I have two brugs in storage in my dark garage. One of them I cut back a little because the ends of the branches were shriveling, but now it won't stop and I'm concerned. I may even consider moving it inside if that will save it. I looked at it today and both branches of the Y have shriveled almost to the main woody stem. What could be the problem?
Gardener,
It is my first year of wintering Brugs also. I have my BIG one (like yours) in the basemant near this itsy-bitsy window. No light to speak of--but some. About 50 degrees, maybe. It is inside the house, but in an unheated "shop" area. The smaller ends of all the branches are all withering also. I DO wonder if that is a normal part of the whole thing going dormant?????
So far, i have not cut any off, but IF they would fall off when touched, what can you do? It would be a "natural" thing! There's NOTHING one could do! Can't glue tham back on!!! LOL....
I wonder also if losing all the branching above the "Y" would mean the plant has to "Y" again? Maybe??? Maybe NOT!
You "old timers" out there!!!! What sayeth thou????
Gitagal
I think they are just fine. I store mine in the crawl space of our house and just water them about once a month throughout the winter. I do lose a few, but it's mostly the very young ones that I lose. Yours still looks to be doing well. The branches on mine do that too, but mostly they perk back up in the spring when you bring them out and start watering and feeding. The branches that don't perk up and start growing, I just cut off after I'm convinced they are dead.
I've had the tops of the trunk die on me, and I cut it down in small increments until I don't get a hollow trunk anymore. Then it grows again and puts out more branch shoots. It becomes more of a bush type brug, rather than a tree, but up here, those are the best kind. They still bloom, but aren't too big to manhandle in and out when it gets cold.
I don't cut mine down though, I just leave them. Maybe cutting them down is what's causing the rest of the branch to shrivel up? When it gets cold here in the fall, I bring my brugs into the dark garage to start going dormant and lose most of their leaves. (Easier to sweep up in the garage). Then when it either gets too cold for them, or they have lost most of their leaves, I bring them into the crawl space that stays about 50 degrees and is dark. That's where they spend the winter.
I wouldn't give up on it yet. Your brug looks like mine do.
Do you cut them back to 5-6 nodes before putting up for winter? Mine are and I do not seem to have the problem you describe. However some smaller ones that were not cut back have shriveled. Yes, if the plant dies back or is pruned below the Y it must Y again before blooming.
It's best to water sparingly in the winter to avoid root rot.
