Hi all~ I'm new to this forum but I absolutely love brugmansias. I would like to obtain a few more plants but I want to succeed with the one I have before venturing out. I won't have ground space for these plants for a year or two, so I wanted to ask if these plants can do well in pots? Also, any advice on their care would be great. Sorry I'm such a greenhorn. Thanks!
Sue in San Diego
Hi Sue,
Every one of mine is in a pot. Anywhere from 5 gallons to 20 gallons. They do best with some sun in the morning, but shade in the afternoon for our area. Otherwise the leaves get that 'burnt to a crisp' look. Ask me how I know! LOL They like a lot of fertilizer too. Most of my friends use Miracle Grow once or twice a week in the warm months. (The one with the lower middle number) I have to water almost every day during the summer. Hardly at all during the winter. I have somewhere between 40-50. I'm not counting because I don't want to know how obsessed I am with them.
Mary
Thank you so much Mary for taking on my elementary question! From the number of plants you have, you obviously have some expertise. It sounds like I need to fertilize more often and give my plant a bit more sun. I live in the Del Cerro area. Temps here are somewhere between coastal and inland, but summers can sizzle. My plant is about 4' tall and it's in a plastic 15 gallon pot, but it never seems to get enough water during the hottest summer days. Should I repot? Also, do you have any recommendations for sources of less common brugmansia varieties?
Thanks again! Sue
Hi Sue! Welcome to the brug forum! We are a happy bunch here.. and always welcome more to join in the fun!
I'm not an expert by any means, but I enjoy seeing new people come to the brug forum and I always like to help if I can.
That is a nice brug you have there.. I think I see roots on the top of the soil.. If there are also roots coming out of the bottom of the pot.. you might think of repotting it to a larger pot? Looks like a 5 gal pot in the pic.. photos can be deceiving.
During the summer months, they all seem to never get enough water or fertilizer.. your not doing anything wrong.. that's for sure!
If you fertilize according to the directions, it is very hard to over fertilize a brug.. they are fertilizer pigs.. LOL So if it's gonna stay in a pot.. it's gonna be hungry a lot. I have several in pots.. and they do just fine..
Do post pics of your blooms!
I'm going to tend to this today...repot and fertilize! Thanks for your input and I'll be sure to post bloom photos (there's one bloom on it right now). Sue
When you re-pot, mix up some water absorbent crystals in the soil you add. Careful, not too much --maybe 1/2 TEAspoon in a 15 gallon. Soak the soil mix with the crystals in it before you add it to the pot --they expand and can make a mess otherwise.
JPlunket...Thanks for the tip!
