Mine are about an inch thick, all from above the Y, and are rooting like crazy in a bucket of water (with a little H2O2), even in the dim light of my cool basement. I can't put them outside until mid-May. Should I pot them up now?
starting brug in water
yes.. I'd pot it up with roots as long as you have them there...
I use the soda bottles for thisfirst pot up myself.. I use the 2 litter bottles for saucers..sut off a few inches off the bottom... they hold the 1 1/2 litter bottles which I cut the top off of... and slice the tips off a few of the bottom lugs for drainage.. and make the the 1 1/2 litter bottles the pots... they provide just enough saucer to keep the water off the floor.. you can potthem up easily in to the 2 litter bottles... some smaller things I start in the 1 litter bottles... useing the 1 1/2 litte as the saucers......or sometimes Iuse the smalleter watter bottle size and use the 1 litter bottles as the saucer.. Gordon
Here's a picture of the saucer cut.. I cut along the label edge... on top for the pots..and on the bottom for the sauce cuts.. to cut the bottles lay them down to manage them... and roll the bottles along.. keeping the sharp utility knife stationary... this keeps the chance for a miscut... or deviating from my line less likely.. Gordon
and it's free..and yes the tops of the ones saucer cut can go on top for the greenhouse mentioned
This message was edited Dec 9, 2007 11:00 AM
Great idea, I am going to have to save bottles this would be perfect for alot of different kinds of plants. Thanks for the idea.
Gordon have you used this method for long? I tried it last year and had a really hard time getting them out of there.. I love the clear so you can see the roots, and recycle idea, but it's too hard to get them out for me.
Couldn't you just cut the plastic bottle and get them out like that? This sounds like a great idea, I'll have to switch from cans to bottles in my drinking habits though.
no problem here... I cut the tophe pot at the end of it being straight.so it just slips out for me with ....a tap.. is wedgeing it in... just take the knife and slice through the side of the pot.. from the top down to release it... it's free after all... I use new ones for each rooting.. it's more efficient than washing and the hot water and soap... Gordon
In the picture... could this be bud drop
Well... it's OK..though... there are new plants/cuttings on the go.. [ pictured in the plastic bottles..and the old ones are already getting new inside buds on the way..
The plastic containersare particularly nice.. as they are talller than any other pot for the size..
I put them in as small a container as they will fit... so they dry out faster.... the cycleing from wet to dry [ when they get air on the roots ] is helpful in spuring the growth drive of the cutting/plant..
Gordon
those are great! thanks for the clever idea--have you ever started out rooting in the dirt? also--if you start from a branch how fast does it grow? i have my first brugs in dirt pots--what can i expect by summer time? when can i expect blooms? i am glad you mentioned the fact of the drying out being good for them as i had thought i should keep it damp so it would root
Maby I left them in too long... where I ran into trouble was the bottom is wider than the sides, so it was hard to get them out.
it would be okay to cut if I only had a few... but when your transplanting a lot, it's too much hassle to have to cut the pot off.
I'm sure not knocking your method though! It's great for a few.. and in fact, I still have some, just not for brugs.. they grow out of them too fast for me.
I root in Orchid moss wraps now.. it saves soooo much space and I think I've only lost 3 cuttings out of several dozen... I love the new method!
ZZ yes.. you can't use the ones with a bulbous bottom... it will create problems..
the moss is a great idea... plenty of air in there with the wet.. if it's done right..
Gordon
Ok, an Orchid moss wrap, since I'm new and dumb, I'll ask. Is that the stuff you buy at Lowes or where ever for Orchid growers and then you just wrap Saran wrap around the outside? Whats the advantage/downside of doing this over soil in pots? I think I ordered an Orchid moss wrap at the vegatarian restearant once, great with ketchup. NO No...I'm kidding...but I do want to know about why one way might be better than the other. Thanks Steve
No wonder I was having problems!!!!! LOL Doh.. LOL I thought they all had bigger bottoms.. *red faced here*
Yes, it is the stuff at Lowe's! I tried the regular green moss and it didn't work near as well. I use strips of plastic from a ziplock bag so it's a little stronger than saran wrap. The bottom is left open. The Orchid moss holds water for a very long time, but since it is open, the roots also get oxygen I guess.. They stand in a pot that has rock at the bottom so they don't stand in water.
Since I moved, the water here won't root as well as my other place for some reason.. I rotted several cuttings.. now that I'm using the moss.. I have virtually no loss.. no mosquito problems, takes up less space... my cuttings have been in there for months and have roots everywhere and they are doing just fine. I water like once every 2 weeks.. that's it! I've also lost several cuttings when planted in soil.. so this is just what's working for me for now.. I swear by the stuff! :) Everyone has their own way. :) I am leaving them like they are till spring if I can.
I know I am being a pain in the bu** but I get so excited. Have been reading what you do to root in water and don't quite understand yet.
