Spring repotting after basement dormancy

The brugs I started last year from seed (February 2006) almost got to bloom by fall. My biggest one had 22 buds on it, which all dropped before opening when I had to bring it indoors to escape a hard frost. Another actually did bloom, a single flower.

I put most of them (6) in the basement and let them go dormant. Leaves dropped; they got a little pale light from a north facing window and i watered them lightly every other week or so. They started sprouting in March, and I brought them upstairs to my sunsplashed kitchen, where they started to grow leaves (indoor leaves, mind).

In May I repotted them and began hardening them off to outdoor conditions. Here are some of them, in bigger pots, ready to be farmed out around the place. I put moisture crystals in the soil mix as insurance -- last year they dried out fast, and I hope this year there will be lots of new growth and BLOOM!

And here's my big one, named Kell ;-) which will be in a sheltered spot with morning sun. I have high hopes for this (Rosamond x Rothkirch). This is a link to my journal where all of these are documented: http://davesgarden.com/journal/edit/viewbycat.php?cat=47101

Did not come through for me!

Sorry! The link works for me, but here's the photo:

andycdn,

Your Brugs look great! You will certainly enjoy many blooms on them this summer. A gentle and respectful suggestion....If you can, you may want to bump them up into even larger pots. Your Brugs will grow fast, and in those small pots, you will be watering them six times a day.

Please be sure to post pictures of your blooms!

Erick

I have the polymer water crystals in my pots too and am only needing to water them every 2 or 3 days with temps in the 90's. I too need to put them into larger pots. I bought two pots yesterday... now to decide which ones get the big pots. I am still looking for large pots... so very hard to find.

You plant look so much taller than mine. I planted one in the ground at my mothers and was amazed how full the pot was with roots! It has been sitting there for 2 weeks doing nothing but dropping lower leaves since I planted it. I sure hope it takes off soon before it becomes nude!

Tammie

Okay - so I should ignore the statement from Wayside Garden to eventually plant my newly arrived baby brugs in 10" pots - and plan that they need to be (ultimately) in much larger pots, right?

Seandor,

I would never advise anyone to ignore other advice, as I am not an expert on Brugmansias by any means. However, in my opinion, healthy Brug seedlings/rooted cuttings don't need to be so gradually upgraded in pot size. I move them into 10" pots right away at the very least.

Just to illustrate how fast they grow, here's a picture of my Charles Grimaldi's in mid-June of 2006.

And here are the same plants, one month later.

And, finally, the same plants two months later, in mid-September. By then I was watering them three times a day and still wasn't keeping up. This year they all got moved into deep 20" pots.

Again, these comments are my opinion only, and defer to the many true experts on this forum.

Regards,

Erick

BTW, as far as care goes...they were in full sun, watered daily and fertilized at least twice a week.

Seandor,

I also have to agree with Erick about skipping the gradual potting up of brugs. But I recommend this only in the spring and summer though, not during fall and winter.

I have been growing brugs for many years and I would pot up a small, well rooted cutting up in the largest container that I had on hand. The key for this to be successful is, make sure that your potting soil is well draining.

Wow! I am impressed - mostly 'cause they got so big so fast in zone 4.

I have three little ones I planted first in 5 inch pots. I guess I better find some 20" pots asap!

Right now they are on the veranda - mostly shade. Can they handle being on the blacktop driveway if I put the pots on bricks (lifting them off the pavement?) It's the only place I can give them direct sunlight. There is a place against the garage where they could have afternoon sun.

Of course, if they good stay on the veranda - that would be better, but they would only get morning sun for about 4 hours.

Mine, so far, have survived temperature fluctuations of about 5C to 30C, an almost tornado wind, and long periods of cold (15C) and hot (28C). Their containers are too heavy to move, so they had to deal with it, and did. The leaves are all shredded, but more keep coming. I have new respect for their tenACITY.

cOULD SOMEONE SUGGEST A NEW PLACE FOR THE CAPSLOK KEY?