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socalliegal

new plant

socalliegal
13 years ago

Hello, I am new to being a Brug grower. I bought a shoot at a Rainforest center that was having a sale with bromeliad folks and someone was selling shoots with some tiny growth. So I purchased I think a pink...well I replanted it right away from the tiny container it was in and since then it has not really sprouted that many leaves, and some are yellow..I think it should go into a shadier spot. Some internet links say full sun and then I saw one lady who swore by shade. Any help you can give a virgin brug grower would be appreciated.

Oh by the way I am new to this webby...just joined today...seems there are avid gardeners here..yeah!

Comments (22)

  • karyn1
    13 years ago

    Hi and welcome. Brugs are actually very easy, low maintenance plants. If the cutting was growing in soil, even if the container was small, you should have left it alone for a week or two. That goes for almost all plants as repotting and transporting them both cause stress. They need at least morning sun or they won't bloom. Some varieties can take more sun then others. They are also very heavy feeders. Your brug is probably shocked. Make sure that you don't overwater it and that it's in a well draining potting mix. Don't fertilize it while it looks iffy but a dose of something like Superthrive or B1 should help. Good luck with your brug.

  • socalliegal
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Hi Karyn,
    Thanks for your reply...the cutting did have roots. Hmmm perhaps I have been watering it too much as well. I think I might put it in a shadier spot, cause it's going to be awhile before this has any flowers. The cane is only about 3/8" thick. It is about 2 foot high, and has a sprinkling of leaves, some about 3 inches long. I will give it a little bit of food just a touch.

  • karyn1
    13 years ago

    When you get flowers has a lot to do with what part of the plant the cutting was taken from. Not as much the length or width of the stem. You can have a skinny 6" cutting taken from above a Y that blooms almost immediately.

    Give your plant morning sun and move it to filtererd sun in the afternoon. If it's dropping leaves and not looking great I wouldn't feed it but would give it Superthrive or B1 and maybe some epsom salts. If you feel you have to feed it I'd dilute the fertilizer.

    Is the potting mix well draining? If I was in your zone I'd plant it inground. They do better inground and are easier to care for especially when it comes to watering. In the heat of the summer I sometimes have to water my container brugs 2x a day. You can leave your brug inground year round.

  • socalliegal
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Hi Karyn,
    Right now it's in a spot where it gets full day sun, it is draining well. The leaves have not dropped, only a couple of the larger leaves are yellow. It does not have many leaves on it.

  • haase
    13 years ago

    You should also know that the blooms only appear after the plant has formed a so-called "Y", i.e. it branched out.
    Ingrid

  • socalliegal
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Ah Ingrid...good tip to watch for. I have been watching this tiny stick of a plant for the longest..and it was not doing anything. One night something munched on some of it's lower leaves and I just removed whatever was damaged. I remember reading somewhere that Brugs are HEAVY FEEDERS. Is that true. I did give it some more food recently and FINALLY it's starting to show signs of finally growing. Any more tips? Any good fertilizer combo's? I hear potassium is a big winner with Brugs.

  • karyn1
    13 years ago

    Glad to hear that it's finally growing. I've never used a high potassium feed. The only thing I give extra potassium to are my passifloras. Brugs are very heavy feeders. Just about any fertilizer is fine. I feed 1x/wk or sometimes every 2 weeks. I also give them micro nutrients, CalMag Plus, kelp extract, compost, etc.

  • princealbert
    13 years ago

    Welcome to the forum socalliegal
    Your brug sounds normal to me for this stage of life.
    Here is a sample of what you have to look forward to.
    This is a white one about 3.5 ft tall. The plant is about 1 1/2 years old.
    {{gwi:490909}}

    Welcome again
    princealbert

  • chena
    13 years ago

    WELCOME!!! Looks like you are on your way.. Lots of Great advice there.. I look forward to seeing you around.. BTW we love pic's..LOL

    Kylie

  • fool4flowers
    13 years ago

    Welcome to the forum. We all love all sorts of plants, lol. We encourage each other way too much but its all in fun. Its normal for older leaves to turn yellow and fall off. If your plant is allover not very green give it a tablespoon of epsom salt per gallon of water to help green it up. Some can't take full sun in hot zones unless its not 100 plus degrees where you live. If it stays yellow it could be getting sunburned and might need some afternoon shade. Good luck and share pics with us.

  • eloise_ca
    13 years ago

    socalliegalm welcome! Won't be long before you too will be giving advice on brug growing.

  • kasha77
    13 years ago

    socaliegalm-
    Welcome to a GREAT forum with wonderful folks! We love to share knowledge and cuttings and trading plants. I have learned SO much from everyone here, couldn't live without them! Hope you have an abundance of blooms before long!
    kasha77

  • socalliegal
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Hello Wonderful GardenFolk!

    You are all so sweet to welcome me. I have not been a part of GardenWeb for long, just a few months. I see that if you inquire on the web for certain plant questions the net brings you here to this site a lot!
    Well geesh, those Brugy's are sure big feeders! You folks are so right on that one. I can see where it just LOVES to be fed and I can see DEF changes when I feed it...WOW! I have been feeding it more fertilizer and boy I can see the difference now. I have never had a garden plant that fed so much...wow! It's almost like the plant in the "Little Shop of Horrors"...lol. It does have the 'Y' thing going on...so the person who made the cuttings knew about brugs (you would think since it was a plant sale at the Rainforest Flora and all kinds of garden folk were there). I am wondering if it will flower at all this year. Or still too young?

