I don't see anything wrong with the leaves,older bottom leaves are supposed yellwo and die,and I don't see any virus or fungus problems,but,hard to say for sure.But,in my opion,you're in good shape.

I can see where its normal for older leaves to die off, however I am losing a leaf every day or so. At this rate I will have no leaves in 2 weeks. I didnt think the black spots on the leaves were normal. The photo is life size when you click it. Anyone else with an opinion?

Rudy could be right. If in doubt, get a magnifying lens and look closely at the brugs' leaves, especially the undersides. Do you see tiny dots moving around and webbing between the stems and joints? Could be spider mites. If you find them, increase the humidity in your environment by misting several times a day. Spraying a strong stream of water can keep their numbers down. Use Sevin on the undersides of the leaves as well. Also, where is your plant situated in relation to the sun? (how many hours a day of sunlight does it get?) I see that you're in a hotter zone than most of us.) Brugs like early morning sun and afternoon shade in the heat of the day to be happy. Brugs planted in ground will do much better than potted ones. Do you have drainage holes, and water well til the water runs out of the pot? Water well, then let go a bit dry before you water again. Feed lightly every week with a high phosphorus fertilizer. (Bloom booster) Let us know a bit more, maybe we can help you out!

No spider mites. It is in a draining pot that sits under a large tree. It gets morning sun and dappled sun in the afternoon. I may have watered it too much as I am afraid to let it dry out. I have not been fertilizing it but I started today with a mix of Miracle grow (for tomatoes which I had on hand) and Epsom salt. As of today I have 4 other leaves that are spotted and turning yellow.

Hey Kasha !!! Just wanted to say I'm glad you opened your store,guess you're feeling better ? The Mango crush you sent me last year is blooming it's little head off ! Dabbed her with some Morelia pollen,and she set a nice pod,you know I'm a Aurea nut. The pod ripened the other day,and I testing for germination rate before I send some out,and the rest will go to the BGI seed bank.Been going crazy doing all kinds of crosses,mainly useing Aureas both ways,so,the way things look,I'll have some nice new hybrids to trade with you for trialing this fall. El Dorado X Butterfly seeds are being tested for germination rates also before I distribute them,of course,if they pass the test,you will be one of the first to get some. Have you done any crosses lately?,I've been useing lots os Aussie Aurea pollen,and Wayne over in England and I have been doing lots of heavy breeding together lately. Also been lucky enough to get some wild form Aureas from South America to throw into the mix,and so far,things are looking great.I keep telling myself that I have to cut back,but,each year,I find myself with toooo many plants,and not enough space. I can't remember,did I send you a" Rudy" ? It's a sport of P & C,a real nice versi with a great fragrance,better than it's mom in my opinion. If not,I'll send you one later. I'll drop you a e-mail with my list later,and we can decide what we want to trade. Again,congrats on getting your store open again,and I'm looking forward to tradeing with you. How are your brugs holding up in this heat? Mine are doing much better than I expected,and I swear that the molasses and kelp hav a lot to do with it. No virus,fungus,and very few if any pests bother them,and the Murphys oil seems to take care of spidermites. Will send you a e-mail and pics later this summer. Who knew that when I got my first brug nearly 20 years ago that I would be this addicted to them. But I love it. Chat again soon,
Dan

Yes, that looks normal. Mine drop leaves every day, in response to heat and humidity - when it cools down a bit, they won't likely have the leaf drop. I don't know, where, in zone 9 you live, but if it's in Florida, YOU HAVE SPIDER MITES! Just move your plant into deep shade, spray it with dish soap and water in a ratio of 1/4 teaspoon dish soap to 8 ounces of water.

As for my actions in dealing with spider mites or mealy bugs, I just remove all the leaves so the mites have nothing to destroy, spray it with soapy water or Windex and let it re-leaf. This doesn't hurt the plant - it will go ahead and bloom.

Thanks for your advice!

Thanks for your advice!

I pulled off the lower leaves, sprayed it well with Sevin Soap and move it to the patio where its cooler.

