If I don't water my brugs often they wilt. My inground plants need water less frequently then the ones in containers. I'm in zone 7 and can't leave my plants out year round so they never get a chance to develop a really good root system. I've seen brugs in frost free climates that are tree size and am sure they aren't watered or fed but they likely have enough of a root system that they don't need it. Once your brug is fully established it probably won't require much either and you'll get bigger flushes as it grows. By trimming it you set back blooming a bit. You could always reduce the water and fertilizer and see what happens.

jardinerowa, I'm starting to feel the same way. However, I'm like Karyn, If I don't water mine they wilt. I'm watching my neighbors up the road just grow, grow and grow right now, while mine is still smaller than hers. Ive asked her on several occasions what she does and she says nothing.

Hers has been in the ground 3 years now, and this will make my 2nd year. She says she never waters or fertilizes and yet I fertilize and water. I even call a "so called" brug specialist he calls himself, and he says to fertilize once a month only. But I haven't stooped to that yet.

The folks here have given me great advice in the past and for now I continue to abide by it. And that means watering and fertilizing. I'm just at a loss. I don't know what to do anymore.

Right now I'm feeding mine once a week with 24-8-16 and plan to use bloom booster once they get around blooming size and I start seeing small buds. If they don't bloom this year I don't know what I'll do.

I love them, and have gotten to see them bloom once, and that was the first year I got them, they were still in pots. Ever since I put them in the ground I get a bloom here and there. I'm easily frustrated, and lets just say that these brugs are driving me insane.

karyn and lovetogrowflowers,
Thanks for your comments. I hear you on the wilty thing. I see them wilt during a hot day, but they usually perk up at night. This especially happens I think with fairly new plants from cuttings, as they a lot of leaves, but few roots to transfer water...just a guess.

I like you, also fertilize mine with slightly diluted 24-8-16 once a week, mostly because I want the leaves to get big and green like they were last year. Instead of fussing my different chemicals, I use the harsh gush of water setting on my hose nozzle once a week under the leaves to get off any mites. I have the hose turned off partially so as not to dislodge leaves or more importantly, blooms!
I also fertilize occasionally with Alaska's Morbloom 0-10-10. I think once I'm satisfied with it's the green leaves and their look, I'm gonna stop with the high nitrogen one and stick to phosporous/potassium. We will see what happens.
Thanks again for your tips and I wish you great success! I am itching for more brugs of other colors. Here in coastal San Diego, you just stick a a cutting in the any soil in the ground, water it, and it roots super fast..No fussing, no hormones, it's way cool. The problem for me is after the first year when they don't look as good as they used to.

Z

In the heat of the summer mine will wilt even with sufficient water and perk up at night but if I don't water enough (daily in July & Aug for container brugs) they wilt and don't perk back up.

Definitely change your fertilizer to one with a different N-P-K ratio. Stop with the high nitrogen which promotes vegetative growth and switch to a high phosphorus low nitrogen type. These are often sold as bloom boosters and have ratios such as 5:30:5 or similar. The potassium doesn't have to be so low but the nitrogen does. Instead of a high nitrogen feed to green your brugs up I'd switch to a magnesium or calcium magnesium suppliment. I use a product called CalMag Plus but you can use plain old epsom salts as well. ES is a tablespoon to a gallon of water monthly. I wish I was in your climate. You have pretty much perfect weather and growing conditions.

I do like the 24-8-16 I have because it has micros, but I use it very diluted. I just noticed today that on most of the new growth, there are buds coming so I think the 0-10-10 has started working.

One thing, I have another cutting I started but I have to move it because it is a pot with a big canna and it's not gonna grow like that. It was growing new leaves, and now it's not and one actually got black on one end. Has it started to rot? I'd love to take a great look at the roots when I transplant it but I don't want to disturb the root ball much. It now never get's below 54 at night and most days are sunny. I can't imagine it's rotting from too much water!?

Z

Hi Jardinerowa I don't feed mine but they also do not bloom that much either, but I do have a blde white one and a versicolor, I am wondering that since you live in Tijuana is there anyway you could get me some california pepper tree seeds--Pirul-- Pretty please I will pay postage or send you a sase What do you say? Thanks will come back to check Marcie

Doesn't bloom booster cause leaf drop? It always did on mine.

You mentioned that in another post. I've been using a bloom booster on my mature brugs during the growing season for over 15 years and have never experienced leaf drop because of it. Many other growers use a BB as well and I've never heard any of them complain about it causing leaf drop either.

Mine are starting to bloom.
How often to use bloom boster?

I fertilize about 1x/wk during the growing season and use a bloom booster on the mature brugs.

I think each of us has to remember that what works for our Brug doesn't necessarily work for our 'neighbour's' or 'other person's'.
Geographical location, micro climates, soil PH, soil types and the cultivar of the Brug itself, as well as how well the soil has been amended ALL play a significant role on the growth/bloom factor of any Brugmansia. Karyn can attest to the fact that here in my Zone 5 in Canada, if I put my mind to it I can get mine to grow to 12-13 feet tall in a season and bloom with large flushes. I have shown pictures of this over the years. Mine I plant in the ground in June, but have to dig up and bring in in Oct so really I only have a 5 month growing period.the rest of their time they are dormant.
I have over the years amended my soil and the past 5 years or so I rarely fertilize my Brugs, I do add mushroom compost to my planting holes.I often can get away with only watering once a week, not even that if we get rain but our temps in the summer rarely get over 90 and then it is usually humid too.
If what you are trying isn't working for you, change something up, do something opposite and see if you have better results.On the whole, Brugs are pretty resilient and don't expect the results in 3 years of growing them that others get who have been doing it for 15+ years. It takes time to study them and time to learn what works best for you in your location with your particular cultivar. Not all Brugs perform the same under same conditions. Variegates and doubles, on the whole, grow much slower than singles. Vericolors will not withstand the same cooler temps all the others do etc.