The Making of a Brug Standard or Very Large Cutting!

Today was the day to make my Adora Standards and I was asked to show how I do it. This was a plant that I kept for two years before making a standard of it, I could have done it last year but this was my biggest plant last year and I decided to see how large I could grow a brug up North in Zone 6 (my zone). I planted it right in the ground this year, last year it stayed in a blue 22 gal container. This plant reached 9-10 feet tall this year. To large for me to handle or even think about digging up. Here is a picture of my sister in law standing next to the large brug she is 5'9".

Tools Needed:

Something to cut with ( I used a PVC Cutter)
you could use a pair of loppers, hand saw, sawzall, hacksaw ect.

alcohol (not the kind you drink) for cleaning and sterilizing your tools

hand pruner (like a felco#2 or some kind of shear)

5gal bucket

gloves

garbage bags

aquirium pump (any will do)

some tubing for the air pump

an airstone for the end of the tubing

Let's get started, here's our subject ADORA BRUGMANSIA

First let's clean our tools with the alcohol, we will be cutting into the trunk of the brug and we don't want to cross contaminate the plant from what we cut before with the tools. Just pour some out on the tools where we cut. You should do this for every brug you cut into. A good time to put on the gloves. Let's make our first cut! I like to cut as close to the ground as I can, don't be afraid, it won't hurt me a bit! Hold the branch with one hand and cut with the other, that way it doesn't fall and strip the side of the bark. Make a clean cut all the way through. Here is a picture of a fresh cut.

Now take that branch you cut and start your pile, keep on cutting the rest of the plant the same way, your stack will get larger.

Keep going until you end up with a stump. Just leave that until next year, it will freeze and die and be a little easier to take out it the Spring.

Next take a branch off of your pile and take all those beautiful leaves and blooms and buds off of the branch. Keep going and do all of the branches, when I'm done with a branch I like to mark on the branch what it is, I will later make a tag also just in case the lettering fades.

Mark your bucket also!

Your should start to look like this after you have some defoiliated and in the bucket

I should mention this, for the purpose of showing you what to do I put the bucket here for a photo. You should put the bucket where you will be housing your brugs for the winter preferably a cool place. Lighting is not a concern there are no longer any leaves to produce chloraphyll. Don't place where it will freeze or you will loose the standards. I place my buckets at my shop that is heated to 55 in the winter, place them close to a wall so you can lean the large standards against it. We meet at my shop every morning and the lights are on for about 1/2 hour then we leave to go to work then the lights are off the rest of the day, so they get very little light.

Now you see that mess under the table, that's what the garbage bag is for. I buy alot of garbage bags and throw my plant material away. I don't have a composter, but if you do, you could probably throw the mess in there.

Now that you have your bucket where it will be, fill it up with the standards that you have cut and lean them against the wall. Now is a good time to spray with a bug spray to get any bugs you may have missed. After the spray dries a little go ahead and fill the bucket up with regular water. Your almost done! I don't add anything to the water because there are no roots yet, so it would probably be a waste. If anything I guess I would add a couple drops of superthrive to the water, but really not needed and I don't think it increases the chance of a better cutting.

Now you could be done at this point, but you would have to change the water pretty regularly...or you could go down to your local pet store and buy a little aquairium pump, some hose, and a air stone that you put into the bottom of the bucket. Now you will create an environment that you will only have to add water instead of changing the water on a regular basis. By putting air (oxygen) into the water you create an aerobic environment that self cleans. Air is a wonderful cleaner, and will keep your water fresh. (just ask any fish!)

I have just taken one large brugmansia tree and made Ten over 6' tall standards all with a Y at the top. These will stay in the bucket all winter long and grow very long roots. The only thing I will do is add water when needed. then next spring when the temps are over 50 degrees and no frost I will either pot them up or plant directly in the ground. I did sell some at a garage sale I had.

open for questions or comments or additions

Excellent presentation!!!

This is great information for people inexperienced with making a standard and those who are new to Brugs.

Judy

Thanks Judy, if you have alot of brugs this is the best way to store for the winter, ten large brugs in a 2' square.

Just about the only thing that would make it better would be for you to come and help me. What you doing next week end. LOL Good presentation.

Well I feel that I've been to class!! Thanks, Teach!!
This is so helpful!!
Bonnie

Wow, I had no idea that you took cutting that were that tall....you truly explained it well! Thanks. Is that normally what you would take for cuttings, six foot tall sections, or is this for a special project? Sorry, as you can see I am VERY new to BRUGS..