Monkeyfoot- Thanks for uploading a photo. Despite the yellowing leaves, it look great! Like kayjones says, the leaves will grow back!:)
Dan- wow- such a long post!:)
Yes, I finally opened my web store, because I am feeling a little better. I am still in pain but the meds help me get around a bit more. I'm also on vacation so I thought processing orders would be a lot less stressful during this time. :)
Mango Crush is such a vigorous fast grower and bloomer. Mine hasn't started blooming yet, but it won't be long! Glad yours is doing well.
I love Morelia! Which angels belong to the Aurea group? I always have a hard time remembering. What qualifies an angel to belong to that group?
I would be so honored to trade for some of your new babies to trial for you. I haven't done any hybridizing yet, nothing is really blooming for me. But they are budding up!
Yes you gave me Rudy- and I just planted it last week in my front garden. I just LOVE Peaches & Creams' fragrance- you say it's better than that? Wow, I can't wait for it to bloom! Do you know who the pollen donor is? Very interesting!
Thanks again for the tip for using molasses, I forgot about it. I will try it!
My brugs are holding up well so far. The hottest it's been was 106*. I planted most in ground last year. Those in ground have a deep layer of composted horse manure over them, and I haven't had to hand water them yet! Thank God, I couldn't water them in my condition anyway! We are behind in our rain for the month so far.
Get your list together soon, I'm selling the best angels fast! I have only a few special angels that are not listed on my site.
Have to get some Murphy's to combat a few mites that I have. Looking forward to your email and photos when you can!

Monkeyfoot, I am having the same problem but with a slightly more established one. Curious how this worked out for you. I'm loosing leaves right and left. Even smaller ones are now falling off. Small buds preparing to bloom are also falling off. Did the magnifying glass thing and saw maybe one bug. Plant is getting plenty of water. Morning sun and afternoon shade. Increased fertilizer recently but was not aware or the benefit of Epsom salt. I have some so need to learn how to apply. In other posts I read to NOT use a blooming fertilizer. So I'm a bit confused on that point.

Removing duplicate post

This post was edited by Tamie_SandyTxSoil on Wed, Jul 31, 13 at 13:18

repot -- surprised no one notices how little soil there is, feed well might need iron or calcium which I believe, Miracle Grow, has.
Good luck.

I will try the re-pot option and report back. I started using Hasta Grow. Is that ok on a brug? Do I need to be applying Epsom salt and if so how should it be applied? And I'm still confused about blooming fertilizer verses standard fertilizer. I have read conflicting posts on which is best for a brug.

I use what ever I have in my hand at the moment to feed mine, (Honestly) the plants in the ground do not even seem to need much of that this year, it has been non stop blooms on my old (extremely pot bound) Pink (3 years in the pot) and her cuttings (planted in the ground). I typically give a good handful of granular, allpurpose when I repot them in spring. (or when I plant them in the ground) after that I feed what ever I am feeding everything else.

It seems to me that what is 'best' for a brug depends not only on the variety, but also the growing conditions, (sun exposure, type of soil, pot or plant, amount of rain vs water)

The most important thing I have learned about Brugs, is THEY WANT TO GROW. (Getting them to bloom can be an exercise in frustration some times) but other than freezing (hard freeze) and a complete lack of water they are not easy to kill.

From the link below:

'Epsom salt recipe: Dissolve 2 tablespoons of Epsom salt in 1 gal. of water. For healthy nightshade plants (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants) water just as flowering starts. Or use this mixture as a foliage spray in the garden and on house plants.'

I have 4 Brugs - I have fought spider mites all Spring and now into Summer. I have used Neem, Alcohol and water, Murphy's Oil Soap, Water and Dish Liquid - however - the Spider mites return. One of my plants has bloomed (Pink) - the plants are all in pots - the Brug that did bloom had no leaves on it - it put out 4 Blooms....Why can't get rid of Spider Mites? The Brugs are not next to each other.....Help!!!!!

I wonder if your Brug should be in more sun? I find that spider mites thrive on distressed plants that are not in the correct light conditions. I live in Baltimore and I have one in a pot in full sun. It hasn't bloomed yet for me this year but it looks amazing. I have to water it a couple times a day when it's really hot and I only use rainwater (with fertilizer mixed in it once every few days)