Minnesota Brug Update

Hello All,
Well I am new to the world of Brugs but thanks to many of you I am now the proud mom of about 20.
I have been reading these Brug forums all winter. I don't know what I am doing but here we go...
I have 4 large console humidifiers on in my 3000sq. ft house. I have 4 ceiling fans moving air and one small fan going 24/7. The small fan is right by the Brugs. My brugs are healthy and green and growing and I have had NO BUGS of any type!! I am NOT complaining but wondering. I was very worried because as new
cuttings I knew I could not dormant them, I would have to grow them on.
So I am just a bit curious... Is it very high humidty??? It is about 65%- 70%. But I also get a benifit..
water filled air needs less heat to FEEL warm in the envirnment. I keep my house at 62 degrees and it is always plesant if a little cool. What are your opinions?? I am going to take some pictures. I will post.
Also Eric thank you so much for those pic's. I have a 140 year old basement..It looks just like yours!!
So that really inspired me to try to winter them there next year..THANKS!!
And WOW what a gorgeous yard and entry Db. Fabulous! Please post more pictures. I just can't believe the amount of work you do in all of those POTS!! That is the most beautiful pot display. How do you do it? Do you over winter all the plants in that nearby barely seen green house??
Julie

Julie

I just wish my brugs looked like Erick's - maybe as they age. How big are the pots you are using?
Don't ask for pictures, cause you'll get flooded. Here, in the distance, you can see Island Girl brug, not in flower. She is gorgeous and very well behaved in a pot.

Welcome Julie. You jumped right in head first! lol I'm not sure how picky they are on humidity. They get a lot of it here in the summer. I keep mine growing under lights in the basement, never gets below 60 down there, I don't provide any humidity and I've got 1 blooming now... Hey, if your youngins' are growing and green, healthy and bug free..... I say keep doin what your doin, it's working. I know the mites don't care for moisture, so it is probably good for keeping them away. Again, welcome to the brug world! Maya puttin' on the ritz last summer..

DH was still working on the pump house, but has since finished the lattice. Here's another view of the walking garden (cause you walk through it, and it sounds better than the potted garden). Excuse hoses and such as it was a water day.

OH DB! Lovely setting! So peaceful looking.

Yes, they are all in the greenhouse, and it is full. Another view over the valley.

Forgot the picture

And my favorite photo

Those all just great pictures. You don't have any SNOW It doese look so peacefull
Dimmer(AKA) Kim

AuntB- how old is Maya? What size pot? She's beautiful. I had received a small rooted cutting, but it just died. It was on a heating mat in the greenhouse. All the other rooted cuttings did fine, as did most of the unrooted cuttings. It's going be brug forest here.

We're in the middle of an ice storm, so it doesn't look like that now. That's why I'm home from work - snow I can drive on, ice scares me to death.

Beautiful area of NY, and beautiful pics!!

Diane your yard is just GORGEOUS!! OH that view and that pond. You do have a wonderful
collaboration of plantings and "pottings" ( ok I made it up!) going on at your spread.
LOVELY!
Julie
Thanks for the encouragement AuntB. It does seem as if it is the high humidty that is keeping the bugs away!!
Thank God.

Your place is so beautiful! You're going to have so many blooming this summer... kinda seems a long time off going thru an ice storm. We had one in Dec and still have the debries laying around, too much snow or melting snow to get out there to clean up. Last year was her 3rd summer, she's in a 25 gal corded-handle tub you can get at the box stores. I've heard she can be hard to get started. I was able to get a couple cuttings of her to root this winter.. and last Spring I clipped a couple limbs and stuck them in the pot, by fall they had nice roots and are doing pretty good in the basement. I went back through her "baby" pics, trying to figure how long I've had her... that was fun. She MAY be my favorite. Maybe...

