The brugs are in for the winter....

...and here are a few blooms from this year.






L'amour

Creamsickle

Aurea NH

From seed two summers ago. It was beautiful this year so I named it Shaman's Dream. I am not sure of the parentage as the seeds just came labeled as brugmansia.

Do you have your in a GH? This is the first winter for mine and they are so droopy.

They sure look beautiful!

Very nice, enjoyed the pics. Mine are all inside, full of buds, sure hoping they stay on!

It looks like you have a nice collection. I enjoy seeing the pictures.
Teresa

Actually we just moved here this year and have not gotten around to putting up a GH. So my brugs were dug up and the dirt washed off the roots and put in big tubs with water. About 6-7 per tub and they are now in one of the guest bathrooms that gets bright indirect light. This is an experiement and if it looks like a disaster I will take cuttings. But it's been 10 days and they look pretty darn good. I will use peroxide and a bubbler to keep the water fresh and with oxygenation.

Beautiful brugs, shadowgirl!!! I really want a L'Amour and Creamsickle but do not know if they can take the heat in sough Arky...

Sherry, I am sure they can because they grow here. Mine get sun until about 1:30 then partial shade. Creamsickle never wilted at all and L'amour did a little.
Blue Grass, be very careful watering in your GH this winter. I am no expert but have killed plants in every way imaginable so I learned a few things along the way. When the brugs get overwatered they will wilt. Lots of people look at it and think it needs water so it gets worse. If I had one that looked like it was doing that I would repot and make sure I had really good drainage. A smaller pot is better so they can dry out faster. If your plants start getting rot from overwatering you can use hydrogen peroxide and save them. Here is a link that talks about it.

http://www.quickgrow.com/gardening_articles/hydrogen_peroxide_horticulture.html

That's where I got my idea about overwintering in water, kind of modified hydroponics. Then in February I can start adding a little water soluble fertilizer and maybe a little Super Thrive. If it works I will build a better system next winter. .

shadowgirl, I've read the hydrogen peroxide stuff, and I wonder if it would be the thing to use on several of my brugs that have 'failure to thrive'. Can you bottom line the hydrogen peroxide info, in a short form, as to how you use it with your brugs???
I feel certain that my above mentioned brugs would/could perk up and I'm wondering if washing with hydrogen peroxide might help. Thanks, I'm a newbie too.

I only wish I had a GH! Today they perked up with extra water but I am losing leaves. Why? Do they have a dormant stage?
I was given these early and as cuttings. They lost leaves in Feb. but came out when I planted them anyway in the garden.
Now they are 4 ft tall. Should I take cuttings? A couple of the bottom branches are sagging.

They lose their leaves this time of year. Less light, I guess. Where do you have them? Have you cut back the branches? I cut mine back and try to leave at least 5-6 nodes on each branch above the Y. Then you could put the cuttings in water until spring just in case. I've never done this before so it is all new to me. I do add HP to my water that my cuttings are in when I change it. I am just going to follow the instructions from the site. I have some bubblers like you use for aquariums to keep the water aerated. Change the water once a week and add HP to the water. I have them in those big tubs with the rope handles. I don't expect my brugs to thrive and flower this time of year. My goal is to go into the spring with some big plants that will take off fast. And I am hoping this will be easier. I am sure there are others here that are more knowledgable than me. Maybe they will add their expertise. to the discussion. Or else we could just muddle along together until we find our way. lol

Hi Loretta! I hope you keep us posted on how your experiment goes with overwintering in water. I know people have good luck keeping trunk cuttings that way. I wonder if the roots will be able to make the soil to water transition - I think there's at least a good chance since you have the bubbler and add HP. It's a good idea if it works. I hate having to lug 100-lb brug pots into the garage like I did last weekend. It would be easier on my back just to move the plant with no soil.

Your plants look so pretty! Love your seedling! I have never heard of keeping rooted plants in water over winter. This will be so interesting to see how they do! I know people complain of water roots, but maybe since they started in dirt they will do fine. I guess the temp is house warm which is interesting also! I know I have heard cuttings kept cool and in water do OK over winter. Please let us all know how they fare.

