I've managed to keep this alive since last fall and realized recently...it's never bloomed!! It's too big to keep in the bathtub again this winter, so I'd like to see at least one bloom this year! Any ideas?
Is it ever going to bloom?
I wish I knew the answer, I have one I planted in the ground she is now close to 6' tall and no Y yet.
What is the name of your bloomless brug?..Charles Grimalsi is a late bloomer..it gets very tall before it buds...judy
maybe in that doorway it's not getting enough sun light?
I lost the tag on mine but it could very well be Charles Grimaldi
I have no idea what kind it is. It came from a swap last year. It gets sun practically all day in that spot. It actually gets too hot sometimes and wilts. I don't have much more room for it to grow on the porch.
Your brug looks healthy and happy!! I can't see the leaves clearly from here. Are they even at the base where they attach to the stem? ( I think they are.) Or are they uneven? If they are evenly connected, then they are still part of the juvenile growth period of the plant. They have to form a "y" shape in the branches to enter the flowering stage, and at that point, they will appear uneven at the leaf base. I have read that some brugs hit over 6 feet before they change to flowering. If your brug was grown from a cutting taken above a "y," it should flower earlier than one taken from a juvenile brug. Check your fertilizer too, how often you apply ( heavy feeders here, lol.) Either way, I bet your patience will reward you. Like I said, she looks great even without blooms yet!
Hellobebe, here's a closer pic of the leaves, including the grasshopper holes. (ggrrr) I don't understand what you are talking about, so I'm going to let you take a look. I've heard about the Y thing, but thought that meant the entire plant making a Y, not something to do with the leaves.
I have fertilized it a few times, but not like daily. How often should I feed it? What strength fertilizer?
kb, it looks like you're pretty close to bud formation. after the 'Y' you look for the 'uneven' leaf, (orwhateveryoucallit) just look at the stem, if one side of the leaf is higher than the other, you're on your way.
Oops, forgot to tell you that normally I feed mine 2x per week with a foliar feed (Peters or tea) but I haven't done it since the rains came :(
I had CG in a bubbler over the winter, (http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/467661/#top )it's first blooms were in June for me :) Here's the 2nd flush in July.
This message was edited Aug 10, 2005 11:55 PM
Oh, you mean how the leaf looks twisted? I have noticed this and wondered why it did that. So this means it's fixing to bloom? How odd!
Yours is beautiful! I do hope mine has yellow blooms too. The first time I ever saw one of these plants was on a plantation just outside of New Orleans. It was in Jan. and freezing, and the thing was blooming crazily! I fell instantly in LOVE! I took pics and never forgot it and could not believe my sister didn't remember it! I hesitated getting one since they are poisonous, but after I learned that so many things are, I decided I would try one. (my son will barely eat food, so he's not going to dare eat a plant)
I will start fertilizing mine with something like Miracle Gro twice a week and see what happens. I didn't real all of that thread, but I have a feeling it's way more work that I want during the winter. I'll just pull it inside my garage. Hmmm...I don't even know if I can do that. It won't get any sun, but then again, we don't get that many cold days. I guess that's a whole other thread I'm getting in to.
Hi All
I'm new to Dave's and eagerly reading this thread.
I have three that have not Y'd. I've been feeding about once per week with superbloom. They have lots of tiny leaves coming up along the stems.
I heard that I shouldn't use that until the "Y" so today I hit them with Miracid.
Am I finally getting it right or have I gone over the edge? Tomorrow morning I'll look to see if the leaves are twisting or just the gardener
cynthia
Hi Cynthia! I see you live very close to me. If you haven't already, be sure and join in on the TX forum. We are planning a swap in Sept.
I'm still not sure what I'm looking for, but am going to give mine a good feeding today.
I hope mine is in a big enough pot. It grew quite a bit when I moved it to this one. It's so big now that I am afraid to repot it.
LOL...now that I know that's YOU Cynthia, we'll have to keep updated on each other's Brugs.
This message was edited Aug 11, 2005 8:29 AM
Blonde, Here is a photo that I snapped to try to help you identify the "unequal," or "subequal" leaf attachment at the base. This one is pretty obvious, although there are some that aren't so easy to spot. I hope this gives you an idea, better than my words can LOL
Look at the underside at the base next to the buds.
Here is one still plugging along in the "juvenile stage." The leaves attach at the same point to the stem.
Jackie
Good luck!!
Sorry, I guess it's just me, but I'm hearing "wah wah wah" like Charlie Brown's mother. lol I still don't know WHAT I'm looking for. No wonder the Brugs forum is such a big hit, there's a lot to learn!
konkreteblond, first your Brug has to have a Y, where two stems both come out at the same place, after that it just takes time befor you see a very tiny bud starting, then befor you know it you have a BUD growing, and it is wonderful to finnaly see it emerge and open up. I joined DG a year ago in July and I have my first blooms, now looking forward to MAYBE getting my first POD and seeds. it takes time so just keep looking, and Good luck.
Doris
Konkreteblond,
If I could humbly suggest dat you would get her outta dat corner.
She ain't gettin enough light to produce flushes .
Just like the brugs I have planted for fillers in my 75% shade garden, they bloom late and have puny flowers.
Kareoke, I went and checked and I do have a Y on one branch, but no buds. I think I thought that since it Y'd right from the bottom that was my Y.
Scooterbug, I swear, it's getting all this Texas heat it might can take. It faces East and gets sun as soon as it comes over the house.
Hmmm...now that I've said that, I'm thinking that it probably doesn't get direct sun in that corner until afternoon. It will wilt like it's dead from the heat, but maybe it's just too hot in that corner by the brick. You can feel the heat off the brick wall that runs down to the porch.
