Good Question, lilypon!!

I just moved my 3 to the garage last night. I am trying to see the last flush....LOL...Needless to say, DH's car was in the driveway....LOL

All I know, is you don't want to cut below the *Y*....If you do, it will take longer to bloom next year...I won't hurt it, just a longer wait....

Also, I don't think you have to wax it....

Wait for the pro's to chime in....This is my first year doing them also, so I am glad you asked....

Have a great day!! I will be working it....LOL

I am no pro, but have cut back my share of brugs. I try to cut back about 4 to 5 inches abouve the second y's. This will assure you earlier blooms next year.I also remove any side shoots. These cuttings can then be cut up and shared or rooted so you have more for next year. I like to remove the very green tips from the cuttings, I seem to have a better survival rate if I do.

You will no doubt see post from some who are better at this then I am, but this has worked for me.

Thanks Lucy. Don't you hate it when you can't see your babies?LOL Maybe you need to find a new space for the car!!hehe But back to the question I just love these things and would really hate to destroy it,it would make me ill.I thought you cut the whole Y off to make a large branch,so you would get flowers next spring.See,we don't always know everything.LOL

Correct me if I am wrong, but can not one cut off a large limb ( particularly if it is straight ) with several "Y"'s at the top, root that large cutting, and have a tree next year with several "Y"'s already in place? I have done this and had success.

The fear is that folks cut off the "Y"ed end in order to bring a mother plant in, and then the mother plant no longer has any "Y"s. That will take a long time for the mother plant to rebloom.

{{gwi:561840}}
These are a couple I just potted up. My thinking is, as long as the top of the plant survives, I will have a nice tree format next spring to put out. I will strive to cut off any buds during the winter, in order to have it retain its strength. I will also NOT allow these to go dormant, but rather keep them in a lighted spot during the winter.

Please correct me if I am wrong, as I may have been doing it wrong all these years.

lillypon22, one does not have to wax the end. The plant will seal itself. If you wish to cut them into 8 inch pieces, that is okay. Just be sure to take the cuttings from above the "Y". I put them in water for a few days to get the nubbies swelling. Then I add some rooting hormone, and pot them up in new potting soil. I then give them a good water, and place them in a well lit, but not direct sunlit area. Let them almost dry out before you water again so that the roots grow searching for water. Many of my plants were started that way. I hope this helps.

Thank you all for the information.And Jroot that it what I wanted to do,like your pictures.Cut the large Y off and have a fairly large start for the spring,and use the shorter pieces that I clip off for the small cuttings to root and share.But I heard that you must not cut below 6 segments [or sections]on the Y,what ever that means.I will keep reading the posts and try to figure it out and your pics helped a great deal.Thank again

Jroot, good advice. I don't recommend cutting below the first 'Y' unless you know what you are doing for a beginner.
This will also bring about the issue of Shub Verses Tree form and that is a personal issue with some growers. Jroot has a great example of a 'Y' in their photos, the plant on the left with the trunk that has branched to form a 'Y.' If you cut below this first 'Y' you will have a longer wait period next year for blooms as the plant will have to 'Y' again before it will bloom. The more you cut them the more you will make them bush outward.

Hello LilyPon22,

I will be able to answer your question better if I know if your brug is in a pot or in the ground?

If it is in a pot, how are you planning on over-Wintering it?

Wildcat

In your area, brugs do VERY nicely planted in the ground---but they do die back to soil level every year. I too am in Zone 7, and I cut my in-ground brugs off right at the top of the ground and mulch them well. Come spring, they resprout and usually reach 5 to 15 feet over the course of the summer. I also root everything I cut. Read the FAQs for more detail on how I do it.

I'm guessing that your plant is in a pot and you're taking it in for the winter. If that's so, don't cut off any more than it necessary in order to get it inside. You should be able to root everything you do cut off.

Thank you all. Yes, my plant is in a very large container and I was planning on cutting it back and leaving it in the closed in patio.I guess that is not a good idea???I can put an electric heater in the patio if that would help any.Otherwise I do have a spare bedroom that has a south facing window.And I did hear that you could plant them in the ground and mulch in my zone and they would be fine,but being new to this I was sort of afraid to do so.

I'm thinking, and others are welcome to advise otherwise, that since the plant is not yet in the ground, it would take some time for the roots to establish themselves prior to winter. I admit, I may be wrong there.

With the high cost of energy, I would not be putting the heater on the patio for the entire winter. Too costly....one could buy a whole new plant with the power consumed.

If you have a spare room with a south facing window, I think that would be ideal, if ( and a big if) you can get it up there. You may have to do some trimming first in order to get it inside. As mentioned above, those trimmings could be rooted, and used for trades for more.
....big smile there...:)

Ideally, the planting in the soil would be best, IF you have enough time for the roots to be established. If you choose this route, you might be wise to take some cuttings...just in case.

Jroot, again you have given some wise information!! I agree for one brug it's hard to justify the cost, plus this is the first one for her so it's going to be really hard to just cut it back, right? I also live in the Zone 7-8 and advise folks not to put young plants into the ground, my general rule is a 3 year old plant if it's staying in the ground. For the last 3 years I have been playing with many different ways of putting potted brugs into the ground. There are some variety of brugs that will die if their roots are disturbed so to just put them into the ground might not be a good idea in some cases. I also don't recommend bumping up into the largest pot you can find either. After 5 years in a 32 gallon pot one must trim the roots. While in a 32 gallon pot, one must think about how to move these and if you don't have the right connections this may break your back trying to get this inside. Wintering brugs inside is another issue that is one of a personal side if you let them go dormant or you keep them going. Yes you can get them to go dormant in 70 degrees!
It's late and I hope this makes sense.

Thanks everyone for all of the information that you have shared.I will do my best to make my "angels" happy this winter.LOL I would hate to do something wrong and kill them.But I know that I am off to a great start with all that you have told me.And maybe one day I will be as well informed as all of you.Thanks again to you all.
Dorothy

You want a good laugh? I am new to brugs this year also. A generous lady shared a tiny cutting of hers with me this spring and I put it in a HUGE pot. It looked so funny. Well now it's 5 feet tall and because I live in Maine I have to bring it in for the winter. We live in a 14x70 mobile home which I currently grow about 10 hoyas (all still quite small) and Christmas Cactus. So, when it was time to bring it in I had no idea where I was going to put my baby. Needless to say I carried that 50 pound pot from room to room and have decided that it likes it in the kitchen on top of the microwave the best (we don't use the microwave other than popcorn maybe 3 minutes a month *lol*). I have attached a link to her very first bloom. I was so proud!

Kim

Here is a link that might be useful: Kim's Baby Brug

Kim, that is very pretty!! I know how you felt when you got that first bloom....I was also excited when I got mine....Thanks for sharing! Oh, and I didn't laugh! LOL

Hi Kim,

Nice looking plant. It is amazing how quick brugs will grow given a large pot or in ground. You did well!

Next year, you will be truwly amazed!

Wildcat