Newbie cutting questions

Hi, I've been lurking for awhile taking in as much information as I can about brugs. I have some cuttings I was given in the fall when I helped a friend clean out her paren'ts yard. They rooted well, pretty much by accident, and I have two in one pot, and one each in their own, under lights after leaving them out for a month or two for some sunshine in the fall. All but one cutting are regrowing leaves as they had lost them due to cold. I didn't have a warm spot for them until I set up some lights. The latter cutting has only one "node" on the side, but no leaves yet. On cuttings, do you need to have nodes visible to have leaves? It looks fat and healthy, just no leaves yet, guess I should not give up on that one. Is there anything I can or should do to encourage leaves on that one? Can post some pictures this evening.

On the cuttings that do have leaves, if I want to encourage vertical growth to get more of a standard shape rather than a little "shrub", is there anything I can do about that? I suppose it will be easier to tell with pictures.

Thanks,
Laura

Hi Laura (my daughters name) and welcome to DG
If your last one does not have roots you can lay it on it's with dirt just covering, make sure the node is down in the dirt. If you want standards just nip off the side shoots. sounds like you are doing things right, good luck.





Doris

Thanks,

Here are some pics of my cuttings. First, the "stick". Imagine that, it has leaves popping out from the soil now that were not there this morning! You can just see them to the right of the cutting...now what do I do?

:-)

Here is pot number 2, which has two cuttings in, both are showing good growth from the bottom, and the left one actually has more leaves forming on the former leaf nodes. It looks a bit faded out or like it is missing something nutritionally, any thoughts? I have not fertilized yet. I have osmocote, would that do the trick?

Laura

This is the last one, and the largest.

Can you explain more about "Y"s?

Laura,

If this happened on a full grown plant, the shoot coming from under the soil line would be called a "basal shoot". Sometimes this happens on cuttings, so there is no need to be concerned. Just treat it like all your other cuttings except, keep this one a little more on the drier side until that the shoot gets up and growing. If it is kept too wet at this stage it is still at risk of developing root rot.

Now your other cuttings and vertical growth vs horizontal. How your cuttings will grow depends greatly on where the cutting was taken from the original plant, above or below the Y. This is what I do, I let any new cutting grow the way it wants to grow for the first season. I like to have the tree shape in brugs also, but you sometimes have to wait for it to develop a basal shoot, as mentioned above. Or a side shoot, a side shoot most of the time will come from the main trunk of the plant near the soil line, but above it. These types of shoots make the best standard (a.k.a. tree form) brugmansia plants. That is except for seedlings, these make the very best tree forms.

I'll come back later and explain Y's unless someone beats me to it. Right now I have to go take care of all my brugs.

Hope this helps you,

David

Oh Laura on http://davesgarden.com/forums/fp.php?pid=3147327
is that a green shoot I see coming up from the dirt? If so, I bet you have nodes below the soil that are sprouting. That would be so cool.

Looking good.

Doris, I am going to try the log method again I think. I tried it years ago and disliked it for the plant seemed so wobbly but after seeing Ted's thread, I am hot to try again!

Hmmm, don't remember where they were on the parent. It had been knocked over during some thunderstorms, so were flopped on the ground and we just cut them up. The parent gets cut to the ground and heavily mulched in the fall according to my friend, and grows back each year.

I'll stand by for more information. Sounds like I may have the best luck with the basal shoot on the leafless cutting.

Fertilization?

Laura

Yes, that is a shoot.

Laura

Hi Laura, Welcome! I had the same questions when i really started getting into brugs. Actually I asked about fertilization. Here is a link to a previous thread. Includes some good links from MaVie also.

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/485482/
Good luck! Things are looking good.
Jackie

Great thread! Hmmm, not sure I get the answers, lots of info there! I will throw some osmocote on as that is what I have on hand. I also have some bone meal. It seems 15-5-15 is a good mix to try and find. And, epsom salts, which I can pick up at the nursery or garden center. I'm sure my local old-fashioned garden supply will be the best place to start rather than the big nurseries or "box" stores. He gave me a great deal on a compressed bale of promix last weekend for my hostas, so should be able to get what I need.

Laura

This message was edited Feb 1, 2007 10:34 PM

The only Fert. I use is MG and it works good for me, but people try others then stick to the one that works best, as long as they are not in the dormant stage I give fert about twice a week, since yours are seedlings I would do it once a week, but this is just my way of doing it. looks like your's are doing fine.



Doris

Thank you!