Content
Brugmansia is a South American flower with a lignified stem that can reach 5 meters in height. Reproduction of brugmansia can be done in various ways: by seeds, layering or cuttings; the latter is the most preferred method. Brugmansia cuttings can be harvested in spring or autumn.
Features of growing brugmansia from cuttings
You can grow brugmansia from a cuttings when the plant is one year old. The general growing strategy will be roughly the same:
- first, cuttings are formed;
- then carry out preliminary rooting of cuttings;
- young seedlings are planted in a temporary container, where the rooting process is completed;
- seedlings ready for transplanting are planted in a permanent place - in a pot or open ground.
Differences in cultivation are manifested primarily in the methods of obtaining cuttings. Depending on the time of year when the planting material is procured, the mechanism for its preliminary preparation will be different.
When is it better to cut brugmansia
Usually cuttings are carried out in the fall, in September, or in the spring, in March.
Spring cuttings are preferable, since in spring the sap flow is more active in the flower, and it takes root faster. On the other hand, the first flowering of a new plant during autumn cuttings will occur almost a year earlier.
Cutting brugmansia in autumn
In this case, take branches with a lignified trunk. Theoretically, it is possible to reproduce brugmansia and green cuttings, but the result will be much worse. Preparation of cuttings is carried out before the onset of frost.
Brugmansia, cuttings of which were cut in the fall, will bloom next summer.
Cutting brugmansia in spring
You can also reproduce brugmansia by cuttings in the spring. Spring cuttings are done in a different way. In this case, young tops of the shoots are used as planting material.
Spring cuttings give a better quality seed, but such brugmansia will bloom, at best, only next year.
How to propagate brugmansia by cuttings
When propagating brugmansia by cuttings, you should decide what result is needed in the end. If the goal is to get a flowering plant as soon as possible, and at the same time the percentage of rooted material is not important, choose cultivation with autumn cuttings.
In this case, it is necessary to prepare seed with some kind of reserve, since the method of forming autumn cuttings allows this. On average, the autumn seed (in the number of cuttings) can be obtained about 3 times more than the spring one.
If the goal is to get a better quality seed, with a high survival rate, then you will have to sacrifice the speed of the process; at best, a flowering plant will turn out only a year and a half after the start of cuttings.
The number of cuttings obtained in spring is significantly less than those obtained in autumn, since the number of young shoots of the plant is limited. On the other hand, they have a better survival rate due to their rapid growth and establishment rates.
Below are the features of growing brugmansia using planting material cut at different times of the year.
Rules for harvesting cuttings
Depending on when it is planned to harvest the planting material, the procurement rules will differ significantly.
Autumn harvesting
The division of the branches into cuttings is done in such a way that each of them has at least three buds. The length of the segment is not critical in this case; even short shoots 30-40 mm long will do. In this case, you should cut off very large leaves; small leaves and shoots can be left.
Spring harvesting
In spring harvesting, only young shoots up to 20 cm long are used. The lower leaves are cut from them, and the shoot itself is placed in a container with water, which is covered with a plastic bottle. The neck and bottom of this bottle are cut off.
To improve root formation and to avoid the fall of leaves from the spring cuttings, daily spraying of seedlings with warm water is used.
Preparing cuttings
Depending on when the cuttings were formed, their preparation will also have a different character.
With autumn cuttings
The cut cuttings should be placed in a substrate that is a mixture of garden soil and perlite. If rooting takes place in a greenhouse, there is no need to cover the cuttings. If rooting is carried out at home, cover the box with cuttings with foil. The duration of the rooting process can be quite long - up to 1.5 months.
The rooting of brugmansia cuttings in water has proven itself quite well. To do this, the cuttings should be placed in a container with a small amount of water, to which 2 tablets of activated carbon are added. Place the container with water in a dark room.
After the cuttings take root, they must be transplanted into individual plastic containers - seedling pots. Further care for the germinated cuttings includes all the necessary procedures for working with plants: watering, feeding, weed control, etc.
When cuttings in spring
Small roots will appear on the young cuttings within a few weeks. In order to finally root the cuttings of brugmansia, they should be transplanted into the ground. The composition of the soil can be as follows:
- sand - 1 part;
- perlite - 1 part;
- peat - 2 parts.
After about 15 days, the seedlings can be transplanted to a permanent place. This can be a pot or a temporary container to hold the plant before it is transplanted into the open field.
Landing
Further actions for the propagation of brugmansia by cuttings are no longer differentiated by how the cuttings were obtained, and how their preliminary germination was carried out.
After the process of forming the root system is completed, caring for a young full-fledged seedling is the same for seed obtained both in spring and in autumn.
The criterion that the time has come for planting a young seedling in a permanent place is its almost complete filling with the root system of the entire free space of individual containers. This moment is easily determined visually either by the roots, which have taken up all the space in the jar, or by the raised substrate in a temporary container, from under which the whitish roots of the plant are already protruding.
Planting is carried out in large capacity pots. The volume of the pot must be at least 15 liters. Drainage is laid on the bottom in the form of small pebbles or expanded clay 3-5 cm high. Humus or compost is placed on the drainage layer; the height of the organic layer is 5-7 cm.It is not recommended to use manure, as it increases the acidity of the soil, and the soil should be neutral or slightly alkaline.
The approximate composition of the soil is as follows:
- leaf land - 2 parts;
- sand - 1 part;
- peat - 1 part.
If the soil is too dense, it is recommended to increase the proportion of sand to 1.5 parts.
The seedling is placed in a pot and covered with soil strictly to the level of the root collar.
After lightly tamping the soil, the plants are watered.
Care
Caring for a seedling is similar to caring for an adult plant, with the exception of pruning issues. Before transplanting into open ground, pruning of brugmansia is not performed.
The care consists of abundant and frequent watering without stagnant water, as well as the introduction of mineral and organic fertilizers.
Watering is carried out as the top layer of the soil dries up. All soil in the pot should be moderately moist.
In the first month after planting, the plant will need nitrogenous fertilizers. It is recommended to use urea in doses corresponding to the cultivation of ornamental plants. The frequency of application is 10 days.
In the following months, it is necessary to apply phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, alternating with organic matter (mullein or a solution of 1 to 10 bird droppings). The application interval does not change - 10 days.
Open ground transplant
After the seedling gets stronger, it is moved to a pot of larger capacity or the plant is transplanted into open ground. In open ground in a sunny area, it is necessary to make a hole 50 cm deep and 70-80 cm in diameter. A drainage layer is laid at the bottom of the hole in the form of broken brick or rubble. A layer of humus or compost is placed on top of the drainage layer.
The young plant is transplanted entirely with a clod of earth in which it grew in a pot. The transshipment method should be used to avoid injury to the root system. The space around the coma is filled with earth, it is lightly tamped and watered.
Conclusion
Cuttings of brugmansia are the most effective means of propagation of this plant. Depending on the time of harvesting (spring or autumn), different methods of their preliminary rooting are used. From cuttings obtained in the fall, an adult plant forms faster, although the survival rate of seedlings is somewhat lower. After the root system of the plant is formed, its cultivation is the same for both methods of cuttings.