  • eloise_ca
    13 years ago

    Can you post a picture of your brug? The experts will be able to give you more of an idea if it could flower this year. Just don't go overboard with the fertilizer!

  • Edie
    13 years ago

    Hi, I'm also a new brug grower. Bought my first two last week. One is just a straight stem, but the other looks to me like it has a 'y'. What do you veteran growers think? That's a 4" pot. And are those sub-equal leaves? I did some searching of past threads here, as well as general online research, before I bought this little baby.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/45219691@N07/4766512295/in/photostream/

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/45219691@N07/4766512313/in/photostream/

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/45219691@N07/4766512325/in/photostream/

    Thanks,

    Edie

    Here is a link that might be useful: new brug

  • gottahosta
    13 years ago

    Edie, that looks like it may be the brug branching. Another way to tell about the "Y" is the sub-equal leaves that appear above the Y. The leaves do not connect to the center stem equally, like the one below the Y do.
    This usually indicates the brug is going to bloom but ................. with cooler-weather-loving brugs, they still may not bloom but will keep growing and Y'ing until the cool weather rolls around and then you get a spectacular display from all those Y's, all at once!!!

    Here is a link that might be useful: sub-equal leaves

  • Edie
    13 years ago

    Gottahosta, that's why I also took pictures of the leaves on mine. I'm still learning how to use the forums and didn't know how to directly add the pictures. If you cut and paste the other links in my post above, you'll see additional pictures. To this wet-behind-the-ears newbie, my plant's leaves look similar to the subequal leaves in your link. That's why I asked if that's what I had.

    I was excited at the idea that I might not have to wait two or three years for a flower. I think I have a cutting taken above the Y. But I don't expect blooms now, on such a small plant. I'm going to put it and its sibling into much larger pots, and expect the priorities to be roots first, top growth second, blooms at the bottom of the list.
    If it does try to bloom while it's small, should I pinch out the buds?

    Do all brugs prefer cooler weather, or just certain varieties?

    -Edie

  • rrrrhonda
    13 years ago

    HELLO,
    I AM A NEWBIE. I RAN ACROSS A VERY OLD FORUM AND THE BRUG FORUM CONTAINED INFO ON DATURA, DEVIL'S TRUMPET. I HOPE I AM IN THE RIGHT FOURM. IF NOT, PLEASE DIRECT ME.
    I WAS GIVEN ONE TODAY IN A POT ABOUT 10" HIGH. IT CAME FROM A FRIEND WHO HAD A PURPLE ONE LAST YEAR.IT IS HAS WHAT IT APPEARS TO BE SMALL BLOOMS STARTING TO OPEN. IT HAS COBWEBS AND WHAT APPEARS TO BE SMALL BUMPS ALL OVER THE UNDERSIDE OF THE LEAVES AND PERHAPS SPIDER MITES IN THE WEBS? I HAVE SAFER SOAP AND WONDER IF IT SHOULD BE USED OR THE VOLICK OIL?
    ALSO, I PLANTED IT IN FULL SUN IN THE GROUND. I COULD HAVE PICKED A PART SHADE AREA IN THE LATE AFTERNOON, BUT THE DOGS CAN GET TO IT AND AFTER READING ABOUT THE BRUGS, I AM NOT SURE IT IS POISONOUS TOO? IT IS IN THE HIGH 90'S HERE IN THE PM. I HAVE SANDY SOIL HERE. ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATD. THE LEAVES LOOK SLIGHTLY YELLOW, LIKE THE GREEN HAS BEEN DRAINED OUT OF THEM. THERE ARE NEW LEAVES THAT LOOK PRETTY NICE AND GREEN. WHAT STEPS TO DO FIRST? THANKS FOR YOUR HELP. I CAN POST A PHOTO IF NEEDED. THANKS IN ADVANCE

  • marcie_new
    13 years ago

    Datura are poisonus the whole plant, a photo would be helpful, but it sounds like your datura-angel trumpet- is doing fine she will recover and become full and bloom for you they love the heat as long as you water them.I have heard something about daturas are angel trumpets because the flowers point up to the heavens and Brugs are called devils trumpet because when they bloom the blooms points downward to the earth-dirt, don't take this to heart for I am not sure if its true but we have members in here that are very savy in this subject.Maybe someone else can help out Marcie by the way welcome to this site.

  • fool4flowers
    13 years ago

    RRRRhonda, you might want to start a new post with your question. This is the right forum for datura as well as brugmansia. Marcie you have it backwards. Brugmansia point down like looking down from heaven angel trumpets. Datura point up Devil trumpets. Sounds like you have a bad case of spider mites. Wash as much of the plant as you can with soapy water. Especially the undersides of the leaves. It sounds stressed so might need a little more afternoon shade.

  • marcie_new
    13 years ago

    Oh! OK. I will remember that. I lost all of my datutas to something or other I am in the process of starting new seeds, hoping to get them going again. My few brugs that I have are doing pretty good, the one thing I am doing wrong-well was-- I had not given them any fertilizer, but since reading that they are heavy feeders I will start giving them some flowering food, I do put dirt around the base- the dirt comes from around the trees(decayed leaves and bark very fluffy dirt almost black in color.OH by the way I am a very proud owner of a variegated Brugmansia and she is doing relly good. Thanks P.A!!! Marcie

  • socalliegal
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Hi Folks,
    Checking back in...yep my brugy is now finally flushing out some decent leaves...FINALLY! Was going to give up hope there for awhile. The fertilizer really did the trick. Now it has some leaves as long as a bananna and then some shorter ones. Still wondering if it will flower this year or next. Do they drop all their leaves or are they evergreen?