Diane, Wow, How Beautiful.
How on earth do you move all those pots? and have time to keep them so neat and tidy? I am the sole gardener in the house, can't keep up.
Aunt B, 25 gallon pot? I can hardly move my 10 gallon pots. Your brug is beautiful.
Erick, what a sight. I am so looking forward to this year.
ZZ, Kim, Gordon and all the rest... Aren't we having fun. Lots of advise, beautiful pictures and friendship. Couldn't ask for much more. (Spring please hurry).
Marie

Diane, are you weathering the storm? Is it over, the moisture coming down, anyway? Hope you've still got power.. Marie, it's those huge corded handle tubs you see for $7 or $8...I can push and pull them a little, but when they need moved, I get my son and a garden buddy to do it. The brugs sure like the root room. They are big and heavy enough to... sometimes keep them upright during wind storms.

AuntB your picture of that beautiful Brug!! TO DIE FOR!!!
What is the name of that one??? I wonder if i just bought it?
Please let me know. That is sooo lovely and verigated!!
Julie

Aunt B - Thankfully we did not lose power. It was a nasty storm. Your pots are larger than my brug pots. My DH and DS are threatening a strike if I get any larger pots. Hefting those puppies in and out of the greenhouse every year is a massive undertaking. I find myself sizing up the muscles of men everywhere I go, wondering if I could just hire a gaggle of them to move the plants twice a year. They probably think I'm just ogling them - if they only knew....
The pots only look neat and tidy from a distance. I am going to save a ton of time this summer though. We're putting in a drip irrigation system connected to my dosatron so that I don't spend 4 hours every night watering. The neighbors are convinced that I'm crazy - outside at 11:00 when I finish, with my feet in the pond, sharing watermelon with the koi and the dogs.
Question to the brug people: which are your favorites brugs for pot culture? That Maya sure is a dazzler. And will my cuttings bloom this year? How aggressively do you pot up?

Well, I've never much cared what the neighbors think. You're dogs like watermelon? Never heard of that! lol I think I've oogled mens muscles for utilizing them with pots and digging... . . . anyway, with the drip system, you'll have more time to relax and enjoy the brug scents and snacking with the critters, in the evening. Maya will be 4 this summer. Some brugs grow slower or take longer to come into bloom than others... Maya is always first in spring to bloom for me, and she continues to flush all summer. She is probably my favorite, but I love them all. I did plant a pink brug in the ground last year, it seemed healthier and didn't require as much attention, but it was also slower to bloom, holding off until Sept.. I like a big thick tight root ball before they go into the tubs.. The rooted cuttings I started in fall are in 4in pots and I'll pot them up at least 2 probably 3 more times this coming summer.. depending on how aggressive they grow, they will be in big black nursery pots or maybe even the big tub for next winter. That way, if they die back to soil level over winter, there will be a good rootball for them to regrow from the next spring. Debbie, that's just how I do it, seems to work for me. Here's Maya toward the end of her 1st summer, I bought her in a 6-8 in pot, she was maybe 2 ft tall.

AuntB.... Beautiful !! And so are your hibiscus. The red one and the yellow one.
The leaves look so perfect! Bet you can't wait for spring!!

Erick,
I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who lives in the northern tier growing tropicals. I live in North Dakota right now and it has been a really cold winter this year. I'm not having problems with bugs in my brugs, but they are upstairs in my third bedroom with some pelogeriums. I do have fungus gnats in my bananas and jasmine. Boy are those things hard to get rid of. Also thanks for tellng us about how many potted plants you are overwintering. Next time my dh complains about how many I have I can tell him about your 150. Maybe then he'll leave me alone about my 75. Tina

Just went to look at my brugs and guess what I found. Spider mites. Just great.

This message was edited Feb 15, 2008 8:54 PM

tina if you put a mothball in a dixie cup in the pot of your plants it helps to get rid of gnats in and around them even helps repel cats lol

I used the antistress 2000 on the spider mites.. think I sprayed 3 times.. got them under control. It is designed to protect plants from light freezes and frosts.. worked great on the mites. I spent a fortune last year trying to get rid of the mites and white flies.. this did the trick on both very effectively and easily.. and I only used a tiny bit.. less than 1 ounce.. still have the original mix from the ounce and use it when I see a critter.

