This is my first year with brugs...I don't know if even though our temps are in the 90's, if I should be treating my brugs like winter is coming and stop fertilizing, or it I should fertilize and hopefully get more buds and blooms?!
Please give me advice. I do plan to get a portable greenhouse and try and keep them over-winter.
What do you think?
Fertilize in Sept. zone 9 or not?
I am not a good one to answer your question, but my guess would be to continue as usual until your day/night temps begin to remain low. Then I'd give them a rest from the fertilizer so they won't be wanting to grow. Let them rest a couple of months during the coldest part of your winter months and then start them growing again. That could be bad advice.......Knowing how cold your temps get and remain and for how long might help someone else answer your question.
Margie, I hope you keep some outside to see what they do - having one that makes it through the winter, is so different, than growing them inside. It's sooooo much fun, in the spring, to go back and pull off that mulch to pray that you will see the first, teeny tiny light green that starts to show. My original brug, 10 feet at the end of it's first growing season, and was out all winter, and has had almost NO care this summer, fert only a couple times early on, is 15+ feet high, and almost that wide and has bloomed all summer.......As for the fert, I just fed mine today and I plan to continue for a while yet, because our growing season isn't over, but does look like it will be early this year.
Picturelady the only time I slowed my fertilizing was when it was the hottest Mid July to Mid August........ I though it was to much stress and I think I was right.
Since the temps are beginning to be in the low 90 or upper 80's and night time temps in the 60/70's I have just the past two weeks started to fertilize full strength again and I am seeing buds on everything that has a Y on it. So I am going to keep fertilizing until Mid to late November.
We won't have a frost till December if then........So I might just play it by ear and see what our weather brings. If I get caught with alot of growth and a frost bites it, I'll just have alot of cuttings to offer....
Hope this helps.......
Dee
Gosh, Dee, I quit the fert in late July, for almost a month, when my daddy was ill. Maybe not using the fert at that time was a good thing, because (except for three bug magnets) they are all looking great with tons of buds. I'm back with the fert now and, I'm with you, I'm gonna keep on until frost. Thanks for the info!!
Thanks for all your input...I will get out there and fertilize again...I stopped thinking they were getting ready to quit for the winter...but it would be wonderful if they would bud and bloom for me yet this year! I have only seen 3 in bloom out of a couple of dozen!
Glad you guys answered this way!!!
i am still fertilizing. probably until it starts getting cool, cloudy and rainy. we have a warm fall season here. some bloomed for me last november i think but the color was not as deep and flower not as big as compared to warmer times.
mmqc...I should have thought to ask you what you do, being in my same area!
I put my cuttings and seedlings in larger containers and fertilized on Fri. Yesterday I noticed new buds ( first ones ) on my Maya, V.C. Peach & un-named peach....so you are so right. I expect to see many blooms before our winter sets in.
BTW....I plan to put 2 of my larger brugs in the ground soon, but I have about 8 seedlings, 10 smaller cuttings and about 8-10 larger rooted cuttings...I am planning to get a little portable hoop greenhouse. What do you do to over-winter for your potted up brugs? I would really appreciate your answer. Of course my search for a little hoop house is taking me on to thinking about a larger one (HELP !!!) I have been researching for about a week now....doing little else. It will not have electricity, so I know it is probably not wise...but I am so tempted! Any input would sure help!
Anyone else with input on the wisdom (or not) of a greenhouse for me in zone 9....I would appreciate too! I already ordered and recieved my sunset and greenhouse companion from amazon...so my search is for REAL !!!
Margie
Margie, if you have some help you can make one so easily in an afternoon. And what is nice about them is you can take it down in small parts in the spring and easily store it. We just use new plastic every year. With a little thought, you can change the size of this easily. Last year ours was 12 feet high to fit in the bigger brugs. Also we kept the plastic long on the sides so we could lay 2 cu ft bags of soil around it to keep it from going airborn in bad storms.
http://www.westsidegardener.com/howto/hoophouse.html
Margie & Kell: Have you ever left a brug out all year?? If I can do it in zone 8a, I'll be you guys could too...of course, I'm sure this will be the year that mine all freeze...