Tom, I can't lug those big pots around like I used to be able. Tomorrow I am going to trim off the little tiny roots since those are the ones where a problem could start. Somebody posted about about brugs they overwintered in water that developed big roots with no problems adjusting to the soil.when they put them out. What do people say about water roots. I 've never had a porblem going from water to soil.
The bathroom they are in will stay unheated. It is at the other end of the house where no one stays. We keep it very cool and the article I was reading about HP said 60F is a good temp and helps the oyxgen dissolve in the water. . Anything above 70F could be a problem.
And DH came home tonight with news that he found me a used greenhouse that I can have. I am going to look at it tomorrow. There is no way all these other tropicals will fit in the house without messing up the floors and carpet. .

Keep us posted on overwintering in water, it sounds interesting.
I have two baths but they are both heated. We only have a carport so that gets to cold.
The weatherman was wrong, mine was about to bloom again when I brought them in. Now I don't see it happening. :(

Why don't you make your carport a greenhouse? You can use the 6mil clear plastic they sell at Lowe's or HD for about 25.00 for 100'.At our last house we attached one to the back of the house in the winter and it worked well. The ambient heat from the house helped to keep it warm and I used two of those radiator style space heaters.

Your Brugs are beautiful. You are definitely doing something right. Thanks for sharing the great information. I will look forward to hearing how the plants do. I am new to Brugs as well, so looking for all the advise I can get!

~Angela

Loretta, you're brugs are looking good, girl!
I've been trying to pass on the info about bubblers over here http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/467661/ also :) We are definitely NOT getting any younger, and we simply MUST find an easier way, lol!

You are telling the truth, Vi! I am always looking for the easier, softer way. Used to be strong as a horse then one day I woke up and poof, it was gone. lol But after dumping the water in the tub I carried 6 big brugs out at once today, trimmed the roots, hit them with a few brisk sprays of water to wash off any bugs, and brought them back in to refill in the tub. There are buds opening and pods that just got fertilized in the last three weeks that look like they will make it.
Make sure you only use 3% strength peroxide, 2.5 tsp. per gallon of water. I' 've also read the solution can be put in a hose end sprayer to spray on the folliage. I will try to find the article for ya'll to read. This past summer I did not use high doses of water soluble fertilizer. Instead I amended the soil with manure, blood meal, and bone meal. Added double the amount of osmocote so the nutrients would be nice and steady. Added another double dose of osmocote in August so that the levels could be used up slowly by the time for them to be brought in. I don't know for sure but it seems blasting a plant with fertilizer all summer then stopping and sticking it in less than ideal conditions to overwinter must be incredibly stressful for the plant. Probably makes it more susceptable to bugs in summer and in the greenhouse. I had no insect prblems on any of my brugs last summer that a strong blast of water every few days would'nt take care of. easily. IMO

Edit to add: Here is a place to buy 35% food grade H2O2, which is what I am going to do. You can use it instead of bleach for your clothes and in your spa instead of chlorine. The second link is a place to buy an air pump with two hose outlets and airstones for very reasonable price. I ordered two pumps and a half dozen air stones.
http://www.dfwx.com/h2o2.htm
http://www.futuregarden.com/cgi-bin/shop/group-list.html?mCat=irrigation&sCat=pumps&lmenu=hydroponics

This message was edited Nov 12, 2004 9:48 PM

Excellent thread, thank you everyone! I new Brug lover here, and totally dumb. I received from wonderful cuttings from Woodspirit and Capt Micha, and can't imagine losing them. They all have been potted since they developed healthy roots and top growth in water. Should I have left them in water? So much to read and learn. Great links here, thank you!!

We have a covered deck on the west side of the house which gets covered in visqueen (6 mil white plastic) and everyone (about 150 potted plants, tropics) gets moved in there now. It's simply delightful, a waterfall keeps the humidity up. We are almost sorry to take it down in the spring. If the temps get too cold, we wrap C7 (D7?) Christmas lights around the plants. Shadow, we are checking into those heaters this year just in case. Everyone made it last year but some were really stressed. Serious tenders come in the house, which is jam packed. We use the heavier water trays and spacers to keep floors in good condition, but it takes hours to water them with a big watering can. Always tempted to use the hose, carefully.

Can I keep my baby brugs in the greenhouse, or should they come into the house? Don't panic when they lose their leaves? When should they lose their leaves? Put them back in water?

