Good Morning DG'ers. Need advise on wintering Burgs. My Burgs are planted in-ground. Do I have to cut them back for next year, if so when do I do this. The temps are droping, not that it get too cold, I'm in zone 9a and it can get into the 40's or sometime 30's. Do I cut back to ground or just leave as is. Please advise. This is the first year in-ground and not sure what to do. Thanks. Dorothy
What to do with Brugs in-ground???
Dorothy,
I live in a zone where we get occassional 20's F. Thus at the end of the season (just before the first frost I cut my brugs back to the ground and mulch them with thick layer of pinebark mulch), while the weather stays in the 30'ish range, they seem to enjoy and not hurting. Maybe some other brugs grower in your zone can chip in. Protective blankets to protect them at night, and uncover them when morning light returns?
Dorothy, I have 3 in the ground ( first year in the ground) the rest are in pots. I have cuttings from the 3 in the ground as insurance against losing the ones in the ground. Using some temporary covering when the temperatures go below freezing. If the plants get too large to cover completely, at least wrap the trunk and the first "Y".
If you're in zone 9a you should be able to leave them in the ground and not need to prune them back unless you want to size them down. If you get a unusual frost warning throw an old sheet over them and that should be enough in 9a. They'll slow down quite a bit in the 40's, can survive fine in the mid 30's if it's for short periods of time. I've had light frosts do a little tip damage, but that's all. I put my favorites in the greenhouse 'just in case' and others go under a shade structure that gives a little protection. I've had plenty out in the elements with no protection here in Southern California.
Mary
I want to add one thing here because I see people lose brugs every year by making this mistake, if you are going to have a freak frost and you want to cover your brugs DO NOT USE SHEETS OF PLASTIC, PLASTIC TARPS or PLASTIC GARBAGE BAGS!!!! Plastic will not protect your brugs. In fact plastic can make things worse by magnifying the effect of the cold.
This message was edited Nov 1, 2008 6:27 AM
Plastic may be used if you are erecting temporary, framed mini-greenhouses around your plant as long as the plant doesn't come in direct contact with the plastic. Christmas lights strung through the plant are more effective under plastic. Again, as long as the plastic doesn't touch the plant. Blankets, sheets and other insulating materials lose their insulating qualities when wet. I would think it would be OK to cover the insulating materials with plastic to keep them dry as long as the plastic is removed after the rain stops or ice melts, What you don't want to do is trap heat or moisture underneath the plastic.
Betty of course you're right about constructing something out of plastic that doesn't touch the plants but that takes time. The people I'm talking to are those people who get a last minute frost warning and panic! The first thing most people will reach for is plastic, thinking that it's better than nothing....in this case nothing is better :}
I have been using paper lawn and leaf bags to cover my tall, tender plants, and have had no losses.
I'm also in a 9a. After some debate, I am planning on keeping most of mine in the ground this year. DH built some wood frames around two of my long brug beds. I can cover those if I need to with thick plastic and/or frost cloth. You can also use xmas lights for a little added warmth. Most of mine have several seedpods now, so I don't want to disturb them and they are really large to handle if I don't cut them back first.
The people down the street have a huge one, prob 16 ft tall and more than that wide. They say they never cover thiers and its been there for 5yrs. The top gets a little dieback when it freezes but not much.
The advantage of having one grow that large is the top plant material will protect the parts in the middle or down toward the bottom. I've seen that in different plants as well. Unfortunately, sometimes, it gets cold enough to cut the entire plant down to the ground, but by then the root system is large enough that new growth comes back in the spring.
Bettydee is right about wrapping the brug up to, or past, the first Y. Putting Christmas lights around it is another, as some have said that works. There is a grower in the Panhandle of Texas that wrapped hers in bubble wrap last year with great success. One here locally did the same for our last quick freeze. You start wrapping from the ground up and onto about a foot of each branch after the Y. Just be sure to take it off the next day if it goes above 32. Sheets are good cover too. Used those in Florida. I wouldn't cut back in your zone
As Bettydee said, you can always take a cutting or two if your worried about losing it.