Tammie

there is a thread somewhere about it.. that is where I found it. I have a gallon bottle. will never use it all! LOL

I simply cannot believe the number of views and interesting responses to my simple Brug update posting. What a thrill to know that there are so many of us out there! It was fun to see all the new folks posting (new to me anyway).

A few individual responses (with a request for forgiveness to anyone I may have missed):

AuntB, you possess such a wealth of knowledge about growing. I always respect your advice. You are kind to share it so patiently.

Gordon, your comment on taking the alcohol to calm one's nerves had me laughing out loud at the computer! Thank you for that.

Thank you ZZsBabiez, always appreciate your comments.

Thank you Julie, and welcome to the wonderful hobby/addiction of Brugmansias. As usual, I second all of AuntB's advice. I'm confident you will be posting amazing flower pictures this summer.

Thank you, dbsmith2, once again.

Thank you MyRee. Please make sure to post pictures!

Tina, how fun to have a tropicals fan nearby in ND! Good for you. I respect your overwintering 75 and encourage you to work towards getting your dh to accept many more! The payoff of having amazing, unusual things in our short, but intense and even somewhat tropical, summers is sooooo worth it.

Less than three months now until outdoor gardening season here...

Erick

Erick,

Thanks for the great thread. I have to chime in here with the report that the method described in this Forum about 16 months ago seems to be working great for me. It describes how to chop off the Brug trees at the ground, and remove every leaf and some branches. Then put the Brug in a 5-gal. bucket with Hydrogen Peroxide added, add an aquarium bubbler, and keep the water topped off all winter. Place the bucket in a cold, dark place, and by spring, you have roots. The beauty of this is that it takes so little space to store, and there is no struggling with big pots to get in the house. In my case, the Frosty Pink is the most vigorous, and started roots immediately. (It is the one with the most new growth.) The other two have swellings for root buds, and are clearly still alive. Each of these three trees is about 5 feet tall, and I was able to keep the Y structure, which I hope will give it a fast start on blooming. You can see that my basement is cold, and this is a tiny, dirty north window just above it.

Susan in Minneapolis

The bucket with roots.

... and the temperature.

Susan in Minneapolis

Oh Susan,
You give me renewed hope! I had wondered after so many people sent me so many wonderful cuttings how I would get them all in for the winter. I now have another strategy!! I can keep a plant COLD, YES!! And I can whack a plant off at the Knees! Yes I can ! And I can put them in my even dingier basement!! Wow what hope I have for future blooms! i will be trying this system in the fall!!
Thanks for sharing. I will post to let everyone see my BUCKET of whacked off, cold, rooted Brugs!!
Just to know it works may help other Northern gardeners pressed for space!
Julie

Julie,

I too was thrilled with the idea of keeping 3 large trees in a 5 gal. bucket, where I didn't have to find storage for huge pots, and someone to help me bring them in and outside. I kept a small piece of each big tree separately as a backup in case the big trees didn't survive, but it definitely looks like they will all make it. I don't know how long it will take to adapt the water roots to soil, and it will certainly take some staking to hold them up at first.

Yes, do show us your bucketed brugs in the fall, and, I hope the results in spring of 2009!

Susan

great job i hope i am as successful!! i got lots of brugs and only lost two. I have had no mites or aphids!!
i have a temp of 62 degrees with 4 cosole humidifiers going and 4 fans on in the house at all times. I think the wet air and the movement are preventing any insect problems. i have friends telling me they can't believe i don't have (very Few) even Gnats!! I have seen 6 maybe all winter! Something here is working and i am so happy i could cry!! This has been a very successful winter even with so much cold . i feel blessed!
And thanks to all you Brug parents I have read all the threads. I know you even if you don't know me. i have heard your sage advice to many like myself (newbie) and heeded it. I have traveled these threads more than once to get the advice RIGHT. For all of that i thank you, kind, generous people for all your sharing.
Especially Janlynn, Picabo, ZZ, and Kathy. They sent me a couple of cuttings to a box stuffed full, (you know who you are Picabo!) i want to thank you all here and of course as the Brugs grow i too will share.
Your advice is priceless your warmth and sharing are beyond any expectations.
I am learning. So keep on Sharing!!
Thank You from the bottom of my heart!
Julie

