I rooted a number of brugs this winter in water and in March I planted all of them in gallon size pots. Two of them put on a number of buds and are blooming right now (one is 24 inches tall and originally had 9 buds). BUT the color of the blooms is weak and blah! Could this be because they are not getting enough nourishment in these small pots? I have fertilized them several times. It looks like the color should be pink.
Shirleyd
Newly rooted brugs
Well potting soil has about no nourishment what so ever.. and they will... reguardless of the pot sixe... really only have what you give them.. might be getting more water than they need.. or need more sun... bigger pots are good once they are established.. and the danger of overwatering is less... once their roots are biger.. I'd pot them up now though if they have been in soil since MArch..
were they cuttings from plants you had or knew before... and are lighter... or are they cuttings you got in.. if so.. they are perhaps that light shade you have now..
As a newbie to the brug scene, I have learned this: when people post pics they only post the best and the brightest. I have often found brug blooms lacking in color. I don't much have a sense of smell so that's not a factor for me.
My real disappointment was a versicolor yellow (so labeled). Someone with much experience with brugs told me it was not that, but the bloom was white with a very very pale yellow on the second day.
I had to dial back my expectations a bit as far as blossom color goes. I haven't given up because the blossom color can change with different feeding, light situations, watering and temperature.
I've moved my disappointing brug and am waiting to see what he will do now.
Color in Brugmansia flowers vary greatly because many things, among them climate, influence color. Things, such as temperature during the day, temperatures at night, humidity, how much fertilizer you provide, age of plant, soil, how much sun the plant gets, whether the plant is healthy or under stress. I may have left a few off. What may be light in your area could be dark somewhere else. For example:
Creamsickle is listed as an apricot double.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/30640/
I have had Creamsickle for about 5 years. In all that time she has had one flush that produced a few apricot blooms. The rest have always been a creamy white. This is a photo of my Creamsickle showing what she looks like for me. Frankly, I prefer the creamy white.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/86866/
Rosamond and many pinks are another example of color changes depending on location of grower. My Rosamond bloomed a dark medium pink. Slightly darker that this one
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/59282/
I sent a large cutting to my mother who lives in Fremont, California. Her house is located within the wind tunnel created when highway 680 was put in. The cold wind from the San Francisco Bay rushes through her back yard. She was very disappointed when Rosamond turned out to bloom a very pale pink in her area.
Give your Brugs a chance to produce several flushes and through different seasons of the year before you decide to give up on the color. You may have to try different cultivars, different species, and different colors to see what blooms best in your area.
That can be a bit of the fun. Waiting to see what you get when it's all said and done.
I am about to decide that the plants are suffering from being in these small pots (only a gallon)-------so, I am planting as many as I can and calling in lots of friends with vacant spots in their garden. I will just have to remember not to root so many next year. But, I do have a hard time discarding anything!! I feel sure that the color will improve when I get these in my garden soil. Thanks for all your advice.
Shirleyd