Hi Sticky,
I'm new to the above flower and have kind of requested information before but since it didn't flower last year, I learned that it may not flower the first year. Well, I live in New Jersey and I have two of them that haven't flowered at all and it is now the second year for both. I'm wondering whether to take them in or discard them? They look really bad. They have nice green leaves and tall stalks and that is all.
Misty Dawn
My Brugmansia won't flower and it is the second year
Do they have names? Some are very hard to get to flower.
Do you fertilize regularly? Brugs love to eat. Some summers are terrible for getting blooms, this year has been the worst I ever remember. We had drought and hot weather, which is unusual for us. Mine are just now starting to have buds/blooms. I have some in pots and 18 in the ground, that will have to be dug and potted before frost.
Gloria
Lots of fertilizer, about once a month for the granular type and in between some miracle grow so some such water soluble fertilizer. If you soil is acidic like most are in the east, you will need some lime. The ARE heavy feeders and like lots of water.
Misty, have you been fertilizing your plant? I may be going overboard, but I follow the advice of several brug. sages who say to fertilize twice a week. My plants seem to love all that I have given them and have bloomed well.
Tussee
Twice a week! Wow! What do you use that often? One of the water soluble fertilizers?
Misty,
My Peaches & Cream just bloomed this year, I waited 4 years for her, worth the wait..:)Anita
HI Hibiscus,
I don't know the specific names of the two plants but I didn't realize the need to fertilize frequently. I guess I will bring them in again and try again next year with plenty of fertilizer. To Tusseemussee: I will try and fertilize twice a week next year and see how that goes and to Woodspirit1 I will put in some lime next year. It is also good to hear from NYvoices99 that it took you four years for blooms so I don't feel so left out. I read that I can cut them down now before bringing them in, is that correct? They do need a pruning.
I only cut mine back so as to get them downstairs to basement, or inside. The further they are cut down, the longer it will take to start growing to bloom size next year. Take most of side leaves off and only leave some at the top, they usually pretty much fall off over winter inside anyway. Less chance for mites, if fewer leaves.
Good luck.
Gloria
All the good advices are given, the purpose of bringing your brug indoor is primarily protect it from the cold weather, as well as perserving the current year's growth for it further development into a flowering stage. Most perennials that include brugs won't bloom propertly until they're fully "mature". Thus trimming it back to managable size, and reduces leafy grow as suggested. But do not cut below the "Y" you would then losing all your flowering potential for the next year's growth.
Good lucks. I've been there, done that and ... still not giving up on raising these beautiful flowers.
Happy gardening.
it took me a long time too, to realize how under fertilized they were. But this year, I threw a lot at them and got great bloom. Next year, I will start much earlier, probably in March while they're still inside if they start "waking up."