Okay, I'm a Brug Dummy, but how do I take cuttings of my 3 pitiful brugs (like, what part of them) and how do I need to treat them for more next year?
I'm sure this has been posted a zillion times but I couldn't find a thread. Sorry.
Okay, I'm a Brug Dummy, but...
Keep them in a frost free place and only water enough to keep them alive over the winter months. In the spring bring them out to begin growing. Fertilize and water when needed and they will do fine. OR....you can take cuttings. For bushy plants, take the cuttings from above the Y and for taller plants, take cuttings from below the Y. Stick a cutting that is about six inches long into a pot of damp soil, and tamp the dirt around the cutting, but not too tight. Keep it out of full sun. I just put mine in the dappled shade of a tree until they root. However, if the nights are getting cool, they might root better in the house. If you do cuttings now, it would be best to keep them in a window once they are rooted and watch for mites and whiteflies. Pretty easy to care for. I'm sure you won't have a problem at all. Oh yes, when you take cuttings, be sure you sanitize your clippers between brugs in case one could be sick. It is just a precaution, but a good one to get used to using.
Sounds like good advice, Brugie. Do I need to dip cuttings in a hormone? May I take several cuttings from one long stem? Does it matter which end is up?
Darius, Glad to see you were not washed away !! I wasnt but I was standing in flood waters handing plants to my husband to move them to higher ground.
I wanted to put my cuttings (in water) in a dark place above freezing. Will this be okay?
charlotte
Darius, I don't use rooting hormone because they generally root so easy anyway. Maybe stick them in glasses of water for a few days until they get little white nubbies, but make sure you change the water each day. Once the nubbies appear, you can pot them up and they will root quickly. You can take several cuttings from a stem and if you can't figure out which way is up, plant it sideways like a log, but only covering the cutting about half way with soil. If you do this, leave room to add soil as the new sprouts grow taller so they can get roots on them too.
Charlotte, you will have to change the water so they won't "spoil". I think they need the light to root. Growing brugs is an individual thing. What works for me might not work for you. Everyone has to experiment and see what their best results come from. Hope you both have good luck with your cuttings.