A friend gave me 3 cuttings this summer and look at what I see blooming on the porch tonight! She is the second plant to bloom its' first blooms. Flash and all here i come with a photo. Now I want all colors. (nothing greedy about me....*lol*)
Looks like your doing something right gessiegail... beautiful blooms! Good for you! No going back now! Your IN..
Cuttings in the winter are the hardest to root.. they wanna go dormant.
My first year, I swear I could root a rock.. LOL I had no problems whatsoever I don't think I lost one cutting! This house? Only down the street, and on a different well.. I've rotted everything I put in water unless it was just left in a bucket outside... I can't do that with some of the cuttings I have now! not to mention mosquitoes..(even with mosquito dunks in the water) now that I learned how to use the moss.. no more stinky water for me!
Some people root in water with no problems.. just not here. LOL
If I want to get more, ZZsBabiez, do I wait until spring and just stick them in the pot like I did these? (I was told not to put them in the sun when they were first planted in the pot) We don't have them at our local nurseries for some reason.
zz--you are impressing me with that method of rooting--so let me make sure i understand--buy some moss (sold as orchid moss?) at lowes---wrap around brug stem--wrap sandwhich baggy plastic around that and leave bottom open--set in container with pepples--now just water from the top when the moss is dry? and do you do it with other plants too? plumaria?
Planolinda, Thats what it sounds like, Sounds good to me, though I may experiment a bit to see which works best for me. Sorry, not trying to answer for ZZ but I like what I'm hearing from her.
Yup! That's exactly it! I have not tried on other cuttings yet..
I usually root in soil. It depends on the cuttings I have and the Brug. Some Bruges root easier than others. I can drop a KBS cutting on the ground and it will root.The main reason I use soil is because I can get more plants from a cutting. If I have a cutting that is 12 inches long and 1 inch in diameter, I can get 6 to 8 plants from it, if I log it, ( cut short and laid on it side ). If a plant is harder to root, then I cut into 3 or 4 inch pieces and plant vertically. If a plant is really hard to root then I cut into 6 inch peaces and plant vertically.
Everyone's method of rooting is different. I am sure ZZ's method works very good for her and it will save space, I am going for production. I am working on a lot of trades for this next Spring and everyone wants the new doubles. If you have extra cutting to work with I would suggest that you try different methods and see what works for you. I know some people who root large cutting in a bucket of water with a fish tank aerator.
One thing to keep in mind. Roots that develop in water, develop different than ones developed in soil. If you root in water and allow the roots to get extremely long and then transplant to soil, most of the roots will die back, ( not all ) and then start rooting again. I would suggest that if you root in water, that you plant the cuttings in soil before the roots get much over an inch long.
This message was edited Dec 10, 2007 6:57 AM
This is a great thread. Thanks to ALL of you who have shared your methods and tips.
La
Wow.. you're not messin around Kenboy! I see that and think.. I could root all those in one tray or less. LOL (I can name that tune in 6 notes) LOL Just playin around here... no offense intended...
I have tip cuttings in moss that are 1/2 the width of a pencil and 2" long.. thriving.. no fungus gnats, no watering, no rot (and totally ready to ship I might add) Pick up a wrap.. cover it with paper, stick it in a box, and it's gone.. and can survive in the box for over 30 days.. LOL
Everyone has their own way.. Your method is a tried and true method and if it works for you.. more power to ya! Looks like your the man to watch for trades this spring!
edited to say:
I walked away from my computer feeling bad about my post... I so often try to be funny, and it comes out wrong. This is NOT a competition, it is not a contest. I am sorry if I came off that way. It is not my intent to "one up" or anything even close to that... ever. I am rarely a serious person.. I try to make everything funny... sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't!
The moss method is not mine, it came from another site and I wish I could give the person credit for it.. It happens to be the answer to rooting problems for me.. and makes shipping so much easier for me, in sharing it, I hope it is the answer to someone else in the same manner.
I never ever want to come here and create anything other than harmony and sharing and fun... please forgive me if anyone reading this saw anything else in my words..
This message was edited Dec 10, 2007 8:34 AM
I took a kinda rough method to my cuttings... I don't have a lot of space for new plants, and I have five two-year brugs that all bloomed this past summer. So when I brought them indoors at first frost, I used a serrated knife to hack off everything above the Y. I ended up with about 15 stems, each about an inch thick. I put them in a bucket of water and left them in my cool basement; within a month they formed 'nubblies and now they are growing roots, despite the pale light from a north-facing basement window. Some are even growing weak leaves.
If the roots get longer than an inch, I think I'm going to have to pot them up in a soilless ProMix to develop roots.
Here's a closeup of one of the cuttings.
Thanks everyone for all the tips. I have cuttings coming soon and I want to do the best for them I can especially to hold them until Spring. The one brug I have is in a large pot in the garage, but it is semi heated and about 60 degrees out there. I hasn't even lost all it's leaves, but doesn't really get enough light to thrive. I just love brugs! They only plant I've ever grown that even has my DH interested. He wants more! YIPPEEE!
Stay warm and dry everyone. The weather here is pretty nasty this week.
