Advice Please, and a BIG Question

Hello All.

With a great deal of effort, and a fair amount of headache, I somehow managed to get fifteen rooted Brugmansia cuttings of various types through our Minnesota winter, including these two Charles Grimaldis. About a month ago, I potted them all up with Schultz MoisturePlus Potting Mix and set them in my front yard - a south facing exposure. Since that time, I have kept them moist but not wet (they freely drain out the bottom of the pots), have fertilized them once, and have applied Messenger to them once. They get daily care, without exception.

They have barely grown since I put them outside, but they seem to be picking up the pace a bit lately. I would also like to see the leaves more dark green - they tend toward the yellowish now.

I would welcome any suggestions you kind Brugmansia afficiandos would care to offer on better ways to care for these plants. I am wide open to any ideas for doing a better job growing them.

And, the BIG BIG BIG question....Is there a reasonable chance I will see blooms this summer?

Regards,

Erick

Not an expert but I would say by the color they need more fertilizer. I feed mine at least once a week. As for flowers this summer I would say chances are slim :( Maybe this Winter if you have a warm place?? But like I said Im no expert Im sure someone will come along and correct me if Im wrong lol!
Good Luck Erick!!
Caren

Do you intend to leave them in pots? That size? Probably no blooms this year. Probably would have more chance of blooms with them in the ground. Give them a good feeding of cow manure from Walmarts. The only thing about the yellow leaves is that signifies too much water, sometimes. They love water so unless you are letting the roots stand in water it probably is fertilizer. You probably can't over fertilize brugs. I had Miss Anna bloom last week and she was so small her bloom was dragging the ground. Here she is. Good luck

Congratulations on getting them through the winter!!
Mine all looked so yellow coming outside, after a long winter. I just put some epsom salt in my watering can, and sure enough, the newer leaves are nice and green... they get so deprived when they have to stay inside for a few months. I wont fertilize more than 2 times a week.
They might bloom in that size pot, as I have had them bloom in 6 inch pots, just dont expect a true flush of flowers.

Miss Anna looks great Jim! How is the smell on her. Oh what I wouldnt give to smell a brug again!

Thank you both very much for the advice. I will definitely act on it.

I have to admit, that I am, well...devastated (in a way only plant people understand). I can't even begin to describe everything I've been through with these rooted cuttings the last six months. My understanding was that if I could just get them through the winter alive, they would be stars in my Minnesota garden this summer. I now have them all in prominent spots in my gardens. I just can't yet believe that it was all for naught.

I would welcome any comments on my best way forward. Should I pull all of them out of my gardens and just keep them alive in a corner somewhere this year? Should I hang in there with them? Should I give up on the idea of Brugmansia flowers in Minnesota?

Regards,

Erick

Oh no, don't give up. It is the same here. I had about 100 cuttings sitting in the basement in the bubbler so afraid that I would lose them. I would really put them in larger pots and fertilize them more. Give them the manure about every 3-4 days and water it in. I do that and then once a week give them miracle grow. Of course it would help if you could find a way to get Fl or Tx weather up there.
Why don't you look around and see if you can find any other growers in that area and send them an dmail asking about their failures and their success.
Hi Shell, she smelled really good. Come on down, I have 4 more that has y'ed and should have blooms before long. You can enjoy with me and Bobbie.

Erick. First I would get rid of the black pots, (Heat will get the soil hot in black pots)I have mine in 25
gal pots & you need to water them everyday if they are in the sun. The ones you want to talk to are! Monika or Brugie, If anyone can tell you whats wrong ask them.
Jerry.

Please dont give up Erick!! You made it through the hardest part. I believe you have gotten and will get wonderful advice, and things will be great.
Oh Jim! That sounds so wonderful!!

Erick, they look like mine did after overwintering them in the greenhouse, perfectly normal as far as I'm concerned. Are you using potting soil? If you are, you should switch to a peat based soiless potting medium. I use ProMix BX, it's much lighter and very root friendly. In the spring I give mine that are in pots, the spa treatment. I hose off all of the potting medium from the roots and then let them soak in a warm half strength solution of fertilizer while I mix up the ProMix. I get larger pots and make a slurry of ProMix with water until its the consistency of sort of a thin pudding then slop a bit of it in the new pot, put the naked brug in the pot and slop more in until the roots are covered then gently dunk the plant up n down slightly to make sure the slurry makes its way through out the rootball and any air bubbles escape. I then set the pot aside and let the water drain out and do the others. After it drains, I add more ProMix as needed. That usually wakes them up.


X

I know that everyone does things differently and I'm no exception. I DO plant my brugs in black pots. I have blooming brugs in three gallon size and they will remain there all summer. I have older plants in twenty-five gallon black plastic pots and some of them have been in those pots for three years without changing the soil. Next year, they will have to be root pruned and the soil changed. I also have about 40 planted in the ground. I do have to water the smaller pots twice a day, but the bigger plants in bigger pots also need water twice a day. When it gets really hot and the plants are bigger, I'm sure I'll be dragging that hose around three times each day. I do what X does by using ProMix in my pots. I fertilize twice a week with CalMag, but used to use Peters 20-20-20 and they do well for me on either of those fertilizers. Mine are here and there in the yard, so I have some in full sun and some in morning sun. I think we have to do things by trial and error for our own environment and just use gathered ideas from what others say. Good luck Erick. I'm crossing my fingers that you will get some blooms this year. I think you will if you will fertilize more and not keep them too wet. You will be rewarded for all of your hard work and stress over your plants. They will love Minnesota. I nearly killed my first ones, but the joy I had when they finally bloomed was worth all the problems in-between.

