I'm so thrilled, just got 3 brugs from Nadines co-op! They look very healthy, great root system & have a pretty long stalk (not sure if thats important or not). Should I trim the stalk further to plant or even to pot them? I'm in zone 7 (south-central VA) & want to keep them alive till spring, so I thought about potting them up, but then I love fall for planting in the ground. Would that still apply for brugs too?
First bare root plant...it's a brug!
Congrats on your purchase Davis1676! They must be protected from frost and freezing temps. In Zone 7 you may be able to leave in the ground and it would grow back from the roots next spring...but for this year, I would pot it and let it grow, and keep potting up a bit bigger each time until it gets a big dense root ball, then IF you want, plant out next spring. I don't think there would be a big enough root ball to maintain during freezing weather. I wouldn't trim on it, do yu have a pic?
I agree you don't have to trim back to plant. Most Brugs develop roots quickly so transplant shock is short lived. Zone 7a is pushing it for growing in the ground. Some are more frost sensitive than others and take longer to form a 'Y'. As a precaution, if you decide to plant in the ground, root cuttings next summer and overwinter in pots indoors.
Thanks Veronica, Zone 7 seems almost tropical to me. Do you leave them in the ground down there?
Yes, and I'm starting to put more in the ground. Although I still plan to keep my doubles in pots and put those babies in the greenhouse to overwinter. Those in the ground need heavy mulch to protect the roots even here. According to the new plant hardiness zone map, I'm now in zone 9a, but temperatures get down to 23ºF (26ºF this year) for a few hours a few times during winter. Our first winter here (2001), it got down to 13ºF.
Oh my 13? That IS cold for that far south.. I guess I'm in 6 now, I tried protecting a stump last winter, it didn't work. It would probably be October before I saw blooms if it grew from the roots here, sometimes mine go in the basement the end of Sept (under lights, with lights, can't fit the big ones under).
Here they are!!! Can you get an idea of how big these guys are? Check out those leaves, how crisp & green they are, plus a very decent root clump. Never having had brugs I can't be positive, but who would've thought the leaves would be like this after being out of the ground, in transit & waiting for me to pot all this time? Oh yeah, I'm psyched! Enough of that, any thoughts?
This message was edited Jul 26, 2008 7:19 PM
If you find that the stems are bending over..just stake a bamboo pole next to it and tie the brug to it...this will help it get stronger..
Davis, pot them each in a 1 or 2 gal pot, they will probably need to be potted up at least once again before bringing them in for winter. You want them to have a nice dense rootball. Acclimate them to outside, and sun, they will like lots of water, morning to mid afternoon sun, (some like more than others). I'd water them in with a drop of superthrive, sm.bottle of peroxide to 1/2 gal of water.. once you see new leaves growing out ease them into some fertilizer.
Hi Nadine :)
Hello.....lol........I am tired from being at a RU today at Randy's in Houston...
I turned in early. Sounds like Randy's was great and your shopping trip for gingers, too! Davis, how're ya doing with the big rooted cuttings?
Things look great here, thanks to all of you. I decided to go with the 1 gal pot first, to try to encourage the whole root system more. I've already got the 2 & 3 gal. pots on standby, so I'll be ready for them. I'll keep you posted on their progress, thanks again.
I got some brugs - mine didn't arrive as helathy - double shipped - 2 Melon kisses are gonners - I'm hoping the others are ok - these are my first brugs - have daturas - no problems with them except a voracious tomato hookworm - I potted the brugs all in 1 gal pots - w/holes at bottom set in watering tray - my daturas are in ground - so I am not sure how much to water these - no leaves - one is sprouting some - I know too much water can be as bad as not enough - I'm just not sure what to do - noo camera right now - I know the melon kisses are dead - they totally bowed over and rotted - the piece of brug that was broken off and I tried to root - rotted also - other 3 are standing straight - Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated - thanks- Kitty
Kitty, are these rooted or unrooted Brug cuttings? If rooted, 1 gallon containers are fine. Just don't place the containers in standing water. It's a good way to get root rot. Keep the plants in a brightly lit, but shady place until the plants are established. When Brugs arrive, it's a good idea to soak the roots in water for about 1/2 hour until the plants perk up again. If the plant is slightly limp, I've soaked the entire plant. It usually recovers.
I broke the top off of one. Since it'd been potted & was growing, I left the original where it was. I've gotten new leaves on it too. I still have that top in water, should I wait for roots or go ahead & try to pot up. There doesn't seem to be any rot anywhere, Should I try to pot the broken top off?
Other than me being clumsy, I've been pretty lucky so far. I love watching a plant start to take off.
I like to root in water as I've not had that much success sticking a cutting directly into a pot unless I've managed to get the cutting to the white nub stage. I add about 1/2 tsp of hydrogen peroxide to the water. It helps to keep the water clean and seems to speed the rooting process. Has it developed any white nubs yet? If it has, you can go ahead and put it into a pot no larger than 4" or you can wait until the nubs develop roots. If you don't have a pot that small, use a 16oz. plastic cup with holes punched in the bottom. Keep the soil barely moist. Forming a mini-greenhouse with plastic will increase the humidity so the top doesn't dry off although it is not necessary if you keep it in bright shade until it takes off. Then slowly introduce it to morning sunlight. Roots formed in water are fragile so be careful when potting. It's safer to plant the cutting when the roots get about 1" long.
Can someone please tell me where I can get some super thrive. All we have here is wallyword, homedepot, and a Sutherlands. No one has any thrive...
Thanks
Linda Kay
Thanks - they are rooted - 2' plants -
Linda, All we have is a wallyworld and that's where I bought mine. I've also seen it at Home Depot in Bastrop. A nursery would have it. If I have to purchase something online, I look for free shipping and or the cheapest.
Thanks for the info, I will keep looking.
Linda Kay
hmmm bettydee, white nubs? Are you talking about where the leaves were removed, or all over the stem?
Debbie,
When Brugmansia cuttings are rooted in water, that part of the stem that has been underwater, develops "proto-roots", little white growths called nubs. There is a scientific name for them, but I'm suffering a senior moment. They appear only on the part of the stem under water.
omg no!!! I thought those things were some kind of fungus & literally wiped it down with a paper towel.
Ok, I just looked at the cutting in the peroxide water. There still appears to be some nubs untouched (guess I did a lousy job wiping them off) but most of the stem shows where they were, like nubs but not white anymore. Geeze.
Don't worry, when you pot them up, just plant them a little deeper. The cuttings will produce more roots higher up on the stem. Brugs are in the same family as tomatoes, Solanaceae.
i didn't know that. Can you lay the stalk over & plant it for a better root system?
It's not necessary since the stem is capable of producing roots all over. I've only seen it done with short sections, called logs, that contain 1 or 2 nodes. The rest are usually planted upright. It's done mostly to make as many rooted cuttings as possible rather than to improve the root system. The one advantage planting logs has is that the new shoots will grow straight up out of the ground without that little curve that appears at the beginning of new growth.
thanks betty dee, tonight I'll pot her up then. I appreciate all the great info & advice.