I would like to know how do you cross brugmansias.
Crossing Brugmansias
Species like B. arborea and B. sanguinea self pollinate, but these two are seldom seen in our gardens especially here in the southern part of the country. The majority are called self sterile, meaning that flowers from the same plant can't pollinate each other. Plants originating from the same mother plant won't cross pollinate either. You need two plants that are genetically different.
Brugs are pollinated by moths, but bees may occasionally visit Brug flowers. You have to beat those moths and bees to the pollen and to the stigma to avoid having them accidentally do the pollinating for you or introduce pollen from a different plant. So it's important that you tie off the bloom with a piece of string once you have transfered the pollen to the stigma. Unless you don't care who the pollen donor is, you should label the cross you have made using the accepted convention of writting the name of the plant receiving the pollen (The pod parent) first X followed by the name of the pollen donor. (Ex: Mountain Magic X Day Dreams). I would add the date you pollinated.
If you are lucky, you may have two different Brugs blooming at the same time and you can collect pollen from one and apply the pollen to the stigma of the other. Chances are that your Brugs won't bloom at the same time and you'll have to collect the pollen and store it until you need it. You'll need a long pair of tweezers (clean), small vials or bottles and a permanent marker when you collect the pollen. Choose a bloom that is just about to open. Pry the corolla shirt open. The pollen is ready to harvest if the anthers look fluffy. If the anthers look smooth, wait a few hours and look again. Insert the tweezers and using a gentle tug, remove the anthers carefully so as not to lose any of the pollen and place the anthers on end into the small vial. When you have collected the pollen, cap and label the vial. Once inside uncap the vial enough to allow moisture to escape. As the anthers dry, the pollen will drop to the bottom of the vial. Once dry remove the anther body and cap tightly. Store in a cool dry place.
To pollinate use a clean, small, natural bristle brush. Dip the tip of the brush into the pollen and transfer the pollen to the sticky end of the stigma. Tie the end of the flower so no foreign pollen is introduced. Label the cross. You may use the same brush as long as you are using the pollen from the same vial to pollinate the blooms on the same bush.
If you are pollinating blooms on different bushes, remove the anthers from those blooms carefully so you don't pick up any pollen from that bloom and accidentally transfer it to the blooms of a different bush. Wash and dry the brush when using different pollen or use a different brush.
If you are lucky to have two different Brugs in bloom at the same time, you can use the directions given in the following link:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/362576/
Video that shows pollination:
http://www.brugmansia.us/pollination.shtml
Directions with photos and plant parts identified:
http://www.abads.net/hybridizing-basics/brugmansia_hybridizing_basics.htm
It takes practice. Even when you do everything as directed, the cross doesn't take. The small ovary turns yellow and drops off. If the cross does take the ovary continues to grow as a seed pod. Remove the dead corolla to prevent rot. Usually a gentle tug will remove it. If that doesn't work, gently split the corolla up toward the pod and pull.
Scroll down this link for suggestions about pollinating at night:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/906137/
The pod is ripe when the pod stem turns yellow then brown. The pod itself may or may not turn brown. The cork surrounding the seeds will be a dark brown. Remove the corky sections, spread out on a paper towel and allow them to dry for a few days before storing.
Thanks Bettydee for the information.It looks like its hard to do maybe i will get lucky trying it when it's time.How many have you cross already and how long did it take you to get it right?
This message was edited Dec 2, 2008 12:41 PM
Oh I wish I had someone to show me how to do it. I am a visual learner. I will have to study the pics and re-read the instructions. I would love to give it a try too. Thanks Betty. You are a fount of information. :)
Very well discribed Betty, but???
Sanguinea are not usually self fertile.
Wildform Arborea are self-fertile, hybrid Arborea are not usually self-fertile.
But I will stand to be corrected. LOL
Alan
TheRoseGirl, the process is easy: getting pollen from one bloom to the stigma of another. It's getting the timing just right. It gets down right frustrating when those Sphinx moths do a better job. I'm still learning. There are lots of things that affect how successful one is — temperature, humditiy, maturity of the mother plant, maturity of the bloom, condition of the pollen, how well a cultivar takes the pollen. Some Brugs seem to be more fertile than others. Miss Emily MacKenzie is supposed to be really difficult to pollinate. My Audrey Hepburn, hybridized by Eric Knight, seems to set pods if you wave pollen at her.
A big part is to have the pollen ready. Keep a log and include conditions under which you pollinated the blooms. Returning a few hours later to re-apply a bit more pollen to a bloom may help improve pollination rates. Don't expect all the blooms you pollinate to take. There's always the excitement of that little pod. Then disappointment when the blasted thing drops, but when that pod continues to grow. Then ripens. Wow! Elation!
