thanks for the info! (( copy & paste, copy & paste... ))
it you take cuttings from a blooming plant..
I will be trading some perennials for brug cuttings next spring since it is too cold to ship them to my zone now. Although I have admired them, I have never grown brugs and don't know that much about them. I'm only familiar with its cousin, Datura.
I have been reading as much as I can find about brugs, inluding this thread. I was told that a cutting taken from above a Y will bloom sooner and on a shorter plant. Is this true? I don't have a place to grow them in the house, nor suitable window light. I would have to make them go dormant and store them in my basement. Then grow and enjoy their blossoms during summer.
My daughter has an enclosed patio where she grows her plants, facing south so can grow some plants there.
My questions are:
1] Can brugs be pruned down and still bloom?.
2] What is the average lenght of time for a brug to bloom when started from a cutting? How about from seeds?
3] Are there any varieties of brugs that grow naturally short in height--3ft to 4ft?
4] When starting from a cutting which is one branch, is it beneficial to pinch the growing point so that it becomes bushier as it grows? Similar to what one does for hardy mums, and the like.
Thanks for any help or suggerstions.
In answer to your questions:
1) If you start of with cuttings from above the "Y", you will get blooms sooner, but Brugs are naturally rangy plants. Once they "Y", they produce new buds and blooms by producing more "Y"s above the original one. Pinching will encourage new growth, but if the growth is from below the "Y" those branches won't bloom until they themselves have "Y"ed. The new growth above the "Y" still have to produce "Y"s before blooming, but will do so sooner. So in answer to your first question. Yes, they will still bloom, but they will bloom quicker if you don't prune down.
2) It's difficult to give you an answer for this one because how soon they bloom is dependent on quite a few factors. Brugs are fertilizer hogs. If fed on a regular basis, they will bloom for you faster. It also depends on what part of the mother plant they come from. If they are planted in the ground, they'll grow faster, get bigger and give you more flowers. From seed, it may take as little as a year or more than 2.
3) There are some compact Brugs that start to bloom when smaller. Inca Sun is one I know of, but eventually it will get larger. Compact is a relative term given that Brugs are capable of growing from 25' to 35' tall. If you want short Brugs you will have to keep taking cuttings from above the "Y" or invest in some of the harder to grow slow growing Brugs that are making their way into the states
4) Maybe it would help if I explained how Brugs grow. They differ from other flowering plants in that they go through two different growth stages. The first stage, exhibited by seedlings and growth arising from the ground or from below the initial "Y". This is the vegetative stage. This appears as a straight single branch. Its height is determined genetically and can vary from a few feet to well over 7'. Some get over 10' before they produce a "Y". Pinching will not stimulate the production of flowers. All it will accomplish is new vegetative branches which must go through the same process and thus delay the production of the first "Y". Once the "Y" forms, then the Brug switches over to the flowering stage on the growth above the "Y". Any growth below the "Y" is vegetative.
I have 3 brugs that I started from cuttings a couple of years ago. I put them all in the ground this year and two of them bloomed for the first time. I think this air layering idea is gonna work for the 2 bloomers but the 3rd one is still kind of a runt. Should I just dig him up and stick him in a large pot or cut him back....no Y on this one yet. I have no idea what kind they are, 1 is kinda pinkish/peach, the other bloomer is white. Neither has a scent. I'd love to find one that has the scent . I've smelled them growing in the mountains of Peru and they are absolutely intoxicating. Anybody know the name (s) of scented ones?
Thanks, Steve
If you check them out late in the evening, I think most of them have that wonderful scent but not it the daytime. This is what attracts the hummingbird moths that pollinate them.
WOW! They do have more scent. Its 10:45pm and there is a nice aroma from them. It's pretty cool tonight I wonder if that affects the smell any? Any time of evening better? The Brugs I saw in Peru were in the 20-25 ft range and covered in white blossums. The local folks warned me not to fall asleep under the tree because dangerous spirits would steal my soul.They said the spirits used the allure of the flowers to catch the unwary visitor.
bettydee Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all my questions. I have garden for 45 or so years but this is a new territory for me. My trading partner is kind enough to teach me also and help me successfully to grow these beautiful plants.
With all the different plants I have easily grown over the years, I can use a challenge. I wish I had known about these plants during the 80's when I had a commercial greenhouse. I really could have easily grown them year around then.
Thanks again.
I do not have a greenhouse. Before today when I became a paying member of DG, I had read to put cutting in a refrig (they turned to mush), to put them into buckets with damp soil under the house (they grew in darkness to hit the bottom of the floor boards), and to roll them one by one in newspaper (they became dried out sticks). So, what method have you used that has worked?
Are you asking about keeping them over the Winter, or rooting new cuttings?
Can you smell their scent when you have them in a vase like that?
So when cutting back a plant, say to overwinter, where is the best place to do it ? This is a pic of Milk N Honey blooming in my barn. I moved it in there as it was just about to bloom when we had freezing weather hit. I want to cut it back after it blooms to make it easier to manage over the winter. How far should I cut it back ? Will it "Y" from where I cut it back from? so that I have good blooms next spring?
I'm a bit confused by the whole "above the Y" and "below the Y". When you want a cutting to stay short and bloom the first year do you include the Y? Or do you leave the Y on the mother and take cuttings from above it?
Brugs bloom by producing the first "Y". There after each new branch will produce another "Y" and more buds, more "Y"s, more buds, etc. I took a screen shot of your Brug showing the first "Y". How many more times has your Brug "Y"ed? You have 2 choices on making cuts:
1) Leave the main trunk(s) and the first 2 to 3 layers of "Y"s attached to it and cut off all the rest. Be sure to use sterile pruning shears and to spray the cut ends with a fungicide. This will help prevent dieback on all the cut ends.
2) If the main trunk is very tall, you can make shorter standards by following the instructions in this link.
http://cubits.org/Brugmansia/articles/view/458/
Again spraying all cut surfaces with a fungicide. This, however, will leave the original plant missing its "Y". Before it will bloom again, this Brug will have to go through its vegetative growth again before producing another "Y". This means that the original plant probably won't bloom until the fall of next year.
tikipod, You leave the original "Y" on the mother plant and take cuttings from above that.
You will notice that the branch growth above the "Y" takes a slight zig zag look. This is great for shrubby looking Brugs. If you want the Brug to look more like a small tree, then the cuttings should be from below the original '"Y". This includes any branches that pop up along the trunk or that come up from the soil. These branches will grow nice and straight giving you a straight trunk on a tree looking Brug.
mjsponies, This screen shot of your Brug shows the original "Y". You will need to go up 2 more "Y"s before making any cuts.
