Hi Gang,
I don't want to sound like a know-it-all or anything. I have been doing Brugs for about a year. I have White, Peach & Yellow. I have been reading all types of stories about people having trouble growing/propogating new brugs. I have been doing aquaponics for about 5-years.....MADE A LOT OF MISTAKES!! But, I did learn that almost anything will grow profusely in an aquaponic system with growbeds. Brugmansias do EXTREMELY well. They will root in about 3 - 5 days (plus or minus). I have NEVER had one fail to root. And they grow like crazy. There was that person that posted his/her brugs after 4 months in water and so many people commented on how great they looked. Mine would be 3' - 5' tall in 4 months.
If you really want to propogate brugs, this is the way to go...in my opinion.
Don't mean to step on anybody's toes. The above is just my opinion based on my experience.
Thanks.........Steve
Brugs & Aquaponic Growbeds
Sounds interesting but wouldn't we be giving up all illusion of having them in a garden setting? Don't you have to have a garage or big room to do this or do you do it outside?
Would you be able to set up a little place to root them this way then pot them up? I bet a grower who sells them would be thrilled doing it this way.
Steve
what kind of fish do you use ? in what size fish tank ?
Dick
Oh you need fish? My cats would get a kick out of that. LOL. I think it is Kristi who gets great results using her fish water on her plants.
Stevie, pretty please, send photos. I use 'tomato boxes', from Gardner's supply to speed up favorite seedlings and cuttings. I got the boxes in June as a Father's Day gift to my hubby (preen!) and I managed to start some very late brug seedlings that bloomed quickly. Would your method be quicker than the boxes??
Can you show us some pictures Steve?
You don't step on my toes Steve. Mine are much smaller but they are also in a bathtub with an aquarium bubbler and a window for a light source just to overwinter without breaking my back. The only thing that would be more low tech would be sticking them in a 5 gallon bucket. The cost was about $12.00, not even close to a real hydro setup. Comparing the results between the two set ups is like saying Nicole Kidman is better looking than Grannie Clampett. Seriously I would love to see some pictures. Do they flower well for you in hydro and will you be keepingthem in it year round. If not I would be interested in hearing how well they take to being planted in soil. That is one of my concerns about mine. What else do you grow hydroponically?
Without photos, it's impossible for me to tell, but isn't the system we are using and Steve's very similar, like couldn't we add fish fert and be on the same page? Mine did root very quickly. They didn't have roots in three or four days, but they had promising nubbies and that was before my bubbler and all of them did root, even my greenies and others that were hit by the freeze...
Sherry
fish fertilizer & fish poop are a little different from each other :-)
Dick
What am I missing about the fish?
Steve,
I do not know who you spoke of with the 4 month water rooted brugs.
A lot of us do this , as we must over winter our brugs because they cannot survive outdoors and manage this by taking cuttings.
Keeping them in containers of water which is changed weekly. I , along with others here are also doing the aerated water storage.
The cuttings are kept in a cooler environment and free of rot. The whole idea is to keep them alive until planting season , not to encourage growth.
The growth you get in a GH or room is weak compared to what we need outside to support the heavy flushes that will be coming.
After planting , water roots will live long enough in soil , before rotting off , to allow the cutting to grow the hairy soil roots it needs to thrive..
Hope this helps with some of your questions.
This message was edited Jan 27, 2005 12:07 PM
ANY WHO ! ! What fish ? ? ?
Thanks Dick.
I'm ROTF, hahahahahahaha!!! Dick I will take your word that fish fert and fish poop are different, but you gotta give me an E for effort because, at least, I knew there were fish involved, huh??!!! But, I gotta tell you, fish fert & poop, look and smell about the same, to me, but wadda I know, I'm from Arky, with more than 15 catfish ponds within a few miles of where I live, lol. Years ago, about 15 for sure, maybe more, my aunt and uncle, from Springfield LA, brought us home grown tomatoes every Christmas, grown just like the links you provided. They were wonderful and i went down and looked at the tomato shop and it was especially wonderful to receive such tomatoes in the middle of winter...
We all know what fish poop is. Fish fertilizer (emulsion) is the product of fermented fish viscera .
Steve,
I would very much appreciate you posting or sending to me via email more information and perhaps a website link so that I might learn more about this technique specific to Brugs.
Thank you for taking the time to post the information.
Judy
This message was edited Jan 28, 2005 6:26 PM
I like the www sites that strever posted earlier in this thread...