Brugmansia yellowing

Discussion in 'Annuals, Biennials, Perennials, Ferns and Bulbs' started by Bambi, Apr 21, 2009.

  1. Bambi

    Bambi Active Member

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    Campbell River, BC
    I bought a Brugmansia cutting from a plant sale over a month ago, and now the larger leaves on the bottom are yellowing and falling off. It's still pretty small, about 6", has some new tiny leaves growing in, but the yellowing scares me!

    I've been watering it about once a week, a little more if it seems dry. I have not fertilized it yet. It is on a windowsill that gets lots of sun in the afternoon and evening. It's in a little 4" pot, and I was planning on transferring it to a 1 gallon soon, but then it started doing this.

    What am I doing wrong?

    Thanks!
    -Bambi
     
  2. K Baron

    K Baron Well-Known Member

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    Hello, the brug. needs almost water logged saturation.... if not rooting in water....

    Keep it warm and very very wet.....

    I take cuttings and place directly in water.....

    I repot annually, rmoving old roots and soil, and repot in 50% mushroom manure/50% soil...mix well.

    I fertilize every watering... as theyare heavy feeders, love warmth and moisture,
     
  3. Newt

    Newt Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Hi Bambi,

    Because it's a cutting it's probably shedding the older leaves. Since you see new growth it's probably fine.

    Newt
     
  4. Bambi

    Bambi Active Member

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    So, this is the type of plant you have to keep constantly moist? This isn't an over watering problem? (Sorry, succulent enthusiast here.....not used to under watering plants, haha!)

    Should I be fertilizing it now?

    Should I move it to a sunnier window?

    I've attached a picture of the plant 5 weeks ago, and one from today. Let me know what you think.

    Bear with me..I just don't want to lose this plant!

    -Bambi
     

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  5. K Baron

    K Baron Well-Known Member

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    If the cuttings are only 5 weeks old... the root development must be minimal... which is likely why you have yellow foliage...my Brugs will actually sit in a tray of water until October...as long as the min. temp is above 10c. Here are two that have their summer blooms, which are watered twice a day...
     

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  6. Bambi

    Bambi Active Member

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    Yours are gorgeous! I can't wait for mine to bloom.

    I should have been more specific. I bought it from a man who had grown it from a cutting, the first picture is of it when I first brought it home.
     
  7. K Baron

    K Baron Well-Known Member

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    Bambi,

    Brugmansias thrive in moist valleys even under the forest canopy... in subtropical climes of course...

    When we have ours indoors, with low humidity, and large leaves, not a good mix...

    I would be safe to say, wet is best, then feed heavily....

    GOOD LUCK!
     
  8. Charles Richard

    Charles Richard Active Member 10 Years

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    Bambi,
    We also have many different varieties of Brug's and I have started cuttings in water and once ready to plant into a soil mix, I then place the pots heat bed. Once they have established good roots and are showing active growth, I then take them out.
    Your Brugmansia looked very healthy from your photo when you purchased it and it may not have had full root development as 'K. Baron' suggested.
    I wonder though is it getting enough sunlight right now. If your plant is not receiving enough sunlight, it will not maintain active growth. If you over water it and it is not in active growth you could end up with root rot.
    My first though looking at your pictures is that it is not receiving enough light. If the weather is warm and sunny, could you put it outside (in filtered sunlight at first, so not to scortch the leaves) during the day. You can move it into full sun once it has been acclimatized.
    I know all this information can be a bit exhausting, but the conditions are different for everyone, depending on what each individual has at their disposal for growing.
    Ours are house plants that live in a well lit room all winter and are producing leaves now (not like they will outside). We have water very sparingly over the winter and have just started giving them more water and some fertilizer. Once we get them outside (hopefully in middle to end on May) and they start pushing out new growth they will take all the water we can give them and fertilize weekly. (Our Brug's are all in very large pots, not planted in to ground)
    Hope you have success
     
  9. Bambi

    Bambi Active Member

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    I thought I would bring this thread back up because I want to overwinter this plant successfully.

    It was okay outside during the summer. I have an extremely sunny deck that gets full sun all day. Potted it up into a larger container, it didn't get very big but I was just happy it was still alive. Watered it daily along with the rest of my container garden. Regular fertilizer and Epsom salts once or twice.

    Autumn came, and I stopped watering everything outside. All of the sudden it sprouts small leaves all along the sides of the plant. It looked great! Probably the best growth I've seen from this plant.

    I brought it in a couple weeks ago and some of the leaves were falling off rapidly. Which is what it is doing now. I've attached a picture. Is this normal?
     

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  10. Charles Richard

    Charles Richard Active Member 10 Years

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    Hi Bambi,
    The loss of leaves is usually normal due to lower light levels unless giving artificial light.
    We do not. We let ours go dormant (in better words). The leaves will drop and we water very little, only a couple times over the winter. Let go dry back very well before doing so. You will kill them first from over watering through the winter.
    I have started cuttings from the three of ours at different times. The latest ones that I did have produced small leaves, but they will remain so, until the spring. Not alot of growth.
    The parent plants that we cut back quite severely, have started producing new growth since pruning, but it will not push out much new growth until the spring.
    If you do enjoy them and if you have any problems with yours over the winter, send a note and would happy to give you one.
    Hope you enjoy yours,

    Thought I would post a few pictures of ours.
     

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    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 23, 2009
  11. K Baron

    K Baron Well-Known Member

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    Bambi, be sure to let the soil dry out to a minimum between watering and absolutely no fertilizer until next spring....and none for the wintering months, as no leaves at this time of year for our latitude is quite common, unless you have a green house.
     
  12. JPLON

    JPLON Member

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    I have a Brugmansia too, and mine always turn yellow at certain times of the year and fall off, other than that they are just shedding :) Also, people have told me that if you fertilize them every watering, it's really good for them too and that's what I do! If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, then in the winter months don't water them much, but in the summer months you have to flood them since they are native to South America and they have floods in the summer months here :)

    Good luck!
     

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