Brugmansia cuttings

Pete - there was a debate at one time about the effect of light on the roots. But in my propagator the pots are packed together and never see any light.

The cuttings are potted up into black pots quite quickly. But I don't think that sunlight can do any harm to roots. In thin film hydroponics the roots are laid on a piece of glass as a nutrient liquid flows over them, and the roots are constantly exposed to the same light as the rest of the plant. As my book says that you can get double the yield from this form of growing - it can't be doing much harm to the roots.

 

When I did Nutrient Film Technique hydroponics the solution flowed past the roots, and the "channel" was formed from a long, narrow, plastic strip that was folded up around the plants' rootball and stapled inbetween the plants. We used the Black/White [inside/outside] plastic to reduce light - otherwise the nutrient solution went green!

Unrelated to clear plastic pots, but I'm surprised that nutrient flowering over transparent [glass] doesn't do the same thing?

 

Kristen - I think you are right. Sunlight can produce unwanted green algae, but I don't really know if it harms the roots. I have only half read a book on hydroponics that I bought recently. The illustrations, so far, show the roots uncovered. But as I read more it may talk about the algae problem.

Pete - I haven't Googled Iochroam cutting that much - many sites don't say at what time of year - but they do seem to be difficult. I have rooted only 3 out of about 20 or more cuttings. I thought, as a close relative of Brugmansia, they would be as easy - but they are not. However I have recently read that they should be done in spring. I need to read further, but I found this on another forum.

Rooting Iochroma
November 21 2007, 9:17 AM

I had trouble rooting Iochroma for a long time. After careful study, I finally found a successful method for reproduction.

1. Use only terminal end cuttings that are green and somewhat firm.
2. Cut them into pieces no more than 4" tall and with at least three leaf nodes.
3. Make a soil mix of 3/4 perlite to 1/4 sterile seed starting mix.
4. Add 1 teaspoon of rooting hormone (I use Rhizopon) to a quart of water and mix thoroughly.
5. Dump the mixture into the soil mix and stir.
6. Place cuttings into the mix.
7. Enclose the pot in a large ziplock bag and place in a warm (75 degrees)semi-shady location.
8. Open the ziplock after about a week and remove aborted leaves if necessary.
10. You should have roots in 6 -8 weeks.

The key here is low moisture. Too wet and the cuttings will fail.

 

Maybe Perlite, as the substrate, is the key?

I'm trying to root some Begonia luxurians at present. So far they look OK (will let you know next Spring!). I read to use long multi-node cuttings and that sterility was key. So I filled a tall rose pot with 100% perlite, poured a kettle of boiling water over it (good insulator or course, so Perlite was still "toasty" when I inserted the cuttings) - although nightmare to insert long cuttings into Perlite as the holes collapse as quickly as you Dib them!

When I worked on tissue culture / virus free plant propagation nursery we used 100% Perlite for quite a lot of things. Steam sterilised between batches - easy enough as we already had a steam boiler for sterilisation of soil in the greenhouses. Can't remember for sure but I suspect they went on a mist bench - so would have, then, been high humidity but well drained.

Not sure about "watering" the soil with rooting hormone though. Not seen that before, and everything I read says that it is hindrance once roots have started to form (hence why the books say to knock off the excess and try to just get it on the cut surfaces so that they callus)

 

My biggest Brug cutting yet.

It wouldn't fit into my light box, so it didn't get the heat or light that my other cuttings got. I really forgot about it as most of the leaves had dropped off. But today I took it out of the pot you see and found it was full rooted, so I have now potted it up properly.

 

Not quite about rooting brugs but I thought I'd put this on the end of this thread.
I had a plant of "grand marnier" which did not do very well last summer, it stalled after I potted it on, and then sulked the whole summer. I put the "stalling" down to the weather turning wet and cool at the time I potted it on, and it was outside.

Anyway, it was finally showing a couple of buds in October, so instead of drying it off, I brought it into the conservatory, possibly a bit too warm, I dont know.
It flowered but is now producing what looks like nodules at root level and masses of shoots from the nodules.






I've also encountered the same behaviour from a small cutting rooted about a couple of months ago of a different cultivar.
Anyone had similar, or ideas as to what is going on?

 

Wow that is something new , really interesting .
Is the grand marnier a brugmansia suaveolens or an Hybrid ?

 

Its a hybrid I guess sal.
Seen it classed as a CandidaX, but also versicolor.
The flowers did change colour, but not sure that means much.