So maybe I'm confusing heat with actual sunshine. I'll move it just for kicks tomorrow into the back where it gets sun, but not so much heat from the brick. Guess it can't hurt it, but you'll owe me if it dies. ;)
Move it slowly into more light so it doesn't freak. Being in dat corner it only gets 1/2 the LIGHT it could be getting.
if ya got a place to kinda shade her from the hot noonday sun It might be a good thing I'm thinkin since I've not experienced your noontime sun. I'm sure it could be ferocious.
If she croaks I owe ya ......... just gotta figure out WHAT I owe ya ;-)
Don't worry, I got a bunch of em ;-)
Maybe we gotta get ya some easy bloomers (plants) hahahahahaha
I think I'll watch it tomorrow and see when the sun is directly on it so I can tell how much sun it's used to. It's on a stand with rollers so I can roll it out to get more sun then roll it back in the shade later. That's about the only shade available for it so I'll just have to get it adjusted slowly.
I love them easy bloomers!! Those are my specialty! lol I can imagine that once you get something special to bloom that it's addictive.
Thanks so much Kin, for everything! That was the strangest thing, all those cattails. She chopped them down before I ever got to see them blooming. I saw the other day that she had a mass of something green growing in that bed again. I wondered if they were coming back! I'll have to go check it out.
This message was edited Aug 15, 2005 1:22 PM
I was trying to add a drawing to my post and wiped out everything. Here goes. Look at the photos that Hellobebe posted. The first photo shows a leaf with the copyright words running into it. Look at the section where the leaf becomes a stem before it joins the stalk. The drawing I've enclosed gives a simplified version. On one side of the stem the leaf is attached closer to the stalk than the other. This type of leaf only shows up after the stalk has produced a "Y". Hellobebe's second photo, the leaf she is holding, shows both sides of the leaf, where it attaches to the stem are even. This leaf type only grows in the vegetative parts of the plant before it "Y"s.
I bought a rooted cutting of Charles Grimaldi this spring. It's in a pot and gets morning sun until 3:00 PM and shade the rest of the day. I noticed that the small section of the plant that backed up against the house didn't get as many buds as the parts that got direct sunlight. It had a really great first flush, but the color was not as intense as violabird's photo. It was mostly a golden yellow with small hints of orange. Lovely fragrance.
I'm a newbie at Brugmansias so the first thing I did was to buy Preissel's Brugmansia and Datura: Angel's Trumpets and Thorn Apples book and Monika Gottschalk's Englestompeten. Monika's book is available in German only, but it comes with and text translation in English. Don't buy Monika's book from Amazon.com. Theirs doesn't come with the translation booklet. Somewhere here in DG's you can find out from whom to buy it.
If she was mine, I'd put her in the ground, I just put four or five of the same brand in the ground over the weekend. They were little but they've already doubled...good luck!!
I believe abutilon( Alice) is selling Monika's book w/ the translation.
http://www.karcheskycanna.com/books.htm
Thanks, I think I finally see what you all are talking about with the leaves. My poor plant is just having a bad time. I did notice that it's NOT getting actual sun until late, and not much, so it's thriving on mainly reflected sunlight and heat.
Then today I see something is eating a lot of it, and find small green worms on it. As I'm looking at the worms, I also notice it has spider mites again. As I'm looking at the worms and the spider mites, the whole top of the tallest part broke off!! Ahhh!!!
It's in water and looking fine now, but how do I root it? will it root in water? (no, I'm sure this plant will not be that easy) And guess what, the new leaves on the top of it look like your drawing.
bump!
how is your brug doing?
It's doing so-so. It's not as green and healthy looking as this picture (spider mites) BUT it is blooming! The blooms are a dark yellow.
It is sitting in my garage right now because we have had some days that it was freezing. The whole plant is too big for my bathtub this year so I am going to cut off a few branches and try to root them. I'm just waiting for the other blooms to open first. :) I am going to try planting it in the ground in the spring.
oh, those spider mites!
glad to hear you're enjoying the blooms. best of luck on rooting some cuttings. come spring, it will all be easier.
=)
Thanks! Overwintering cuttings inside the house is not easy because the spider mites are bad then too! (where DO they come from?!) If I can at least keep the mama alive I can try her in the ground. I've already had visions of her blooming profusely in the spot and smelling it thru the windows! :)
I HATE spider mites!!! Maybe you can spray with neem. It is not toxic like other insecticides for indoors and it really works. Or take outside to spray if not to cold and bring in when dry.
I just read out loud your name, Konkreteblond. Always before I never said it to myself. What a kick. I am still laughing.
Your flower bed is amazing. I love meandering gardens. Some day I want one if I am not too old!!
I haven't tried the Neem, but will try that next since I do have some. I keep using insecticidal soap but it doesn't seem to be doing anything. The poor thing looks horrid! It's a very pale green and almost even white looking in some areas! I have fertilized it but haven't this week because someone said you shouldn't so they can go dormant. I can only assume that's from the mites. It's just too late in the year for me to worry too much about it but I would like to try and root a few of the branches.
Thank you, my flower bed is all brown and mush right now. :( I hated to see it go but then realized it was the end of November, so it had to go sometime! lol I've got seeds coming up all over the place now so it might be blooming again soon. Who knows with our weather. I've only got about 3 months until I start over so I need a little break.
I didn't realize my name was funny. lol Most words are funny when you start saying them over and over. I'll do that with a common word and then start thinking "is that the word? am I saying it right??" lol