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kasima_gw

Need help pruning brugs

Kasima
10 years ago

I inherited some brugmansias from my aunt when she died last year. Two are Ecuador Pink and one is Charles Grimaldi. The Ecuador Pink is blooming, but I accidentally put bloom fertilizer on it (didn't know better) and most of the leaves fell off. I'd really like it to be bushier. It's about 5 feet tall, and almost all trunk, which I hear is good, because I hear that means it can be a tree, but I don't want a tree, I want a bush.

When is the best time to prune it and root cuttings, and how much can I cut it back? Someone told me if I cut it back to the ground in the winter, it will come up from the roots and be a tree.

The Charles Grimaldi is still in a small pot, and I need to repot it. What is the best mix for it? Is a 5-gallon pot large enough?

Thanks!

Comments (10)

  • Brug_Lover
    10 years ago

    Hi there Kasima,
    Ecuador Pink is best as a standard from all of the people I have come in contact with you loose the flowers if it is a bush enrich is a shame as the blooms are to die for.
    If you do want it to bush up I would cut it back to about 2-3 foot tall and allow all the side shouts develop but I would wait till the frost have passed to do this!

    Then you can do cuttings from what you have taken from the plant at that time, you can cut it back to the ground but I avoid this as we don't need to worry about harsh frosts in Australia

    The other plant you call Charles Grimaldi is not so as we do not have this plant in Australia
    If you could post a great pic of the bloom I may be able to help with its name I think that it could be 'Old Apricot' some people in the Hort industry call plants names just for $$$$$$$$ I hope that this helps you

    A 5 gallon pot is OK I usually pot them up to a 12' pot and keep them there for a while and change there soil every 2 years you can use a good potting mix with compost and cow/ sheep manure and top it of with dynamic lifter

    You can also check my link for Charles Grimaldi ID
    My blog is
    brugmansiaworld.blogspot.com

  • carrie751
    10 years ago

    Hi, Kasima............it would help if we knew where you are loacated.

  • Kasima
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    The Charles Grimaldi that this plant came from was very old. Your Old Apricot leaves are nothing like its leaves, as this plant has serrated leaves. The flowers start cream yellow and gradually turn orange, are pendulous and extremely large. I know there is a controversy over whether CG has serrated or smooth leaves, and I'm not sure who has won on that, but San Marcos growers claims that it has a true Charles Grimaldi obtained from San Francisco Botanical Garden and it has serrated leaves. I'm sorry, but I can't post a pic as I don't have a smartphone or a digital camera that is working right now.

  • Kasima
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I'm in zone 10A.

  • Kasima
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I'm in zone 10A.

  • Kasima
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I found a picture of a Charles Grimaldi at Denver Botanical Gardens and it says the immature leaves are serrated, so this is proof (to me ) that what I have is a CG. This plant is small, with serrated leaves, but my aunt's plant looked almost exactly like the picture on the DBG site.

    Then I found another site that says that CG has serrated leaves and Dr. S. does not.

    Who knows? It was always tagged CG at my Aunt's house, so that's what I'm calling it. I'm not selling them, so what does it matter, really? If I give cuttings away, I'll let people know the deal.

  • carrie751
    10 years ago

    I have both and I can tell youl that both have serrated leaves. Charles Grimaldi is the "son" of Dr. Seuss and I believe Frosty Pink. Both of these brugs get quite large and are better left as trees. I have three Dr. Seuss' inground in zone 8 and they come back each year and give me several LARGE flushes. Most people in zone 10 do not ever have to cut their brugs back as I do here in zone 8 in North Texas.

  • carrie751
    10 years ago

    I have both and I can tell youl that both have serrated leaves. Charles Grimaldi is the "son" of Dr. Seuss and I believe Frosty Pink. Both of these brugs get quite large and are better left as trees. I have three Dr. Seuss' inground in zone 8 and they come back each year and give me several LARGE flushes. Most people in zone 10 do not ever have to cut their brugs back as I do here in zone 8 in North Texas.

  • Kasima
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Good to know. My aunt's mature CG was about 10 feet tall and gorgeous! If that's how it wants to grow, so be it. I heard, though, that if you took a cutting above the 'y', the plant would only get 4 feet tall, so we'll see. It's still young, and hasn't y'd yet. The Ecuador Pinks are y'ing like mad and putting out all sorts of buds. They are so beautiful! I want to get them to have a really large canopy so that there are three colors of blooms on there. I just want the CG because it smells so good.

  • Brug_Lover
    10 years ago

    Sorry I thought you were here in Australia
    We in Australia do not have Charles Grimaldi so I am mistaken
    Sorry

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