I live in zone 5 in Ontario and I have tried bringing my Brugmansias in as a houseplant in the winter.
It gets too spindly and leggy and I seem to be just as far ahead to let them go dormant in October in the basement at 55F and revive them again it April.
Last year I left one in the ground, cut back, close to the house and heavily mulched.
It woke up at the end of June so this really is not a good option for me.
What works well for those of you in these colder growing Zones, short of a greenhouse?
Brugmansias and winter.
RA...I put mine in the basement too, after cutting them back, and I have them under a set of fluorescent lights...it works very well...they continued to grow, but not at a fast rate, and the new growth was solid. The year before last I had a terrible problem with fungus gnats, but last year I used a systemic insecticide (granular, mixed into the soil) in the fall before I brought them in, and not one pest all winter.
karma_Happy_Toes, good luck with your wintering over in the ground. Mine was near the foundation of the house and I have had Canna Lilies and Glads I missed lifting in the fall come up there. The biggest surprise to me were the branches I had simply lopped off and dropped on the ground over the Brug and then mulched. They had all the white nubblies on them when I lifted the mulch in the spring and I tried and succeded rooting three of them.
Nan, I have 8 flourscent lights I use in seed staring in the spring.
You may have given me a super answer (why did I not think about this LOL).
I have always treated the soil of my plants prior to bringing them in and keep a Vapona No Pest Strip adjascentto them over the winter. I have found that prevention is worth 100 pounds of cure!
Now of course Karma is either going to kill me or wish me the best in the not too distant future. And people wonder why I don't come out here and chat too often...lol, just a joke. Seriously Karma-why in the world would you listen to me. Ahh, you know how confused I am?!!? Just wave a Brugmansia in my face and I will tell you anything.
Hi Ali,
Where in Ontario are you? I am in Oshawa. Maybe we could do some trades?
I would love to hear what you have.
Nancy
I am new to brugs and need a lot of information. Everything I read says zone 8 or higher,what I want to know if there is anyone out there that has grown these plants outside in zone 5 over the winter months and have them live? I have seen so many beautiful ones in the contest and I decided that I would like to give it a try, any help would be appreciated.
I'm in zone 5 ,(1 1/2 hours from Canada ),and no way would I leave one outside during the winter.I might be willing to try with one that I had quite a few cuttings off first but not with any plans to ever see it alive again. Besides ,anyone who is borderline to keep them out all winter ,who have left them out ,say they start growing so late that its really not worth it.They're easy to winter over in the house and you can get them growing faster in the spring .I did have a datura make it through last winter but I think that was due to the heavy snow cover.
RA
when you say you let them go dormant in the basement-could you explain this a lil more!
like watering and lights or not!
ty,
dori-zone 6 michigan
Dori, mine are in 10 gallon pots and this is what I do.
About the second week in Sept,I stop watering them and cover the pots with plastic so no rain water gets to them.
I leave them outside in the garden shed until all the leaves fall of.
Then I cut the stems back to about 12" and bring the pots into the basement. I cover them lightly with a dark cover (usually I use landscape fabric) and leave them alone until about March.
I do check on them once in a while to make sure no decay is happening.
In March they may have started to sprout.
If so, I bring them up to the best sun I can give them and water them well once, then only as they need it. Once growth has started I give them a weak dose of fertilizer (usually 20-20-20 at this point.
If not, I only give them 1 cup of water and cover them back up until sprouting starts (usually within 2 weeks after receiving the moisture.)
Once they start pushing new growth, I repot them at that time.
This method has worked for me for 3 years now with 3 plants each year.
I think I tailored this method from the Brugmansia site :
http://home.att.net/~perennials/winter.html
Last year I had planned to winter a couple of brugs that I had grown all summer. As the temperatures got colder I stuck them in my unheated greenhouse. Well... they ended up getting hit by frost on a real cold night. I thought they'd be Ok but when I brought them in the house the stems, (which were about 2 inches in diameter) shriveled right up. I thought they were dead so I chucked them. Do you think they would have lived? I wonder now.
I'm in zone 5 and really want to winter them right this year. What makes the leaves fall off? Cold? Lack of water? Day length? Do you think I should stop watering now? I do have a lot of leaf drop going on so maybe they're preparing themselves now?
I'd like to have them just go dormant for the winter and maybe set a light up in the basement for them in April. I'm afraid to stop watering all together. If they dry out completely won't that kill them?
Ha!.... Are you sick of my questions yet? BOY... do I feel like a newbie! ;0)
How be I email you girls later today?
I don't mind answering any questions but it takes up a lot of room here and I am not certain this is ok.
oh, please post it here!!!! several of us are probably wanting this info!!
RA, it better be OK, because I would love to know. Do you think this method would work with daturas too? I was hoping to bring mine in, but it's looking waaaaaaay too big.
Only from my own experience do I say these things.
-Brugmansia tissues (ie stems and leaves) do not tolerate a frost but since I kept one well mulched and in a protected location over winter last year, I think the roots can stand a good deal of cold temperatures, as long as they do not freeze.
-My dormant plants go without watering from Sept to March and I have yet to lose one with this method.
-Allowing the leaves to die back and drop off naturally during the drying out period allows them to return nourishment back to the root system I feel. I have learned that it is normal for the Brugmansia to drop its lower leaves while growing but I don't know why.
-I only grow Daturas out doors so can not recommend ways to overwinter them. This year I grew 'Datura meteloides La Fleur Lilac' and have tons of seed if anyone wants to try it.
-One of the most important things I have learned from the members in this site is never to give up on a Brugmansia until you hear it holler "uncle" loud and clear!
They are a lot tougher than I ever gave them credit for and have had them revive when I had lost hope so be sure to give them every chance possible.... and then some.
Thank you for teaching me this.
Thanks RA.
Thanks RA! I feel better now. You make it sound so easy!
thanks Ra-its almost sep. and i have 2 that are about to flower-ones in the ground and ones in a pot! im going to wait for these 2! =]
thanks so very much
dori