I really like datura, but I never have good luck getting lots of blooms on the double. Anyone have any suggestions that would help increase bloom numbers?
I keep trying....
Datura needs a soil with good drainage. I had my best results with volcanic material like a lava, sand and peat moss mix.
Brugie, mine do great in a hot and sunny location where nothing else grows, the soil is so sandy that amendments just leach away. But the Daturas thrive there! Maybe you are giving them too much care?
I have never had much luck with the double dats either. The plain ol whites ones do great tho.
So, do you think if I put more sand in that area that they might do better? I just hate looking at shrubs that are basically green. Sue, my singles do okay too. It is just the doubles that give me fits.
Brugie, more sand might help, and perfect drainage is required (except for D. ceratocaula).
Well, since I don't know one kind from another, I have no idea if I even have the one you mentioned, but I do have the sand, so I guess I'll break my back and amend the soil where the dats are going to go. Thanks.
Gee Brugie, last year I had beautiful ones and with in one week they all died so you better not ask me!
Kell, you kill them and I love them to death. There must be a place in the middle that will work so we can have lots of blooms. LOL!
Brugie maybe just dig some sand into the top few inches and leave the bed raised a bit, less back-breaking! D. ceratocaula is a swamp-dweller, so doubt that is it, hard to germinate it without GA3/giberellic acid anyway. Pick your most sunbaked spot, even against a foundation!
Thanks, I have plenty of full sun.
I have never had trouble growing these and I have never done anything special. I did not even treat the seeds and produced many seedlings last year to give away. Probably was just lucky on my part.
This is my first year with Dats and Brugs....have LOTS of seedlings growing away waiting for warmer weather.
I have had amazing beginners luck thus far, with around 90% germination rate. Now if I'm just as lucky getting them to grow and bloom. :-)
So do Dats have as nice a scent as I've heard Brugs do?
RikerBear
Pretty good smell, but I prefer the brug fragrance.
Brugie...... I can only think of one thing that you and I do differently with the Dats. You give TLC and attention to ALL your plants. I ignore mine...cuz...I'm lazy...LOL . Seriously tho....The one thing I have noticed when growing them is... if I don't give the Dats ANY fertilizer once they're in the ground..... they seem to do much better and produce more buds/blossoms.
This year I am determined to grow some great dats!! I am going to take John's suggestion and pull out Preissel's book and read up on them. I have a walkway in the middle of my garden that I have decided to plant with containers of dats. Then they will not be watered or fertilized with my over pampered roses.
Rikerbear, send me some of that good luck! LOL
I've never grown dats in a pot. Maybe I should try that, but would have to watch myself to keep from fertilizing.
I could see some around your patio Brugie! Just lovely!
Kell, too much shade there. Maybe one would grow on the front deck. It gets some hot sun from about 11 Am to 4 PM. The back deck is basically shaded all the time.
Luck is on the way Kell :-)
Brugie, Tried Datura metel 'Ballerina Purple' from Select Seeds in a pot last year. I found its root system kept outgrowing the pot. I think I ended up repotting it about 3 times before I just gave up. It was in a 5 gallon pot and at the end of the summer, when I pulled it out, it was a solid mass of roots. Unlike Brugs, I don't think Datura appreciate being root bound. This year mine are going in the ground. I think there are some smaller 'ballerina' cultivars which might do better in pots; but, mine was a pretty hefty plant.
PS. I had 100% germination rates with this variety from Select Seeds this year. I've been giving away seedlings to all my friends.
http://www.selectseeds.com/cgi-bin/htmlos.cgi/00137.2.4388465903816514364/2004/html/productnew2.htm
This message was edited Mar 18, 2004 10:22 AM
Hey eje, thanks for this information. I might still try one in a pot, but I think my best bet is out in full sun in the garden. I'm not particularly fond of digging massive roots out of pots. LOL!
oh shoot eje!
This year I'm growing Datura metel double yellow, double purple and hopefully a Datura discolor.
We'll see how it goes. Maybe next year, they'll be back in pots.
;-)