Greetings,
I have several brugs; Susanne, Vixen, and Forever Morr come to mind that even though I treat them the same as all my brugs, never seem to grow. My Vixen is two year old and never got more than 18" tall and my Susanne was a cutting from 2005 that maybe grew 12" in 2006. I give them the same care as my young plants that grow like weeds then flower the first year.
I see pictures that these varieties are thriving and doing well in climates as hot as mine. What am I doing wrong? Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.
Loretta
A question of growth....
Could they have been cuttings taken above the Y?
Ruth
I do not think any of them you mentioned is known for being a slow grower. I have no clue, Loretta. Have you changed the soil to a new kind just in case yours is depleted? Whenever mine have stopped growing, it is because it needs a new pot desperately. Have you given them a heavy feeding using a high nitrogen fertilizer and also a foliar feed?
But whenever I have a failure to thrive when all else is good, I always suspect it has a virus and I toss it especially if its leaves look off or anything weird about it.
Hopefully someone else has a good answer for you.
I planted them in the ground last summer and they looked healthy except for a few mites. The woody areas are healthy looking so I don't think it is a virus. They just kind of sit there and don't grow. It is usually the brugs with heavy Aurea genes (I think) and right beside them are other brugs (KBS, Solid Gold) growing huge and dripping with blooms. Also have had Frosty pink there and it did great and versicolors do pretty good. I believe my soil is probably on the alkaline side and was wondering if the Aurea species is more sensitive to that condition because even though my Butterfly has grown to maybe 5' it has not produced more blooms than 5-6 at a time. I would not consider it to be vigorous and is susceptable to mites. My L'amour does better but has never gotten taller than 5', but bushy. It does produce maybe 10-15 blooms per flush. I am at a loss and would amend the soil to make them more acidic if necessary.
I have a Purple Smoke Bush planted in that area that has the same problem. It just does not grow.
Loretta
This message was edited Jan 7, 2007 7:46 PM
Loretta have you thought about having the soil tested? If it's happening in an area may be the soil.
Jeri
I seem to have the same problem with brugs when I put them in the ground..I have all of mine in pots so I can regulate the soil and feeding....with my gardens being in more shady conditions I have to give them extra good soil and fertilizers to make up for less sun...Judy
I have noticed that too Judy, brugs need some sun to bloom well. All mine in shade do poorly in the bloom department. Though they do OK with not full sun all day.
Maybe you should have your soil tested as Jeri suggested or even add lots of manure to it. Do you have a place to move them to see if they do better?
Judy has an idea too if you want to try them in big pots instead.
Must be frustrating but at least you have some that drip with blooms. That conjures up such a nice picture here for me in January and being way too cold. LOL
Kell, I have all of my brugs in huge pots and they do wonderfully..I can give them the best potting soil and give them tons of fertilizer when needed....I lvoe them in pots so when I need to move them to a better blooming area, I write that down and remember for the next year...Judy
Judy, I too have lots in pots. I find the ones I plant in the ground get old in just 1 year and I that I have newer prettier ones I rather have. Since I have little room I can't get sentimental.
Also Tom has quit being my digger and last time I hired 2 guys to dig out my brugs disaster struck. So much less work to just pull them out of the pot and toss or give away. But it is so much easier to care for them in the ground. But they do get so huge too fast and get so messy.
I can tell you treat your brugs with much love and appreciation!!
Hi Loretta! Long time, no see! Glad you're here, but I sure don't know the answer to your question. 'Wish I could help.
Kell, last year when I had a bunch of trial brugs that had gotten tall over the winter in the greenhouse, I wanted to put them in the ground over the summer to observe the blooms. I thought most of them would have to be destroyed after I saw the blooms, and that they would be hard to dig.
I cut the bottom out of those black plastic pots and planted them, pot and all. They were as easy to care for as those in the ground without pots, but when I got ready to dig them, they almost popped out of the ground by themselves. (Well, maybe not quite, but they came out very easily.)
I'm going to be doing this from now on because it was so easy.
Kay
That is a great idea, Kay!! I have used it too. I do not even cut off the bottom or make more holes. Those roots just come out of the regular holes and inflate fast. But you still have to dig. LOL. I am a wuss. Last summer was the first year I actually dug a hole deeper than 8 inches. My man is a good man! LOL!!
FWIW, it seems that the brugs that do the best here are those that are started, here, via seed. Next would be rooted brugs and last would be cuttings from others. The cuttings I bubble here do fine, in fact great - except they all froze this year. They were duplicates anyway, so I'm still covered except I've got my fingers crossed that Susanne makes it, she was moved in the middle of the season, I was careless and she did not deserve that. I don't do the pot thing at all, except one nice cross I keep forgetting to take inside, this will be the second year. Begonia loves to be potted, brugs love being in the ground, in zone 8a in SE Arky...it's too easy to do it any other way...