Juanita
zz-i can tell you are very sensitive to others feelings--you did not come across as rude or anything negative! quite the opposite--just helpful--i know what you mean tho--writing on the computer doesn't allow you to use inflections, facial cues etc to go along with what you are saying and so you wonder if it is coming across wrong--i am really enjoying all of the ideas and they are all so unique!! i never would have thought of them on my own--kenboy--i read somewhere else about the log method --so it will just sprout up at various places along the stem (which is laid into soil)? and then do you seperate the plants from one another? how? just cut between the growth?
ZZ I take no offense to what you said, at all. In fact you are one of the reasons that I like this forum so much. I have just posted on another thread that diehardsotherner posted about how so many threads get unanswered. Thanks to you and other here on the Brug forum that does not happen, regardless of how simple. It is only simple to us because we have been at this for some time. I have been watching this thread and making notes. I always wait until just before the first frost to cut my Brugs back and sometimes the only thing I get above the Y is very green. I will be trying your method in the future with hopes of getting green cutting to root.
I am also a member of another Brug org. where someone posted a few weeks ago and said they felt neglected as a newbe. You came in and said that after being a member of the org. for some time you still felt that way. I am glad to say that new members do not feel that way on Dave's Garden Brug forum and you are one of the reasons why. I wondered if my post was going to be taken wrong by you because if differed from yours so much. I too do not want anyone to think that I have all the answers, by a long shot. That is why I said that everyone needs to try different methods and find out what works for them. I hope threads like this do nothing but bring us closer together. Thanks.
kenboy
www.vonrussellfarm.com
Wow.. you made my day Kenboy! Very well said. Thank you. Your a cool guy.. :)
Well, at least everyone here knows now that I try to "cut up" most of the time and haven't got any desire to do anything than to try to give back some of the happiness I have found since being a member here. All the newbies here feed my excitement for brugs... cause if they are half as thrilled about brugs as I am.. It warms my heart to know others have such a wonderful thing in their life!
I found my thrill in a big fat way.. it all started right here on the brug forum. I wish I could bottle the joy I have as a result of this and give it to everyone..
Thank you Planolinda! LOL What a cute handle! You're right, I am even too sensitive sometimes!
Now I'm tickled.. and smiling again... :)
Let me say this to ya all from a newbie. This is one of the most helpful forums I have ever been on. I have posted questions that I figured would get me laughed off the forum but swallowed my pride and asked anyway only to have great responses from so many experienced brug growers.
I never even considered growing a brug until I started reading the forum and the excitement about this plant from you all makes you want one. I now have a few starts that the great people I have met on this site have been so kind to give to me.
The absolute worst thing is now I have to wait.....and I can sympathize with kids at Christmas waiting waiting and waiting.
I want to thank you all for all of your help, kindness, and all of the great information.
Thanks from a newbie
Joyce
happgarden... You said it all well. This place rocks! AND ZZ (Joyce) is majorly cool!
ZZ such a great idea. I have to try it. I have a friend who ships with moss. Rooting your way would enable me to hold some over to trade in the spring or give away to my northern gardener friends. I bubble some, direct soil most and now I will moss wrap some. I have some sports plastic ice wrap rolls that would be perfect. You ever tried cutting, rooting powder and stick directly in the ground? That works good here in the winter. (18" cuttings, buried 12 inches) That way if the dogs run over them they still keep on ticking. Just a little dog pruning.
That is sweet you guyz! Thank you Joyce & Teresa!
jpotts.. just make sure you use Orchid Moss and not the green stuff.. the Orchid moss is so much nicer.. it is actually Chilean Long Fiber Moss, but sold at Lowe's as Orchid Moss.
AND don't take all the moss off to plant them.. Just plant with the moss on them..
Hello!!
ZZ glad you are smiling:)...your are a funny, friendly helpful kinda gal
Like totally !
jpotts--is aransas a great place to live? we went once and really liked it and it seems a nice place to retire to--especially if you like fishing!
I've been thinking this for a long time and I guess you guys have opened the door for me. There is not much I can add that hasn't already been said so I will just agree. DG is a wonderful place full of friendly, helpful folk. Period.
But in saying that I also have to add that the people on this particular forum seem extra willing to lend a hand and make the newcomers feel welcome. It is not often that one can stumble into something (or somewhere) new and feel no embarrassment or awkwardness when they get there. I know I will make mistakes along the way, but thanks to all of your help we can hopefully keep the death toll to a minimum. LOL.
La
i am growing these brugs without ever actually seeing one (just your pics on the websites)--but you have all made them seem very special and i just hope i can do it!!
La and planolinda, welcome to the world of brugmansia. They are wonderful flowers that will get you "hooked" in no time. There are SOOO many different types and so many MORE possibilities. This is a fabulous place for newbies to hang out and obtain very useful information. I'm a newbie too!
Hey Kim! Did that cutting survive? I sure hope so!
Hello All..... ZZ i'm sad to say lil versi went to brug heaven.
Just withered away. :(
Aww.. I'm sorry. :( It happens, don't blame yourself.. it just happens sometimes!