Jeanne, I ran across the link I found on Dave's by doing a google search. It was one of those happy flukes. There are more threads available that have more photos, but without the Search feature, the search for those thread may take days. The photos associated with the links I provided should get you started. The reason I suggested keeping a log is that you can, if you start with a plant that has only a few flowers so you can keep track of when they opened, track items that influence pollination success especially the age of the future pod parent. If you apply pollen too early when the stigma is not receptive, pollination will not occur. The same applies when the bloom is too old.
I like to follow the adage: Nothing ventured, noting gained. LOL Remember to try it early enough so the pods have a chance to mature before winter.
Thanks alot Betty.You are a big help.
By the way Betty if you ever cross one to make a red brugmansia please let me know.I would love to have a red one.
Alan, you grow sangs so you have a better working knowledge about their fertility. I got my information from reading a post by someone who's also grown a few. I knew about the wildform arborea. The information is in a number of references. I wondered about sangs though. I was under the impression that wildform sangs were pretty uniform, at least going by photos. I know there is a yellow form. This is where I begin going around in loops. If sangs are not self-fertile, then the species is made up of very similar hybrids? What was the advantage to arborea to become self-fertile while all others aren't.
A true red Brug! That's the Holy Grail of Brugs. B. sanguinea is the only Brug that has/may have red genes. A way would have to be found to get those gene into the cultivars most of us grow. Without the use of some potent chemicals, sangs don't cross with the aurea group. Genetic splicing might work, but who has the equipment to get that done. Would we have to feed the new discovery anti-rejection medication to keep it alive?
That is what so bad we can't grow the brug sanguinea.All we can do is pray that in the places it can grow maybe someone will know how to do it.But i'm not holding my breath.
well, let me show some ignorance here. I don't know a sanguinea from a guinea pig nor an arborea from an arbor. Seriously, I have so much to learn. Can a 54 year old learn? Whhrrrrr............ sound of my brain jump starting. I first need to learn what the heck a stigma looks like. I think I know what the anthers look like.
I love a challenge.
One of the first things I did, when I was bitten by the Brug bug was join both Brugmansia groups. Here's a good link on Brug anatomy with photos.
http://www.abads.net/Anatomy/
Scroll down to the active links on Brug species and natural hybrids for photos and descriptions:
http://www.abads.net/aboutbrugmansia/aboutbrugmansia.htm
Awesome Info here!!!!
..It is easier than it sounds.. You don't need to know the difference between a Sang and a Guniea Pig if you don't grow them.. Guniea Pigs are kinda messy anyway!
The mention of Guinea pigs always brings back bad memories. When I started student teaching, my master teacher's class was in the middle of an assignment caring for their own Guinea pig. One week-end, I went in to check on those little rodents because a few students tended to neglect their animals. I found one near death due to dehydration. When it didn't drink the water I provided, I picked it up, laid it on its back and gave it a dropper full of water. It gurgled a few gasps and died. Later, in my cown classroom, I found out they don't handle heat well. The room wasn't air conditioned.
Geesh, I'm a sang murderer as well! I've tried to grow them here, but by the end of May, they are history.
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Mrs.Jeanne you are so funny.
I did know what the anthers look like. That's 10 points. The stigma looks like the piece you pull out of honeysuckle when you want it's nectar. Got it. Thanks Betty. What would I do without you? I will definately try to cross pollinate if at all possible this summer or fall. Do bees pollinate as well as the moths? How long can you keep the pollen in the jar?
Here is where I first learned how to make seed pods ...a really good thread for beginners ...^_^ ...nothing matches the excitment of seeing those seed pods grow first the first time.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/362576/
Chrissy, it's nice to know we think alike. That was my first link on my first reply. LOL
Well perhaps waiting for your first very own plant to bloom ...here go and check out the plant files on the Brugmansias from a to z ...warning!!!! addiction danger ...
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/finder/index.php?sname=Brugmansias
All these pics are so helpful to a visual learner. I got it now. That means my poor cherub pink won't produce any seeds when she blooms because she has no one to pollinate with. Well, maybe when she puts on blooms in the summer. I hope I have others blooming then to cross with. Thanks Chrissy and Betty. You have been a great help.
I'm already a brugaholic. I don't know what it is about this plant compared to others but it is special.
I think my husband know how to hand pollinate so maybe i will have some help.
Alan, we were told years ago that sanguinea were also self fertile. I can't remember now how we learned that but I was shocked when you told me recently they weren't. I did check Preissel and he agrees with you. LOL! I should have known this for when I had my tree sanguinea, I would have hundreds of flowers and only ever got 1 seedpod. Whereas my arborea gives me a seedpod with each flower just about.
Great directions Veronica. I remember when I started I thought it would be so hard but it was actually so easy to do when I got down to it. I used that thread from Susie (Calalily) too to learn, it is great. Susie taught so many of us in the beginning and also supplied most of us with great brugs. She had the best brugs. So don't be afraid to try it. It is so much fun and when you pick your first ripe pod and then they germinate, it is such a great experience. And then when you get your first flower from your own seed, what a true thrill.
