Brug Health problems. :(

Hi I am new to Brugmansia this year and wondered if anyone could help me please . The plants flowered beautifully for ages. I did have whitefly problems for awhile and used a systemic insecticide also dishwash detergent rinse and I use a slow release fertiliser.. However now they have more blooms ( not quite opened yet ) but the leaves keep yellowing and falling off, even the small leaves. I know the pots aren't really big enough but was too worried earlier in the season if I moved them I would kill them off. :(

Do you think they are having a last flush of blooms and then some kind of dormancy or do you think they have something else wrong with them?
Any help appreciated.

Will post some pics

One of the first flowers earlier this year.

sad leaf....

They look good to me for winter! Could use a larger pot... You won't hurt them... Especially if you do it in the spring when they "wake up" and start to take off again.

Lucky you to have so many blooms indoors in December. Brugs constantly drop their older yellow leaves. A part I hate about them. Yours is actively growing since it has so many flowers buds. Some say brugs need a dormant period but I never found that. I used to keep a few warm indoors in winter and kept them going year round. If they get enough light and heat, they will keep growing.

Joyce is so right about how well they do in spring if you repot them. I always go way up in pot size in spring for the roots just take off fast. If you repot it now do just 1 size up and foliar feed it to green up those leaves.

If you want to keep it in the same small pot, wait till spring and then cut off half the roots and at least 1/4 of the canopy up to 1/2 off. Usually you do the same amount off the top as you do the roots but in spring brugs can take you taking less off the canopy if it is a healthy vigorous plant. Then fill your pot with nice new soil to sustain its growth spurt.

I sure would love to sit in your water there looking out over your yard and enjoying a few brug blooms right about now.

Thank you zzbabies I was so worried they had something wrong.My younger ones are a deeper green so that's why I was wondering about the pot size.

Hi Kell thank you ,they are outdoors on the pool deck, thank you for the advice I will remember that. I was worried about repotting but I guess will Have to . I lost two plants which I had outside in the garden something decided they were tasty.

For anyone wanting really big pots Sams Club has some now at around $12.

I was happier with them last night as they bloomed and it was gorgeous sat outside inhaling the perfume.I took a couple of pictures this morning so you can have a brug fix and a brug and water fix. :0)

overhanging the pool

Such a pretty location. Plant looks great, enjoy!

Could use a bigger pot, but would not chance moving it now. Think overnight is enough rest for brugs, same as us, no need to go dormant.

Gloria

This message was edited Dec 28, 2007 11:26 AM

So it is outside in Zone 9b. I thought it was behind glass inside. I thought those were windows. Still do. LOL.

If outside in zone 9B, then I might wait too till spring to repot. You must be getting colder. Though I just repotted a bunch here from 1 gallon to 2 because they were so cramped. I left them outside too. I should bring them into the hoophouse. The trouble here is all the winter rain and the cold in the 40s can cause rot esp if there is a lot of soil and little roots.

Interesting your yellow is doing so well in winter outside. I have a yellow on the side that is half fallen over into the neighbor's yard so the top in full sun and was in full bloom last week. Just beautiful. Lots of mine have been having some blooms this late but the blooms were all lacking in beauty. These were gorgeous. Yellows may like the colder temps!!

Thanks Hibiscus :)

Kell , I think what you think are windows is the pool cage frame. I will wait to repot, as they will be easier to drag them inside if we have any really cold weather, we had a freeze a few weeks ago but it is 81 here right now. The weather channel is threatening us with temps down to 26 next week though .

I don't know about yellows liking the colder temps, this is my first year growing them. I have white and pink also but they are smaller plants I bought and I cannot rememeber the names

You are welcome.

Would love to be in Florida right now!

The pink and whites ...

They all look good and healthy! Good job.

yeah i think they look great also.....here is one of mine

That's not too shabby either! Florida is the place to grow brugs.

yeah i am finding that out....

Here 26 degrees and the brugs are toast. At least mine were last winter. May be the heavy rains too last winter. Once died back to the ground, all the rain did not help. We had 2 weeks of such cold, about 27 for a few hours each night. We never get that cold. So far we haven't gotten frost yet. My coleus went to heaven but I still have petunias looking great.

Yours look better than mine. Mine do look like winter, leaves looking ick.

A brug fix for you all this pic was taken at night.

Day time pic

My plant corner , lol which will be empty tonight because of the coming freeze.

brug

wow beautiful ..............

From COLD, Freezing Michigan .....Ditto!!!
WOW BEAUTIFUL!!!!
Julie

Another Michigander here drooling over your yard!
We used to spend winters in Venice, Fla. and your pictures made me wish I was there now. MIL lived there and now she lives with us in Mi.
You have some healthy , looking Brugs for this being your first year growing them!
Bonnie