Wow, Susan, your basement looks a lot like mine-my basement windows are really useless (they are small to begin with and we built a deck on the outside last summer)-do you think that would be enough light? I would love to try these guys but am fairly limited when it comes to room for overwintering-your technique sounds perfect!
Thanks for sharing!
Deb

Deb,
I think the colder your basement, the less plant growth, and thus the less light needed. I think the directions I followed in this forum from, I think, Oct. 2006, said that he had a fluorescent light on less than one hour a day, and it worked OK for him. The idea is a cold storage without any freezing, to suspend growth (except root growth) until spring. If your basement is heated and insulated, it might be a problem. But maybe you could find a spot (under your stairs, etc.) where it was cold enough (I think generally 50F or colder, although it doesn't start out that temperature in the fall). I keep a small potted plant for each variety you have, as a backup.

Susan

Susan-"cold storage without freezing" describes my basement to a 'T'-I might have to give these a try-
Thanks for the information!
Deb

Susan,

My apologies for the delayed response. You have some GREAT ideas for storing Brugs over the winter. I am very intriqued. I, too, would like to get away from storing huge potted Brugs in my basement. I will definitely give your way a try next fall.

I looked at my Brugs last night and they are putting out new growth...they know spring is coming!

Hope you are well.

Erick

Well it is snowing out AGAIN and that since last night.Our 19th snowstorm this season.

Trying to catch up a little on reading.What a wonderful thread :-))) so much to learn and look forward too.

Just started some Datura and Japanese Morning Glory seeds yesterday because I would like to have some height and different texture in addition to my rosegarden.
We moved and I am starting all over again.

Did take 2 Brugmansia's with me though.Both of them were given to me by a friend here on DG.
One I hadn't seen bloom yet and 2 weeks ago my husband cut off the top part because he thought there were dead.OMG I was really upset !!because it had forked already and is a pink double.I just couldn't believe my eyes !!!

dbsmith
your gardens are a feast for the eyes !! LOVE it !
what is the begonia in the urn ? you posted it on the 10th Febr.

A little greeting from my house to yours.
Taken today.

They are 2 different canes. You are testing my memory because I move them each year. I think the dark pink is Lana - loved it. The other may be Sophie Cecil. And now it is all guess work because the children helped bring the plants into the greenhouse - and dropped the tags out along the way. I have 30 or so varieties of canes, so I'll be posting a lot on the identification thread this year.

I was wrong. They are 2 of the following: Nokomis, Elizabeth Lahn or Alma Swisher.

This message was edited Mar 1, 2008 5:17 PM

Eglantyne,
My dh pulls my roses every year even though I tell him not to. He swears that they are dead. I have even gone as far as putting them into pots to prove him wrong. He isn't here this year so maybe they have a chance to stay in the ground. Tina

Tina,
sounds like a typical military man :-) can't tell him what to do....knows it all.
your husband must be in the airforce.

Mine was 20 years in the army.
He did that with a beautiful rosebush a few years ago,I was training the rose for a fountain shape,he cut away one side..go figure !

I definately want to get more into the Brug's again and will reread everything again about storing them for next winter.

Eric,
how are they doing now ? beginning to wake up yet ?

Tina, probably not... He's prolly not awake, yet. I'm in Ks and we're still "hibernating" waiting for Spring. My adult brugs are showing the yearn for warmer weather... Maya has a dozen or so buds, all covered with aphids, the dish soap/water battle contintues....(we ALL need Spring!) I LOVE your rose pic with the snow background, makes the rose look so fragile. I like it. Erick?? Time to think Spring.... (cause that's all we can do about it is think).