice datura that I grew from those brug seeds. ( I feel safe in thinking no one from T & M will jump in here and dispute this one.)

Hey Echoes, I like that one. You obviously have it in for the winter.
How are you going to keep it away from the kitties.

Yay,, Gide has been charged with fraud today. (Crook who stole from Cdn. Govt.)
Ginny

That is quite the story, Ginny. Too bad it didn't turn out to be a Brug, but your Datura is pretty anyway. That is something that would happen to me!

Actually it is sitting outside so I must go toot sweet and put it in the shed for the night, one more time. Still don't know what to do with it.

Donna that is what happened to a lot of people that bought from T&M the past few years. except that they sent me a refund and now I have one of their catalogues already. Whoopee.......nice pictures.

It's a nice datura.

I had a datura for one summer, then fell madly in love with brugs. This year I've seen some lovely dats. So I'm going to start a couple dats from seed as well as some of my brug seeds.

As early as I started these, I don't think I'll get any seeds. It started blooming so late, because of the cwappy summer we had. Not too sure it's worth trying to winter in the house.

I don't think it will make it anyway....they are usually considered an annual. Too bad about the seeds tho (it is a pretty datura).

echoes - I have never grown datura but have received some in a trade. Based on your experience when would you suggest starting these seeds to have earlier blooms? How did you start the seeds - are there any special methods or anything specific I should know? Once started, when did you move them outside? Did you have them in pots or in the ground? Sorry for so many questions but for a rookie like me it's nice to get zone specific information.

Thanks - Susan

Hold on. It's early yet. Have to think hard to remember that far back. There will be lots of help for dats around here somewhere

I started my brug and dat seeds yesterday, but they are on a heating mat, and in a deck/GH, here in lotus land. I wouldn't recommend starting yours yet, unless you can keep them warm until early summer when you can put them out. They grow quick, so it's OK to start them later. Maybe I should've too, I've never grown dats from seeds, only brugs.

To relate how quick brugs grow, in my opinion, I think they grow as fast as sunflowers and corn, but that's just my limited experience.

Hmmm, the more I think about, maybe I should've listened to echoes... 'Hold on'.

Linda in Victoria

I'm holding on... Just dreaming about next year's garden already. Looks like echoes started seeds last year in February but they were late blooming. I was thinking January maybe?

Two or three things to keep in mind. I thought I was starting Brugs and treated them like brugs. We never had summer. They may not have always had the attention they needed once I knew they weren't Brugs.

Brenda, who is in for lunch, not on computer ALL day.

Glad to see that you can get those lovely blooms from a plant even without extra attention. That's my kind of plant! These are new to me but it sounds like the daturas are the poor cousins to the more popular exotic brugs.

Not poor cousins, just different and in some cases (when you have less space) even better. The doubles (particularly black currant swirl) are quite gorgeous and easier to bring in the house in the fall to brighten the shorter prairie days. However, my experience is that the seeds are challenging to start. Take a really long time to germinate - sometimes do so after you have given up on them and stopped caring. If I ever manage to get some more BCS i will try the sponge trick from the propagating forum last winter. (Also don't have to get a crick in your neck looking at them LOL

jagonjune - Thanks for the tip on the sponge idea. I have checked out some of the postings on the subject and I am intrigued. I will be picking some up at the dollar store next trip to town. You mentioned that you bring into the house in the fall. Do they overwinter or do you just bring them inside to extend their life in the fall?

Thanks - Susan