Brugmansia buds

Hi all. I have noticed that my brugmansia had started to get flower buds on it finally. Is it too late for them to bloom. They are small buds.

 

Hi Catztail

With luck, I think you should get some flowers. I know little about them mself, but I have just finished reading an excellent book on them Brugmansia and Datura: Angel's Trumpets and Thorn Apples: Amazon.co.uk: Ulrike Preissel, Hans-Georg Preissel: Books ,which I thought was good value at under £10.

I gather that your brug will need three things to flower well.

HEAT. Brugs surprisingly don't need that much heat. Indeed B. sanguinea won't flower if the temperature rises above 22C and will flower overwinter is a cool greenhouse. If it remains reasonably warm for a while - yours should flower OK. Alternatively you could bring the pot inside, where it should flower.

WATER. Brugs love plenty of water. I have been told to water them every day and twice a day in hot weather. However if you are planning for it to go dormant over winter you soon need to reduce watering.

FEED. The more I read, the more I am beginning to understand how much feed they want. Sites say feed every day or twice a week with a high nitrogen feed at up to twice the strength recommend on the packet. And the book mentioned that well fed Brugs will produce 5 times as many flowers as ones that are not well fed.

 

Personally unless you have it in a greenhouse I think you chances are slim at getting the buds to open at this late stage.

It depends a lot on what your overwintering plans are for the plant.

 

Thanks guys. I will try bringing it in the house. I have a good sunny spot that's south east facing so hopefully I will get lucky!

 

Hi catz. If you take it indoors you should get flowers. I find it takes about a month for the first small pods to ripen into flowers. However there are a couple of practical problems. They still need watering and feeding regularly. This will make a mess on the floor. :wink: When I did that my MBH smiled sweetly at me and told me to keep it cleaned up.:lollol:Also, in a confined space, the scent is intense, almost narcotic. Your whole house will carry the scent. I love the scent but not everyone does.:wink:

 

Hi caj :luv:

Lucky you, I can't get the intense scent here in the heat. Mine is all over the place again at the moment but no buds even though we are still running 30c days and 22c nights ... nada on the B sanguinea but Pete told me that anyway ... :yez: :(

 

I have just come back from 10 days in Devon to find this - it had some buds on before I left, but no flowers. So you never know catztail. Though I think the temperatures are against us now.



Cajary - I am interested in trying to get my brugs to flower indoors. Especially B. sanguinea which I understand doesn't like it too hot, and could flower all winter inside. But what about light levels - they must be very poor indoors over winter.

 

Hi Lady:luv:. Just a few more days before the Gulet cruise.:yho:

Hi PeterS. I had them in a south-facing room and left the light on much of the time. I was probably lucky.:o However I'll PM you with some more useful info.:wink:

 

Thanks Cajary - I have got your PM.

I have a light box - but Brugs are way too big for that. I think I need a Tardis as a light box. :D