I also used this picture that Jeanne made for us all. I forget her Dave's name, she doesn't post here anymore but still has great brugs in Canada! I will have to tell her I used it again. I copied it to my computer and would refer to it all the time. Hope it helps this new crop of brug lovers!
Kell this brug is awsome.
This message was edited Dec 2, 2008 11:51 PM
Betty
I am no expert and I only know what I know, but always want to know more LOL
You pose a difficult to answer question, Arborea's are self-fertile in the wildform, I guess this is natures way to ensure survival. The hybrid Arborea's have lost, through breeding (possibly), the self-fertile trait (this makes crossing them much simpler, you know if you get a seed pod its because of the pollen you have introduced and not self-fertilization)
Why are Sanguinea therefore not self-fertile ?? (I guess we can ask that question of the 'normal Brug'. group)
Colour variations can occur through natural 'sporting', cross fertilization with other's within there genetic group etc.
It took me awhile to get my head around the fact that Sanguinea's can be crossed with other Sanguinea that are even sibling plants from the same seed pod even, but not with sibling cuttings (from the same plant) but I have proved that to myself.
My Sanguinea appear to be very fertile and will cross with any pollen from within this group of Brugmansia. (Arborea,Vulcanicola,Flava, Sang.)
Sorry if I have rambled a little, like I said,I'm no expert,just trying to further my knowledge of this group (with a lot of help from Eric Knight) (must be doing something right,I have some very exciting seed pods / seeds from crossing's within this group)
Kell
I'm happy that Preissel agree's with me LOL
If you only had 1 Sanguinea and got a seedpod, maybe it was fertilized by the Arborea? a Sanguinea from nearby or some glitch of nature ?????
It's great to learn from each other, even across the world, don't you just love the 'net'
Alan
Alan your lucky that you can grow the Sanguinea.I wish i had a red brug.
Love it and all of your wonderful info..
Kylie
so let's say you have success crossing two brugs, what are their offspring called? Like if I crossed my cherub pink with monster white, what would the offspring be called, cherub pink x monster white? Could you give it a shorter name?
You could use the initials associated with those names, but it's best to keep everything as clear as possible. Since all offspring from that cross will have the same 'name'. Use a number after the 'name' to designate each individual seedling. They will retain that designation until you either toss them in the compost heap (Where most of them go.) or after a lengthy trial decide they are are different enough and worthy of naming and registering.
will each seedling look the same or could there be variations of colors from each plant?
There may be some trends that they all share, but each seedling is genetically different. It is possible you may get some pinks, but chances are most will be white, but those white seedlings will have hidden pink genes. If you want to increase the chances of getting more colored Brugs, pick parents who exhibit lots of color in their background. Eric has been very helpful in making suggestions about crosses. Color is only one factor to consider when you make crosses, but those can come later. With my first crosses, I didn't care what I crossed as long as I got a seedpod. I also bought any Brug I didn't have. After seeing them bloom, I wasn't too thrilled with some of the bloom forms. Since losing my first Brug collection forced me to start again, I've decided to be more discriminating about my Brug choices. I've decided my favorite flower forms are aureas, cubensis and candidas. The majority of my collection consists of those three types although fragrance and color tempers what else I buy. Now, this coming year, I want to concentrate on those three with an emphasis on aureas. First, I have to get my new cuttings up to flowering size, but my part of my goal will involve working with aureas. Erics suggestions match what I've read about Brug breeding: find what you like, decide what you what out of that cross, plant all seeds from the pod and back cross seedling to parent or seedling X seedling from the same cross. So you've decided what you want, what do you cross. There the resources get kind of lean. It may help to know the ancestry of the crosses. I've found this link helpful in my planning:
http://www.abads.org/abads/Registry/namelist/
Two years ago I gave away some seeds of Audrey Hepburn X ?. This summer one of the ladies I gave the seed to, posted a photo of one of the seedlings and its bloom — a double. No one else has reported the same result. The X comes from the fact that a moth beat me to some blossoms resulting in a seedpod. The pollen parent could have been one of three Brugs blooming at the same time. I haven't worried about contamination from other sources. There aren't any Brugs for tens of miles in all directions.
When you cross brugs is it possible to get more then one color on the plant or it's always one color.I was just wondering if that's possible.
The genetics that controls the bloom color will be identical, but because the shade is influenced by environmental and age factors, there may be some shade variances in the flush, but essentially, they are one color.
Thanks Betty you are a big help about these things.
This message was edited Dec 3, 2008 11:37 PM
It's all so interesting. Like taking a geneolgy course for brugs. I hope I can be successful in crossing this coming year, just to see if I can for one. Then to see what develops.
Betty, thanks for sharing your experiences with us. That's why I come here.
You're welcome. It's part of what I enjoy about gardening.