 

With brugmansia , it just about to know the species as some are more delicate then other , something to do with the one from Brazil and the ones from the andes ...another think that fascinating me is that many hybrid seeds will actually produce real hydrid plants (if I got it right)

those are the 7 main variety .

• Brugmansia arborea
• Brugmansia aurea
• Brugmansia insignis
• Brugmansia sanguinea
• Brugmansia suaveolens
• Brugmansia versicolor
• Brugmansia vulcanicola

 

Pete - that looks really interesting - you look like you have loads of pups - are they growing from below the surface? I have noticed one or two like that myself. Perhaps its the weather.

Sal - I asked Alan Hurstwood about the difference between cold and warm group Brugs and he said this, which I found really useful -:

All Brugmansias come from South America. They inhabit different areas, from the tropic coastal regions to the mountainous regions of the Andes.

Brugmansia arborea (L.) Lagerh. (Andes - Ecuador to northern Chile)
Brugmansia aurea Lagerh. (Andes - Colombia to Ecuador)
Brugmansia insignis (Rodr.) Lagerh. (Lower mountain zone of Eastern Peru)
Brugmansia sanguinea (Ruiz & Pav.) D.Don (Andes - Colombia to Peru and Bolivia)
Brugmansia suaveolens (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) Bercht. & J.Presl (Southeast Brazil west to Bolivia and Peru)
Brugmansia versicolor Lagerh. (Ecuador)
Brugmansia vulcanicola (A.S.Barclay) R.E.Schult. (Andes - Colombia to Ecuador)

These species are divided into two natural, genetically isolated groups. Brugmansia section Brugmansia includes the species aurea, insignis, sauveolens, and versicolor; and is causually referred to as the warm-growing group. B. section Sphaerocarpium includes the species arborea, sanguinea, and vulcanicola; and is casually referred to as the cold-growing group. All species from one group can be crossed freely to each other species in the same group. The hybrids are fertile and can be crossed with all other species within the group.Very simply,
The warm group grow in the low area's of the valleys of the above locations, low altitude,warmer temps, fertile soil with an abundance of water.
The cold group grow on the mountain sides at high altitudes, colder conditions,super free draining soil.

The groups will not (under normal conditions, but maybe in in a lab eventually?) cross pollinate.

I grow the warm group in a mix of 75%-25% compost to Perlite and water almost daily, I do get lots of blooms but they are later and tend to be smaller plants due to my cooler conditions up here in the North West.

The cold group (Sphaerocarpiums) are much more suited to my conditions, they are the first to start blooming (as early as March) and will go on blooming the latest (November or until I have to cut back to bring them in) I grow these in 50%-50% Compost to Perlite to give a very free draining growing condition.
The warm group has been 'tweeked' much more in controlled cultivation but the popularity of the cold group is escalating especially here in Europe (cooler area's) and in the more temperate area's across the pond.Because of this new found favour, people in warmer place's are wanting to try to grow Sphaero's.
There are obviously other difference's / requirements but simply, warm group=warmer temps,cold group= cooler temps and very free draining compost.

Most of the cold group will wilt in direct/all day sunshine (if we ever get any LOL) try them in the shade of afternoon sun

I think candida is a hybrid between aurea and versicolor. I think this means that virtually all hybrid Brugs are from the warm group. Although arborea is common - its the species, vulcanicola is pretty rare and sanguinea flowers over the winter. This all makes cold group hybrids very specialised.

 

Not done much delving yet Peter, but they appear to be coming from a large root mass under the surface.
The root material does not appear to be normal, it's very knobbly without any real feeding roots.

 

Very curious - its almost as if it has been damaged one way or another.

 

Pete , can they actually be some king of roots tumors , that have evolved in a genetical malformation?


PeterS , that was really clear , now I understand why the group b it not easy to rooting by cutting or why many peoples in warmer country don`t manage to get them flowering , I do remember an old thread from Pete and his brugmansia sanguinea .....really tempted to grow one from seed and see how they overwintering in the greenhouse.

 

I have a small plant here which I bought off eBay (its small because most of its leaves broke off in the post :( )

Happy to propagate you a cutting next year when it is a bit bigger. I don't want you to stop trying to grow one from seed, but if a cutting would get you something bigger a bit quicker you're welcome to one

Others have probably got bigger mother-plants that they may be able to get you a decent sized cutting off sooner.

 

Dont know Sal , but it seems strange one of the cuttings of a different plant seems to be doing the same thing.