To get my brugs to grow as a bush, I cut the top so it'll Y?
And to get them to grow into trees, I don't cut the top?
And which way produces more flowers?
Thanks!
Edited to ask one more question! Do your brugs do better in full sun or partial shade?
This message was edited Nov 4, 2004 2:09 AM
Quick brug growing question
To get a lower bush that starts blooming earlier, take cuttings from above the Y. To get a tree form, take the cuttings from below the Y. It will be a little slower to start blooming.
Both should bloom about the same amount if you feed them regularly.
As for which ones do best in full sun, it's a matter of genes and location. My Isabella wilts in full sun even in my cooler climate up in the mountains. Others like the sun fine. I guess the best place to find out for individual brugs is to check out the plants under a specific name, like Afterglow, and read the member comments, too.
Sounds like Betty told you! But to reinforce, do not cut off the top, you will delay the plant Ying!!
location where you lives matters too. I am to hot for any brugs to be in full sun no matter how much water you give them. I lost 8 different brugs last year. They just fried.
I am new but I had 2 this past summerm Thats what nice about being in pots, I moved mine several times till I thought they did the best. Ended with afternoon shade.,till late fall then I moved them to more sun.
How can you tell where it was cut from, I have long cuttings that have a lot of nubs showing it has had a lot of branches cut off, could this mean it would bloom sooner and not need to Y.
I guess I should find a book to learn all this but everyone gives such good answeres, and advise that is easy for me to understand
I think I get it!
Our summers are really hot here in MD, well over 90 degrees daily. I was really hoping to dispense all the pots and plant all my brugs in the ground this year. I guess I shouldn't do that then?
Capt, I plant 'all' my brugs in the ground =)
I'm in zone 8a and I have found that all the brugs I have, prefer to be planted in the ground. The difference between pot and ground is huge, the ground brugs, in my zone, definitely grow and bloom considerably more. I have a short trunked (about 4 feet) tree brug, in a huge pot. I took cuttings from that brug, planted them in the ground and all four are at least double the size of 'mom', and that is a conservative estimate, and the ones planted in the ground have had flush after flush after flush. In the meantime, Mom sits in the pot, saying, ho hum, I'll think about a flush tomorrow...
Lol. Did she really say that?
Do you have to feed them as much (if at all) in the ground? And should I use any regular food or is a bloom inducing fertilizer best?
scooterbug isn't your zone too cold, or do you just take cuttings and plant each year
Kareoke,
Yes , my zone is way too cold. I save over by cuttings..
If it is a special brug I will dig it and bag the root ball and put it into dormancy for the winter.
As long as I can handle the extra work in the fall, this is the only way I would consider growing brugs. I believe it is a good trade-up for once or twice daily tending to.
My lifestyle does not allow me to be here 24/7 to keep potted brugs alive. In-ground they do so much better (for me).
scooterbug i am going to do both next spring, if it is one I realy like I will pot it.
scoot, when you bag your brugs, do you use burlap or plastic or other???
Plastic, you can not let air get to the rootball but leave the top open a little for normal aspiration and the occasional water to keep the roots from drying out.
Thanks, scoot, I'm a little reluctant to try this but if I get in a bind, I'm gonna give it a go...
But won't plastic seal water in the rootball part?
Yep, CaptMicha, that momma brug did say that, she is a silly girl, and her kiddos have minds of their own, they just flush and flush and flush, regardless of what momma says - kids, ya know??!!
kareoke, if I get cuttings from other DG members, I usually ask them for above the Y, or below the Y, whichever one I want. If I buy them on eBay, I send an e-mail to the seller and ask them before I bid.
i am in the south here and it depends on the soil here. some people have beauties in the ground while the one i have in the ground hates it. the one i have in a pot in the shade loves it.
it depends on a lot of things. mine wilt due to heat too. then i water and the say YEA!!!
does anyone know one that does good in full sun ??
I'd like to know that too. I've already asked which ones do well in cooler climate with part shade but didn't any answers...
I'm very new and I live in zone 8a and I'm finding that, so far, it depends on the brug. I'm making an effort to use only brugs that do well in ((((hot))),(((humid))) weather, which is most often followed by (((drought))) and way more (((sun))), than they need. Apparently Pink Beauty, Rosemond, Tiara, EP, V. Peach, Spring Peach, Pink Favorite, all of my unknowns, and others that I might have forgotten all meet the weather requirements for this area. It seems, to me, that brugs that meet your own particular zone requirements will do okay where ever they are put, pot or ground, sun or part shade. None of mine, with exception of my alley tree, do as well in a pot and my alley tree will go in the ground next year, it was too late to stress her by doing that this year, as she was only recently rooted. I breed dogs and my hubby has always told me 'listen to your dog', meaning, if your dog is doing something strange or different that he generally doesn't do, your dog is trying to tell you something. IMO, it's the same with brugs, listen to your brugs, watch them, and if something looks wrong, it probably is. So, make a change, and if that doesn't work, keep trying until your brug tells you, by her appearance, that you have made the right decision. If nothing works, she might be a brug that you should replace with one that is more hardy in your area...
Most of mine are planted in full sun and they all do fine. Some of them wilt in the afternoon heat, but by the time the sun begins to sink, they perk back up. Its important not to water them unless they are really dry, as there's a difference between heat wilt and wilting from being dry. Those of mine that do really well in full sun are: Dr. Seuss; many seedlings, Isabella, Insignis Coral; Pale Pink; Jean Pasko.
I have Isabella too and it tolerates cooler climates and shade well. It wilts really badly for me in full sun. However, I'm not that crazy about it because it has no fragrance.
I only have a few and don't want to muck them up. How about this, which ones will do well in part shade and which in full sun? Our summers are very high in humidity, lots of rain or lots of draught, and ferocious sun, every day is high 90s.
I have:
Butterfly
Shredded White
Hardings White
Insignis White
Janet Reno
And a mystery one but if I don't know the name I can't possibly expect anyone to know the best for it!
P.S. Just thought I'd throw this in, does anyone know if these conditions are too extreme for a epidendrum radicans to sit out in full sun?
You should probably just try for yourself and experiment. Watering and humidity may help some do well in your city while not in another even if in same zone. If they droop too much, just move them. They take well to transplanting.
They also do so well in varying conditions. You may just want to put them where they get morning sun and some relief in early afternnoon. I bet all will do well like that.
I do not specifically know about epidendrum radicans in direct sun, but many plants will tolerate full sun if they slowly get used to it. I find if they start out in a specific place in early spring that by summer they have built up a tolerance to the sun. But if you move any plant, even sun loving, from shade to direct summer sun, most will get sunburned fast!
Kell -- I have to agree with you on the tolerance of full sun. All my seedlings that were planted in full sun back in April, did very well. I only had one that wilted from the heat...
Growing information on epidendrum radicans:
http://www.cymbiz.biz/epidendrum_radicans.html
Thanks! I just can't wait until it gets warmer and I can put everything outside again.