I just brought my brugs into the breezeway and would like to know the proper way to trim your brugs...Ive had the shredded white die down to the soil line and bloom the next year, so my question is, is there a certain amount of inches to chop down to on them so they will bloom next year?...Judy
How far down to trim?
Hi Judy,
I'm sure you will get some excellent advice here, I myself do not cut them back unless I am doing so to share. I just love looking up at the blooms. :)Anita
I use to cut my all the way down when I lived in 5 but not sure if it was correct
Unless you have to for space try to never cut below the y's. I try to leave two y's if possible. On smaller brugs I don't cut back much. You will be shocked at how fast these buggers take off and send out new shoots in the spring.
Are ya'll talking about in pots or in the ground?
Judy... I cut mine down the just above the Y - if that will make the plant small enough to get into the storage space I have. I leave the first Y with about 2 inches (horns :) ) and that has worked okay for me for the last two years.
charlotte
If you leave the Y, it's necessary to leave nodes on the parts above the V of the Y. If there happen to be no nodes on that wood, you probably can kiss that Y good bye. I like to leave the main Y and then at least 2-4 Y's above that so the plants will have a nice umbrella next year. JMO.
Ha... I guess I got lucky leaving those "horns" on my Y. I usually leave about 3-4 inches so I must have been enough for nodes ...LOL
Is it okay if I just leave the brug "as is" and bring it into the basement? I have 3 Equadorian Pinks (new this year - as am I to brugs) Anyway, they are in 20 inch pots.
I have a room where I can store them - it will be unheated, but it will never freeze in the room - probably average temp in the coldest part of the winter would be about 38-40 degrees. If I just let the leaves fall off and water a bit every two weeks - would that be okay?
Will this give any advantage next spring?
Not sure on the temp safety, I'm sure others with more knowledge than I can answer that.
My basement is a lot warmer than that & I bring them in water once a month or so, this was a shot I took this morning of 2 of mine, when I went down to look at another plant, they are still blooming fools right now (naked blooming fool's) most all the leaves have fallen.:)Anita
Too funny - naked brugs! with blossoms
naked blooming fool's ...LOL...brugs gone wild he he;~)
What about if I put my brugs in a dimly lit garage where the temperature is cool -- 50 degrees. Do they have to be under lights? The garage has only a tiny amount of sun light. Should I buy lights for my brugs?
No need for lights and actually letting them go dormant will be better..just dont water them too much...once a month is good enough..and sometimes I dont even water them that much...Judy
My whole garage is packed full of brugs for the winter. It gets down to about 35 F. in there and I water maybe once a month, but not much. Versicolor brugs like it a little warmer.
This summer, a brug that was left in the garage with absolutely no water for three or four months, sprouted foot long leaves. They were very pale, but the surprise was they the plant lived with no added water.
Here is my garage. All of these plants live in here all winter with only a 40 watt light bulb. I've probably posted this picture before.
Your garage looks wonderful! I can't help mine getting a small amount of light, because there is a row of small windows in the garage doors. There is a small window on the opposite side of the garage from them. But they won't get a lot. That is by far the best solution I have come up with so far. Thanks all!
Brugs gone wild, I love it Kim:)
Brugie,
Glad to see I am not the only one that don't have the heart to take all the blooms & leaves off them before I bring them in:)
Mine only have all the lights cuz all my house plants have to be with them, we heat with wood & can't have any of them upstairs with us.