This info has been invaluable to me with my new greenhouse. I will be adding 2 1/2 tsp H2O2 today to all my rootings.Thanks very much, Shadowgirl.
I looked back at an earlier thread, and found the web site that JLD_ll provided for ordering all things for water gardening. Thought you might be interested in seeing it.
http://www.hydromall.com./

Lady-If I was in z9 I might pot my cuttings up. Some say that cuttings in water don't do well transplanting to soil. Also I think a bubbler is important if you leave them in water. As for losing leaves. My brugs were in a GH last winter that avg 70F daytime temps and 50F night. They lost most leaves and became dormant. My guess is because of light but I am no expert. I know some of the people here keep their bruugs growing and blooming in the winter but I do not know how they do it. You might have to post your own thread to get feedback since none have posted on this one any of their thoughts. I have to say though that the radiator style heaters should be perfect for your setup. You can touch them and move them around even when they are on and not burn yourself but they still put out a good amount of het. Best of all they only cost about 35.00 dollars and are very inexpensive to operate.In z9 don't you have lots of warm days in the winter. I think I would leave my cuttings in your makeshift greenhouse especailly considering the humidity issue. They are very susceptable to spider mite when the air is dry in a greenhouse.
Polly-Thanks for the link! One thing I noticed on my cuttigs when I first started to use H2O2 that is I used too much the roots turned dark tan instead of staying white so be careful with the ratio of H2O2 to H2O.
When I changed the water in the large brugs I am keeping in water. I noticed that any suckers, leaves, or green growth should be removed as they rot and contaminate the water. Also keep the water level just where it covers the roots. The trunks don't seem to like being submerged. I trimmed the tiny feeder roots, rinsed them with water, then poured a soluton of 1C H2O2 in a gallon of H2O over the roots to kill bacteria. Then put them in clean water with H2O2 2.5 tsp to one gallon water. Here is a picture of the plants after being kept this way for three weeks.I removed most of the leaves myself and the buds that were on them even though they looked good.
It is nice to be able to chat with all of you and get feedback.

This message was edited Nov 14, 2004 1:13 PM

This is a pod of L'amour x Creamsickle that is continuing to ripen.

Wish I could add to this thread but I'm a "stick it in a pot of dirt" kind of gardener. I've never had good luck with rooting in water, probably because I don't take the time to baby them. I've used hydrogen peroxide a time or two, but prefer to hook the hose up to the kitchen faucet to water, so H2O2 doesn't get used now either. No fuss, no muss that way. LOL!! Once in a while I do have to mix and hand water to get rid of fungus gnats or mix and spray for white flies or mites, but that is about it. I'm learning to take it easy. It's retirement time for me. Good thread...................

Is my understanding correct, that cuttings can be washed with the 35% hydrogen peroxide??? Is the purpose to kill bugs, mites, fungus, etc???? I might have read it incorrectly, but there seem to be different recipes to mix by the gallon.

3% strength peroxide, 2.5 tsp. per gallon of water
clean water with H2O2 2.5 tsp to one gallon water.
***Is the 2nd recipe for 35% HP???

Then there is this: poured a soluton of 1C H2O2 in a gallon of H2O over the roots to kill bacteria.

What recipe, 35% H202 should I use to wash cuttings to kill bacteria, bugs, etc. The recipe with 1 cup H202 seems like it would be too much. TIA!!!

NOOOO! LOL Never usr 35% H202 on anything. Especially don't get it on your clothes or skin. It will bleach it white. All of these use 3% H2O2. Make sure you read this article it will tell you how to dilute 35% H2O2 to 3%.. It is a lot less expensive to buy the higher strength and dilute it yourself and there are other uses for H2O2. The recipe with 1 cup in a gallon uses 3% and it is that strong because you have your plants laying on the ground and pour it over the roots. One gallon of solution rinsed of the roots of 6 plants. After rinsing the roots I let them sit a minute then rinsed again with [plain water. I probably would'nt do this everytime but their were some suckers in the water that had begun to rot. The 2.5 tsp per gallon is the solution you keep the plants in with the bubbler.
I am not sure if H2O2 kills mites. I' ve never had mites or had to spray with any strong miticides or pesticides. I think it is because I do not use high amounts of water soluble fertilizer.
Brugie-What I meant was people that keep their plants actively growing in the winter. I have never really heard anyone talk about how they do it. I don't know if anyone has ever done what I am trying this winter.I've always used H2O2 on all of my plants.I am probably going to go ahead and pot up my cuttings.

http://www.quickgrow.com/gardening_articles/hydrogen_peroxide_horticulture.html

My interest in the H202 is to find something that might help several ailing plants and I don't know what the problem is, except that they have puckered leafs, it doesn't appear to be a bug, but I know some mites cannot be seen. I'm thinking I will take cuttings and I plan to wash, in hot water, the cuttings before I pot them and I wonder if H202 might be good to wash them. Then, I'm thinking of removing the dirt and wash the roots of the ailing plants with H202. I have to do something and nothing else has worked. Waddayathink???

