Hello All.
I recently noticed a nice flush of buds on my B. versicolor. However, all of the flowers are coming out deformed. The highs here have been in the 90s every day for the past two weeks. Could that be the reason? Do they just not like that much heat, even if I keep up on the watering?
Thank you.
Erick
Deformed Flowers Question...
That would be my first thought Erik. I have a NOID white that is doing the same thing.
Um, if my brugs would stop throwing buds because of the heat, I'd tend to agree with that theory, because that seemed to have happened to a few of my blooms last year during a hot spell.
I get a much higher percentage of deformed flowers in either extreme highs or lows. High heat is a very plausible reason for your deformed flowers.
I sometimes get a bleached looking calyx in high heat. Then it doesn't allow the flower to drop. I can fix it sometimes by peeling the white funky calyx away. Usually I just forget about getting blooms in this much heat. Spring and Fall are my garden's good times.
Thank you all very much for the most helpful advice and commentary. I always know I can get answers here! The first flush of the seaons was gorgeous, so I assumed the heat was the cause of the recent deformities. It's nice to have that supported. I noticed this morning that my Golifito and Frosty Pink buds are developing nicely, so perhaps they are not as susceptible to the heat.
Thank you all again!
Erick
I've noticed this trait especially among double and triple skirted Brugs. Here in Florida, the sun is relentless in Summer and flower production is either halted completely or few blooms appear.
On the other hand, plants placed in pots and kept mobile will bloom if located under large shade trees. A daily misting with liquid 20-20-20 gives them beneficial folier feeding that adds to overall health.
Things change around October - November and we're good to go for Brug pollination shortly after.
How deformed...is deformed? Here's my first blooming brug... a double white angel. Not looking exactly as I expected?
Thank you Tonny... my plant was only described as "double white angel", so I can not be certain which type it is. The bloom smells delicious this evening!
Ah, 24 hours later, things are looking MUCH better. Thanks for your advice/assist!
That's absolutely gorgeous, Wendy!! Good things happen to those who wait, right? :)
It is a beautiful flower. It looks very much like 'Tutu' with the fat middle part. Mine is going to flower next week.
Apropos, deformed or partly shredded flowers. This year - probably on account of the cool spring - I noted that other Brugmansia, besides the doubles can have partly shredded flowers. It is mostly so, that they had a single slit in one side. Those were 'Goldenes Kornett', 'Morgaine Le Fay', 'Kassandra', 'Nina', 'Lena' and 'Anny Forever'. The flowers after those few shredded were normal as soon as the weather and temperatures had stabilized.