Thanks to all of the things I have learned reading this forum....I started this versicolor cutting about a month ago. Is it too early to prune off the side growth so I can get the tree or lollipop shape and can I just rub or push it off with my finger like I do my crepe myrtle cuttings? It is going to need a new pot soon as the roots are circling the bottom and I thought I could give it a side trim too.
Carol
You sure can.. They are pretty tough plants and don't mind being pruned.. Congrats! It looks very healthy!!!
Kylie
Thanks Kylie. I have just been so happy to see the growth going into winter that I did not think about the shape until recently.
Carol, you can rub them off without harming the cutting, but by letting all those side shoots grow for a while, the plant will produce more nutrients which will help the plant grow faster and thicken the trunk considerably.
After looking at Carol's picture, do you suppose this will flower as is or is there any specific pruning to be done to make it flower down the road? I have started some similar cuttings and was curious....
JOHN
I got four cuttings from the same source (I assume all from the same plant) and although all cuttings have vigorous root development that particular one has lots of side growth not seen on the others. It is about 3 1/2 inches around....trying to remember pi and high school geometry... over an inch in diameter. It will be interesting to see which one will flower first.
Carol
Oh Chrissy I would never stop at just one. These are my 'Painted Lady' or supposed to be and they are just a week older than the versicolor, they were rooted when I got them. Thanks for the info all.
Carol
Here are my Maya cuttings I took. These were stem cuttings--but all were above the "Y".
I have them under my seed-growing lights for now, as are not needed for seeds at this time.
I also took cuttings from the stem tips and they are not doing well at all. Many of them have rotted out and been discarded.
Lesson learned!
Ain't she a beauty?
Gita, looking at your healthy babies I realize that I could have cut my starter logs into even more plants...oh well live and learn. I love the variegation on the leaves.
Carol
Gita, your first photo shows some very healthy cuttings. Congrats!
Hmmm..I am also SO glad they are doing well--but the MAMA is dormant in my basement and that is what i will keep.
Will, probably, be sharing all these cuttings at our next Plant Swap.....
Here is the dormant Maya opening some dormant blooms in my dark basement....
Just took this....
And--here is a bloom from it earlier--but also while in the dark basement....
A hardy soul! Don't you think?
That's what's so fascinating about these gals. Blooming even though they don't have leaves.
Basements are so handy. Had one when we lived near Cincinnati. No Brugs. Now I have Brugs, no basement! My Brugs don't do dormant. This year I want to spray them with the Recipe to see if that keeps them healthier over winter.
A question from a brug newbie (got my first cuttings this fall)...What is "the Recipe"?
Tonya
My Maya keeps on blooming in the basement. There were, maybe, a couple teeny-tiny buds on her when I dragged her in the dark basement. Can't believe they all grew and opened up and are now blooming.
There is no light down there--and I have not watered them either...Yes! They are hardy and amazing plants!
Gita
Tonya here is a link to the recipe thread.... http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/803019/
Gita I bet it smells wonderful in your basement. I haven't had a basement since moving to Texas. When we were up north I got my annual geraniums through the winter in the basement...they were always cranky til they were in the sunshine in spring. Great job with Maya.
Carol
This message was edited Dec 11, 2008 9:36 AM
Thanks Carol!
Tonya
Carol,
There is NO fragrance at all......but they are pretty! Maybe the Brugs need the outside air and sunshine to have fragrance.....Mother Nature's care.....
All the babies (cuttings) are doing great too. Already posted pictures a few posts up.
Gita
ran across this thread and hope you don't mind this post:
I have had several cuttings given to me , and a couple big "trees" I had to trim off the tips and cut off the bottoms.. now the bottoms are in a plastic tub, with leaves coming up from the sides, the bottoms are in a blue pebble pile with a dab of water.. the tips were put in moss cups, some just fried, some have new growth.. the sticks that had nubbies or roots went into pots of all sorts with different types potting mediums, and the ones doing the best are in a potting soil mix that has coffee grounds mixed in ( I get it from work by the 3 gallon bags) and peat with vermiculite..those are producing heavy green foilage..
the ones in potting soil only have thrown off leaves, but not as big and bushy, but those are on the floor of the basement, and it is colder there.. it has been fun experimenting..a little tiny piece of adeline and a little tiny piece of frosty were sent to me at the same time.. adeline bit the dust in the moss, frosty almost did but came back with a vengence.. Maya Tree standard has more leaves all varigated, in the bubbler.. and peach versi from Bonnie is in a pot, She looks like she has tiny buds.. but could be leaves.. charles grimaldi and snowbanks are in 6 inch square pots in potting soil...they have not grown an inch in a month, but look happy.. the pieces from cuttings from Tropicmans' brug heaven I thought were all goners, but they are now starting to come out.. glad I didn't give up on them since I know what they looked like as he had me cut them myself.. these different cuttings in all forms and sizes, have side shoots, bottom shoots, top shoots, stem shoots..all growing in the different spaces I have them in, all seem to go at different paces.. the ones on the floor the slowest.. the ones hanging in pots in a secluded closet are the fastest, the tree standards in bubblers just not doing anything..the moss cup cuttings are under lights..all getting the "recipe" and these are all in my basement, throughout 3 different rooms ...very very challenging these brugmansias.. all I want is blooms , like I see on everyone elses in these forum threads.. I will be happy if any of them hold on until spring, because I know just where they are going and how happy they will be! Spring can not come quick enough for me.. and my basement is a miniature backyard garden for me until then.. where I can watch over my first brugsmansia cut in three, joined by all these others sent to me, and hope for success as I see in the threads in this forum by all of you..
frisocflora... you echo my thoughts ..
it seems we both have become enchanted by these lovely plants.