Loretta, when did you take your cuttings? Speaking from experience here (I lost a LOT last winter) cuttings do well in dirt when you root them in the summer, or maybe if you have a warm greenhouse. I vowed not to make that mistake again this year! If you think about it, they are out of the growing mode with the reduction of light and warmth. If Monica keeps hers in water, it can't be a bad thing!

I had some rooting in water from the hurricane in September, they are still doing just fine with the bubbler, I never even changed the water.

I'm not sure as I've not tried it, but my guess would be Sherry, that the H2O2 wouldn't do anything for your puckered leaf problem. It sounds to me like you have the dreaded broad or cyclamen nites and the hot water alone will take care of them. My big question is: If we get rid of them from on our cuttings and over the winter, will they still be in the soil outside in the spring?

Yes, indeedy, Shirley, your question is the same as mine and I've been wrangling with it almost all summer. I've tried so many different sprays, etc, with little or no results, certainly not something I can put my finger on. My local gardners say they use zero except Siven dust and malathion, sp, and bug killer granules, under the cypress or cedar mulch. I plant to start early next spring, with a strong emphasis, on bug control. I can grow, root the plants and I'm going pretty much to seed because my home grown seedlings are by far my most healthy brugs. If any of you have other suggestions, I'd love to know!!!!

In my opinion it is not an insect problem Sherry. I have one plant that came to me in a trade with puckered leaves. At first I thought bugs but I looked at the leaves with a magnifying glass and also took pictures with my telephoto lens then magnified those and saw no insects. So I cut the plant back all the way until there were only two bare stalks sticking out of the ground with a couple of nodes but no leaves. The plant was isolated from other plants. When the leaves grew back they were still puckered so I cut it back again. When it got new leaves they were puckered. My other plants are insect free. Also the plant has not thrived at all. Don't know what it is but it is not mites, unless they are in the roots or the vascular sytem. I have heard of several people having this problem and they swear there are no mites of any kind. Don't think it is something in the soil either this plant has been planted in the ground and in a pot. But I have never washed off the rootball. I think I will try that.

This message was edited Nov 14, 2004 6:01 PM

Thanks, shadowgirl, I think my plants have the same thing yours have. The scenario is the same. I did the magnifying glass and I also microscoped too, no bugs or insects.
Several locals have looked at them and they say they have had similar problems and after they try everything, much as you mentioned, that they cull the plant and a couple think it has to do with heat, humidity, sun, rain, and that is what I think, otherwise, if it was bugs I feel like more of them would have the problem. After I take cutting and wash them, I'm going to wash off the rootball too. They are all plants I really like, Butterfly, Whiskers, Species, Dr. Suess - but I consider it foolish to spend all my time on brugs that don't like it here, since I have about maybe 30 that do. Let me know how it goes with your plants and thanks!!!!

Okay, another question: If broadmites burrow into the leaves and do their damage from inside, how can you see them with a magnifying glass or microscrope? I really do want to get to the bottom of this puckered leaf problem. I don't like it, my brugs don't like it, and I sure don't want it again next year. If this is something within the cultivar, I want to get rid of it. Sure has me stumped.

OK folks, I went out and took the plants out of the pot and shook off the root ball, which I had never looked at before. What I noticed first was that for a plant that had been rooted since last spring the rootsystem look pretty small/ It was mostly small feeder roots. Then under the light I noticed these flakes of metallic looking stuff in the rootball. (see picture)

So, what are you seeing Loretta? I can see some light spots, but can't tell what they are.

Then I washed off the roots until they were clean. The metallic flakes were all in the roots and it took quite a lot a washing to get them out. Here is what washed out. (see picture)

Would it be vermiculite?