Hi Janet, very good question! these are called standards, many plants can be made into standards. What that means is that there will be a main trunk that is completley devoid of foilage with a canopy of leaves and blooms and flowers at the top kinda like a umbrella if you will. Brugmansia is a tree and when we grow them we have a choice of letting them get bushy or shape into a standard. We do it to roses too!

Here is a picture of a yellow standard at night

This message was edited Oct 15, 2006 9:31 PM

I should mention that we trade cuttings back and forth between members and these are only around 8-10 inches long with a minimum of 4-6 nodes and usually taken above the "Y" or where a plant makes a branch, these cuttings are small so that we can afford the postage. A small cutting like this can grow to 6' or better in one season and have many blooms. And some brugs can take up to two years or better to have a bloom.
Another standard around the pool

Thanks for the demo!

Is there any way to make an established brug into a standard?

Thank you, thank you, thank you. This was the best explanation of how to cut a brug that I have read on DG. You have made many of us that are new to the brug world much happier. I will cut mine soon. I live in Z8b and the weather is still very nice. Should I wait until the blooms are gone or cut it now. We probably will not have any frost for another month. Thank you for your time and help. Another question is what do the seeds look like? There are many pods on the tree,after the bloom, but I'm not sure that it is a seed pod. Elaine

Great info, and thanks for answering my question...now, one more clarification...if you receive cuttings that root and you plant them, will they grow like the "standard" you have shown, or will they branch out more fully like a shrub or bush...and then you would need to cut them like you demonstrated to make them into the umbrella type? There is a showing in front of a home near my post office of an apricot looking one and they all have about a four or five foot main truck, with branching and flowers above...they are just breathtaking! In our zone 7b..do you still have to take them inside in the winter or do they come back every year from the same truck and root system?

fly_girl, if the conditions were right I bet you could, but it is so easy to start off with a new straight one, that I haven't tried to do that.

Kamikid, As usual I waited to the last minute, but if you did start your standards early, the warmer weather may help them to root faster. The Adora that I used as a guide was a brug grown from seed from a fellow member. The seeds look like a small corn flake (kinda) with a corky bark on it. Some remove the bark before planting it to help germinate faster, I did it both ways and peeling the cork covering did help it germinate faster. All the seeds are in a pod that grows from the pollinated flower.

Dan

Hi Janet, if you keep cutting the side shoots and just let one branch grow from the cutting, you very well may end up with a standard, but I never tried that, I don't see why it wouldn't work though. I let my cuttings grow as best as they can and fill in. Then I use the best, straightest branch for the next seasons standards.

I would be afraid that none of those long cuttings would root and rot instead. Do you keep the base, just in case?

fly_girl some brugs may be a little more tempermental than others, Adora is pretty tough and my loss ratio is pretty low, but I do occasionally get a soft end, and then I just keep cutting the end off and keep trying, also if the cutting has some woody bark instead of the just the green part then it's chances are better to root, I have found. And yes the first year I kept the bases (the main root) that were in the 22 gal blue containers just in case. But I'm not going to this year. If I loose some then I have an excuse to get more.

Thanks diamond for your help, your brugs are magnificent!

Your garden is so pretty! All those beautiful flowers must make your guests think they are in tropical paradise! You must be so sad to have to dismantle it in fall. I am already counting days till spring!

I have heard that the bubbler works just great over winter. I remember the first time I heard about it I was so surpised someone had thought of it. How clever! I wonder who thought it up.

Who here grew Adora from seed? I thought it was a German brug, Diamond. Are you going to have a bunch of Adora brugs around your pool along with your yellow ones? What a sight that would be. I bet you would get tons of pods too.

Good Question Kell! I had to go back and check my post to see who sent me the seeds, and I am glad I did, the seeds were a cross of Adora and a Unknown pale pink, so not a full Adora, I will correct my labeling. That's why I now practice double labeling. Also, I have not sent any cuttings of this cross to anyone yet labeled just adora, so all my cuttings will be correctly marked. Still a very nice plant! received from Brugaddict in early 2005, I don't see her posting here anymore though.

I doubt that I will have anymore plants around the pool, brugs are way to messy to be that close to the pool.

I have no idea who thought up the bubbler system, but remember my mother starting cuttings in water all the time. Add a few bubbles and presto! clean water.

Dan

This message was edited Oct 16, 2006 9:37 AM

Wonderfully done Dan.
What a pleasure it has been viewing your garden and organizational skills!!!!!!!!!
Throw some my way...LOL

Very Nice explaination, I like the bubbler rooting technique. So it's Adora and more, plus all the ones that went to the shop???? you can never have too many.........