I'm glad you are enjoying your experiments with your Brugs. I DO have a word or caution: Don't overwater them during winter. Root rot is the biggest Brug killer. The roots don't absorb water as quickly in winter. Standing in wet soil reduces the amount of oxygen available to the roots andkill them. Roots that develop when the cuttings are rooted in water are different. As long as the roots are in clean aerated water, the cuttings can survive til spring.
As long as the temperature in the basement remains around 50º+, the Brug growth will slow down or stop depending on the cultivar. If the temperatures dip below 50, even temporarily, the Brugs go dormant. That is what you want them doing if you can't provide optimum growing conditions, particularly the amount of light needed to produce nice sturdy grow.
Take a look at the growth being produced by the plants/cuttings in that secluded closet. Warm temperatures keep the Brugs from going dormant. So growth continues, but because they don't get enough light, the growth will be long and spindly which will probably have to be cut off in spring. I would take them down to the basement and let them going dormant.
Thanks Bettydee for letting me know, the ones in the closet are downstairs in a stairwell
closet.. it is warm and bright in there.. do the small ones go dormant as well and will they come back? Temps down here are around 62 to 64, where upstairs we are at 70 to 74..
My basement had NO heat vents. I have never measured the T* down there--but it is "livable"....I would guess.....mid-high 50's.....
There is this tiny window up high (as most of this level is underground)--maybe 2'x 16". That is ALL the light that ever enters this lowest level of my house. I used to be my Husband's shop. Now it is a "junk shop"!
This is the ONLY place I can store my Brugs! In the Spring--I just take them outside--keep them sheltered and shaded for a couple of weeks and then, slowly, put them in brighter light. They don't even hiccup! Just everything turns green and continues growing.....
Gita
well... here are the closet brugs u tell me what u think..this was as of december 2nd.. these are in the very back of the closet
heres the others this is snowbanks
and here is another couple in there
Debra, They look fine so far. The way you worded it I had visions of long shoots with big spaces between nodes. With temperatures between 62º to 64º, they won't go dormant. My own experience has been to keep small cuttings and small seedlings growing, even slowly, rather than to let them go dormant. Someone who overwinters Brugs in their basement may have had no problems with letting their small Brugs go dormant. Maybe someone in a colder climate than mine will share their experiences with you.
BettyDee the biggest problem I have are these dang gnat looking things.. I have tried everything.. I am about ready to use honey on a strip of bread hanging in the rooms to catch them.. any ideas? they grow from the soils and nothing kills the little creepy crawlies and then they hatch into these gnat things.. ugh. I find myself batting at them just like a cat trying to catch one! I brought in a garden spider and a jumping brownie spider to keep the pests down but they are in the corner where the fountain is.. any ideas? neem, kens mix, 3 way spray , microwaving the dirt even does not kill these....
May trying several methods at the same time. I found a few links that may help:
http://www.ehow.com/how_9360_control-fungus-gnats.html
http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/bulletins/uc/uc-028.html
http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/entomology/factsheets/fungusgn.html
Bettydee---------------you are a "bottomless pit" of information. I cannot begin to tell you how much I have learned from you in the short time that I have been a member of this group. How do you find time to do anything else?? I marvel at you! Again, thanks!
Shirleyd
I only made it 1/2 way thru post . I use cloud cover to seal after pruning / side shoots , broken stems .
It seals the wound and goes away by it self . I also tried on grapes , but to much water / sap from wound .
okay what is cloud cover? LOL
It's a spray that is supposed to stop the plant from freezing during frost .
I bought it a couple of years ago , didn't work very well , but does seem to seal plants .
I coat / seal burgs , and other herbaceous plants . I know a brug isn't considered a herbaceous plant , but anyway I spray when I remove the leaves from cuttings . Seems to help seal wound and sap from coming out .
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/854430/
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/maple/msg0716355024164.html
Cloud Cover worked for me, but we only have light frosts most years. It's a Polymer. Some people thought it would prevent mites, but it didn't work for that here.
joeswife/Debra: I had just a few gnats earlier and I make certain that I don't overwater during the winter months (overwatering encourages those nasty gnats...). I always add a bit of hydrogen peroxide to my plant water which seems to keep the nasties at bay. You can also sprinkle cinnamon on the top of the soil (a fungicide) and/or water with a weak camomile tea solution.
Hope this helps! Jan
Jan! Thanks I have lotsof cinnamon.. the sticky paper is working well for the ones flying.
. it is the ones in the soil thats killing me! ( so far not the plants) I have the peroxide in the water now and also some of that tea I will have to brew it up,,
Somewhere I also heard that one tsp. (Tbsp.???) of clear Ammonia in a gallon of water, used to water your plants with, will take care of them.
This was once told me by someone who worked for one of those companies that take care of plants in offices and businesses.
Anyone add anything to this idea?
Gita
I have read that people use coffee grounds , coffee filters ,epson salt [ 1 table spoon in a gallon of water - but that scares me - young roots ], baking soda and diatamach earth .
I would google before using .
