Brugmansia cuttings

I have taken some Brug cuttings with somewhat mixed results.


The first cuttings were taken exactly three weeks ago and put in a heated propagator inside my light box. I have had essentially 100% success. They all look healthy and many of them are showing visible roots as in the picture above.

I also put some cutting material into water, outside of the propagator (which was full of Brug and other plant cuttings) but inside the lightbox. These all have nice nubbies (white bumps on the stems) and are ready to be potted up. The only exception is one Hurstwood "Elinor" which seems to have nubbies and one that doesn't. Wayne tells me this is a difficult one to propagate.

Since then I have put more Brug cuttings in water, but as there was no space in the light box I put them outside the box on a heated tray on a windowsill. Virtually all of the these have rotted.

I am very pleased with the lightbox cuttings. Most are well rooted in just three weeks. But I don't understand why the others have done so badly. I can only conclude that, even though they were on a heated base, they just weren't warm enough. The lightbox is several degrees warmer than the room because it is an enclosed box with 90 watts of fluorescent tubes inside, and the temperature in the heated propagator in the light box is, of course, higher still.

I would be interested to hear of anyone else's experience.

 

I took some from my B.arborea when I cut it back slightly to move it in the greenhouse a couple of weeks ago, so far they haven't wilted so fingers crossed. They are being kept on a windowsill of a large window so have plenty of light and it also has a radiator below it so I guess they kind of get a bit of bottom heat when it comes on for 1 hour in a morning and then again for 1 hour at night.

This is the same windowsill that 'everything' I've grown on it, be it seed, cuttings etc has thrived so I hoping these won't let me down either

 

I wonder if timing is everything?

I have had trouble with Sambucus cuttings in previous years (others say they are easy, so clearly its me ...)

This year I took masses of cuttings of all sorts and they all seem to have rooted, Sambucus included. I wonder if its the time I took them? Wood "ripe" enough, but still enough heat in the sun (my cuttings were just under the table in the conservatory, so no propagator benefit per se), and wood not yet started to go dormant.

If your Brug cuttings were taken 3 weeks later ?? maybe that could account for it ?

Coupled with days being shorter (which your light box would make up for, for those that are inside it)

 

Good luck you guys .... I'm trying ... and I'm trying ...

 

Kristen - You may well be right; that was a factor that I didn't mention. I have found in the past when I took cuttings of Salvias around this time of the year, those taken in November didn't do as well as those taken in September. But I partly discounted that as my Brugs have been growing quite happily outside and still seem to be full of vigour. However, I think that this needs clarifying so I will try some more in my box.

Incidentally, the transparent containers are excellent. They allow you to tell when there are roots without disturbing anything. They are simply plastic picnic tumblers from the supermarket with drainage holes made in the bottom.

 

Yes, I did notice it in your photo and thought what a good idea it was

 

Peter, at what temperature did keep your proagator for the Brugs?

 

Strongy - the temperature in the top of a pot in the propagator is about 25C to 27C. It doesn't have a controller. I find the light-box itself raises the temperature about 4C above ambient, and the propagator adds another 4C.


This is my most recent Brug cutting. Its standing on a heated tray, which adds about 3C, but the rest is at room temperature of only about 17C - so it may not be that successful ...... we will see.

 

Thanks Peter, I might try Brugs from cuttings but not till the Spring as the heated propagator only maintains 22c and I can't provide enough light indoors in the winter.
I have grown them before at work where temperature and light was no problem but things are different now and I don't have that advantage any more.

 

Strongy - 22C may well be OK - but as you say the key is light. However, in my picture above is a new heated propagator on the left which I bought two days ago. Not being in a light box its temperature is struggling to reach 22C and it uses natural light. Because I am running out of space, I put some more Brug cuttings in there - I will see how they get on. I had to do a bit of modification first as the small propagators aren't tall enough to accomodate Brugs.

Of course, as you know, its not just the light to propagate the cuttings - but the light to continue to grow them over the winter - and they get bigger and bigger.

 

4 out of 6 of my cuttings have now rooted....

 

I'm not sure Brugs need good light levels, I find they grow best at this time of the year.
I've just rooted a couple of cuttings in a propagator at about 25C, the greenhouse is very dark at that end due to the trees growing over it.

I do find you need to pick growth which is fairly mature but not woody. At least that's what I use.

 

Pete - I had not considered light levels for Brug cuttings. I have done more cuttings and it seems that they are all doing pretty well. However I also took a number of Iochroma cuttings, recently and a month ago, and had very poor results with all of them.

I think you are also right about fairly mature stems. I have heard it said that, for plants in general, you should use green tips in spring and semi hard wood in autumn. Is there any truth in that?

 

I seem to remember reading Iochromas are very difficult from cuttings and you should actually use quite woody material, but I've never tried as I only have I. australis and that can flower first year from seed.

I think you are right regarding the soft growth in spring and semi ripe in late summer.
Not sure if that goes for all plants though, I tend to apply that mostly to woody shrubs, I know Brugs are woody eventually, but they stay sappy for a long time.

 

Just a quick thought, have you found the roots can burn if those clear pots are placed in strong sunlight?
I'm assuming they get potted on fairly fast before the sun gets stronger in the spring.