I've had good success overwintering brugmansias up here in Vermont by bringing them indoors and letting them go dormant in a cold basement. However, I always have trouble keeping them lush and green.
I fertilize every week with half-strength, water-soluble fertilizer and I grow them in pots that are sunk into the ground. Still, I see lots of yellowing on the leaves, and there's no sign of bloom yet--and it's the end of July.
I would welcome tips for avoiding the yellowing--and getting earlier blooms?
Thanks,
David
Growing in pots, in the north
David, when you say go dormant do you mean with die back. For me if I do that I am in the same predicament as you. I remove most of the leaves in the fall before bringing them in to a cool GH. I think the trick for us is to keep them more at a stand still then dormant, by this I mean not losing any Y's to die back. Joelle
David & Joelle,
I've had brugs for going on my 4th or 5th year........ (shish).. I've found that if I give them more light (I have a small south window in the basement) and little more water than dormant brugs, I get them to bloom sooner. Or it may just be the brugs I have. I try not to get too much die-back as far as the trunks are concerned. I had Maya bloom in the basement in Jan/Feb this year. She presented me with a May 31st bloom flush, also. That's the earliest I've ever had a brug bloom outside. On others, I've had total die-back and had to regrow the trunk(s) from the roots, that seemed to take as long as growing a baby brug to maturity. Now I cut as little as possible from the top of the brug (just to get it inside/8ft ceiling) and do lose some y's. I also nearly strip them of leaves to avoid mites & such. But I like Joelle's description of keeping them at a stand still. Try not to water too much or you'll rot them. I bring them in in October and water a little more than sparingly on Thanksgiving, Christmas, Kansas Day (Jan 29th), again on Valentine's, and St. Patricks and then I'm ready to get them going in April, if possible. The holiday watering schedule just helps me keep track. I'm going to start looking for smaller brugs, (Charles Grimaldi is one, Logees had a new that's supposed to bloom sooner, Inca Sun, I think) so I won't have to cut so much from the top to get it in the basement. I should just move to a higher zone! lol Some of mine are pushing 15ft w/pot, so that is almost 1/2 the brug or more this fall. Won't be getting early blooms on those guys..
Hello All.
I kept mine in my basement over the past winter and while they survived, I let them die back too much, to the point where they had no leaves. It has taken FOREVER for them to grow out this spring and I am finally seeing my first buds on them. My plan this winter is just like that of Joelle and AuntB - slow them down, but don't force them into true dormancy.
David, I hope you get blooms soon.
Erick
David,
You said that "I fertilize every week with half-strength, water-soluble fertilizer". Personally, I would increase the fertilizing to twice a week at full strength. Brugs are VERY heavy feeders. I know that this seems to be an excessive amount of fertilizer, but believe me they can handle it. This will help them to green up and grow faster so that hopefully you will get to see blooms before frost arrives. Also, it wouldn't hurt to give them a dose of Epsom Salts. This will help them to green up too.
And the advice that has been given about over-wintering is good. The main thing is to try to not have die back past the main Y. I struggle every winter with this, especially with smaller plants or first year seedlings.
Hoping and wishing that you get blooms this summer.
Hi,
Thanks for all the excellent, clear advice. I'll increase the fertilizer rate and keep looking for Ys. In the fall, I'll bring the plant indoors and keep it alive in the light. Seems like the main challenge then will be insects, which I can probably control with some neem oil.
Thank you, thank you!
Good point on the fertilizer, davidwv. Also, I wean mine off the fertilizer and water before bringing in.. and again getting them acclimated to the outdoors in spring.
You can wrap Xmas tree lites around the bottom of of the pots for a little extra heat . It will also put a little light on floor for walking .
I am in Calif and I still plug in the Xmas net lites . Just one string for light . About a week before Thanksgiving I put a set of net light in 3 different areas where I have orchids [ Cybemiams ] .Then when it gets cold , an old sheet or blanket goes over the lights . I tried the cheap plastic traps but they got too heavy for plants .
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During the day , when photo-synis is going on the plants pull in Co2 [to make food - like us eating ] and put out Oxygen [ by-product ]. At night they pull in Oxygen and put out Co2 [ by-product ] which is the same as us going to bathroom .
You are thing I knew that - but once or twice a week a 1/2 bottle of H202 in a vaporizor at night will help plant clean itself of waste .
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I noticed this this year when trying to root brugs in a fish tank bubbler that the plants closest to the fish tank looked better than the ones 4 and 8 feet away . [ 2 4ft lights end to end ] I had 2 one gallon fish tanks with bubblers one with H202 and one with asprin . After 2 weeks I put the cuttings in dirt . I now know it takes longer to get roots in a bubbler .