Brugie your containers look great. i just started using the big 20 gal. ones this year.

Erick, most of my plants looked pale when I first took them outside. I still have some that very much look like yours at the moment. I applies a little epson salts to the containers when I repotted and the new growth is looking better. I am also just getting around to fertilizing regularly so that has been a plus also on helping. I agree with the pro-mix but sometimes I have to much potting to do and pro-mix doesn't fit my budget. Warm weather is just getting going here and the brugs are finally started to show some growth. I wouldn't worry to much. I know Brugie's look amazing as far as how big and full they are but they are established plants and your cuttings are just babies yet. I wouldn't put it out of question that they won't bloom for you this year. I have recieved brugs the size of yours this time of year and have seen blooms the same year. Once they start growing they really take off.

Here is a pic of Golfito that was taken in the beginning of July last year and by the sept is was so hugh and loaded with blooms. The plant was more fat than tall. If my memory serves me well, the darn thing was 5 ft wide and was only trying to reach 4 feet in height.

Thank you all VERY much for your most helpful advice. I have read each of your posts a dozen times, and will read them a dozen times more. Such nice people on this site! I really appreciate it. I have a lot of great advice to act on and you can be certain I will. I also appreciate the encouragement. I was very sad last night and this morning thinking that I did something wrong and now won't have Brug blooms in my garden this year.

I just got back from picking up Peters 20-20-20 at Lowe's (after not finding it at Home Depot and Bachmans). I will be fertilizing my Brugs as soon as I get home. I'm also planning to a bit of repotting.

Again, thank you all for all the good advice. My faith in Brugmansias has been restored. Now I just hope I'll have some flower pics to post this summer!

Erick

I am sure you will be successful, Erick if you push them! Also if they are from cuttings above the Y, they will bloom much much faster!

I find if I keep potting them up to the bigger size pot as soon as they can be, they love it. I go 16 oz cup to 1 gallon can to 5 gallon can to 15 gallon usually in 1 season for the brugs I am really pushing. Then the next year I put them in 25 gallon can and then from then on out I repot every spring after I root prune.

I recently read on here where some people pot even their little ones in a 25 gallon pot right off. Sure would save on work. LOL. My problem is room. I need to see them bloom before I waste that much room on them.

You can even get a 1 gallon plant to bloom but you have to water a lot and really push the fertilizer. The plant usually looks sad too.

I foliar feed my brugs in addition to soil fertilizing and they seem to love it. I use MG to foliar feed. MG should really make your leaves nice and green. But I also use seaweed, VF-11, and things like that via foliar application. I also have found that Messenger brings them to bloom much faster than if left on their own.

I am sure they will be stars in your Minnesota garden, Erick! I use a few in my courtyard to be my WOW factor!

Oh Erick, we cross posted. I am sure you will get blooms! I will be keeping good thoughts for you! And realize, once they start blooming they do not stop! LOL. Blooms become plentiful and the older the plant the more they produce.

Thank you very much Kell. I have long admired your talents and your willingness to help others. Your kind advice and encouragement are much appreciated. So many experts here to help me out! I am genuinely flattered and delighted.

The picture you posted is my dream. Someday!

I have my work to do, but it WILL pay off.

Thank you all again,

Erick

I've been gleening the info from this thread... ya'll answered most of my guestions too.. thanks for posting..
Kell tell me what the orange flower is in the picture you posted? It is stunning.
Viv

Hello All.

Well, all of my Brugs are now well fertilized with Peters 20-20-20 and I also repotted a couple. I will keep up with the fertilizing twice a week and try not to overwater them. Then I will just hope for blooms.

My Insignis Gold, pictured below, is a little further along the the CGs. It has already Y'd and I can see many tiny, tiny buds. None of them are yet developing, but I hope that will change soon.

Thank you all again for all the most helpful advice. It's nice to have a place where I can get expert advice on my gardening endeavors!

Erick

Kell...

That orange flower in your pic looks like something out of Dr Suess...It is a stunner with the brug in the background.

Thanks Pinkpoodle....I love your name. So 50s!! Sadly I tossed that plant out just last month. My DH was not pleased he could no longer walk around the courtyard so out went some of my plants. And truth be told, after a few years in pots, they start looking poorly unless you can give them a big enough pot. This one was allotted a small pot. Viv, it is a Lion's Ear, Leonotis leonurus; the perennial one. I believe it is always good to have a big splash of orange to wake up a garden vignette. My courtyard this year is still not composed, but almost there. I change it every year to make my life more interesting.

I am more into combo pots, going nuts on them in fact. LOL I need help. I have been putting them together all day and am about to go out there and sit with a glass of cold chardonnay and enjoy my handiwork. I have advanced from petunias and impatiens.

Erick that one of yours pictured will take off soon. Try foliar feeding it. It really gives the plants some zip. I want to thank you for your kind words. I really appreciate them. Everyone on the brug forum is so nice. We are lucky to have such a great group of people who know so much about gardening and love to chat, rarely is a nasty word uttered. Makes it so nice to hang out here.