Thanks for all the great information. I'm going to try the bubbler on some cuttings this year - makes me thankful I'm such a packrat and kept all the various aquarium pumps.

You know I remember those seeds from Brugaddict. If I remember correctly there is a thread with a few pics of different seedlings gotten from her cross. All were so nice. Blaine had some really pretty ones. I remember thinking they were even prettier than Frosty. It was a great cross. You grew the seed, you can name your brug Dan if you want to and feel she derves a name. I think if you share cuttings, it is easier to give them a name so people later can tell what they have and were it came from if they are the type of gardener that likes to know or wants to cross her.

I hear you about the mess. Brugs are so messy. Esp after a huge flush. I was out yesterday picking yellowing leaves. I just hate the look when they are messy looking.

If I could think of Blaine's Dave name I would see if it was him that started the thread on those seedlings.

The only thing I am ticked about is that I read this too late!! We had frost here on the 11th and I whacked all my brugs back and brought in pieces...I had to leave about 16 planted in the garden to die as they were too big to haul inside...Drat, if I had known this, I would have cut big tall limbs and popped them in water. As it is I have foot long pieces.

I've always wanted mine in standards, but didn't know how!!! Maybe next year- but many thanks for the tutorial!!

Hi Kell, do you think that brugaddict has grown them also and would have named them? would you end up with the same plant having many names. These were seeds that gave 100 percent germination for me so I know there must be some of the same plant out there. You know I have some of the seed left and it has been properly stored, does that mean if I gave you some of the same seed and you had success you could then name the plant yourself? So... if I can name this plant it's going to be "Pink Mist" What do you think?
Here's a picture from 2005

Sarv48, If you still have plants in the ground, I would still do the standard thing, you might be surprised what grows! we have not had a heavy freeze yet and you still might have time.

This was great and I am learning more every day. I really like the look of a standard and may try it next year. Right now mine are all waiting in their mostly dark, cool room. One was loaded with buds and even in there still has blooms opening. Seems a shame not to see them but I just can't bring myself to sit in there. Its dark and full of Christmas decorations.

And even if the leaves are fried, the trunks should still be fine. Give them a good drink to hydrate them well awhile before you cut, then go for it.

I love that name, Dan!! So fitting. Brugaddict may have similar looking brugs but not the same brug as you have there. All the seeds will produce different brugs genetically and each one could be named in theory.

I see now that it is a suav hybrid, see no long neck which by the way is an improvement to my eye. LOL Each seed that came out of that pod will be different in some way if only in the genes. I find just looking at pics on here that people post, that most crosses using a suav pink rimmed even when crossed with a non suav like yours was, have the pronounced pink rim and the big nod. Usually the anthers will be glued too. Most will be very similar looking, but some will be better than others.

Now some people say and say it very strongly that you should only name and some even say share, brugs that are significantly different than any of the named brugs out there. I assume they are trying to keep things neat and orderly in the brug world. However, things are already out of the box if you look on eBay at their brugs where every seedling seems to get a name and pushed out to sell at birth.

And being first with a particular look does not mean it is also the best that it could be. In the beginning, any variety brugs were so rare, everything was getting named. Even if a named brug out there is very similar to one you grow from seed, that doesn't mean it will have the same quality of blooms, quantity of blooms, repeat bloomability, bloom life, leaf quality, disease and bug resistance, etc etc so you shouldn't go by looks alone if you feel that way. A lot of good brugs would be lost.

Some won't use suavs in their breeding, like me, not because of their looks (I love a lot about suavs) but because they can be more disease prone. However, again it is a personal decision and you can grow them if you want to. I have a few I have not had the heart to get rid of but do not cross using them.

More choice is good I think. My personal thoughts are as home breeders, we are doing this for fun, fun, fun and can name whatever we want. I say go for it and enjoy! And better still, if you have a brug you love, find it to be gorgeous and also find it has really good traits and no terrible ones, definitely name it even if there are similar looking ones out there. And even better, if you watch it for at least 2 years before you share it, you will get a better idea if it is a brug that has good traits that you want to pass along. Some show problems as time goes on.

For example, I have one that is the best form for a brug I have ever seen (purely subjective, my taste), I adore it, but it wilts too easily so I will not pass it along. So sad.

In my own practice, I name very few but my main kick is just seeing them flower for the first time. All the registering and sending them out to trial etc is too involved for me as a rule. You can also name them for yourself and not even bother to register it, or go for it and register your name if you do not want anyone else to take that name. It is purely a personal decision and I think you should do what you want to do! And above all else enjoy your brug!

I bet that is more than you ever wanted to know or hear. LOL!!