Brugmansia is a beautiful plant that stands out from the other inhabitants of the garden with huge green leaves and large fragrant tubular-bell-shaped flowers. For its resemblance to a musical instrument in Western Europe, it is called "angel trumpets."
For the toxicity possessed by all parts of Brugmansia, and especially the seeds, it is called the "Devil's Tree." In Argentina, due to the content of large quantities of psychotropic and toxic substances in the plant, it is forbidden to plant in public places. Brugmansia cultivation is put on stream for the industrial needs of pharmacology and biochemistry, namely the production of atropine and scopolamine alkoids. The Indians of South America fully use the
poisonous flower for medicinal purposes and during spiritual rituals.
Brugmansia: fragrant garden pearl
The people of Brugmansia, the care and reproduction of which do not require any excessive costs, are called "dope" (or "datura") because of the heavy intoxicating aroma of flowers that spreads throughout the garden and intensifies in the evening. A heady fragrance can become the culprit of headaches and cause insomnia, so do not place plentifully flowering plants in inadequately ventilated rooms.
In fact, the datura and Brugmansia, the cultivation and reproduction of which are similar, differ only in the arrangement of flowers: white, yellow, orange, bright pink, which look down at Brugmansia.
Description of Brugmansia
There are a lot of varieties of this tree-like plant that amazes with its splendor and beauty. Flowers can be ordinary (in the form of funnels), terry, semi-double, two-tier, and there are tiers of different colors. Brugmansia, the care, cultivation and reproduction of which is not particularly difficult, reaches a height of about 2.5 meters, is characterized by a powerful root system and juicy shoots. It often happens that due to the severity of their own colors, Brugmansia can easily break, especially if it is triggered by heavy rain or slight gusts of wind.
Under natural conditions, Brugmansia grows in the humid climate of the American tropics and subtropics. It can be found along river banks, in hilly terrain and in the foothills. Despite its exotic appearance, this plant in home cultivation is completely unpretentious and can bloom in undulating periods until October - December.
Growing Brugmansia in the winter season
The plant can be safely grown in tubs and open ground, and in the summer period Brugmansia (care and reproduction of which can be easily mastered even by a novice gardener) will feel more comfortable in the fresh air, and in winter - in a bright, cool room at a temperature of + 5– +12 0 FROM.
Wintering can be arranged in a dark room, adhering to a temperature close to +5
0 C (this will slow down the vegetation and protect the leaves from decay); if this indicator is above +10
0 , it is preferable to place the plant in a bright unheated room or on a loggia, observing moderate watering, regular ventilation and good top dressing, at least once a month. The invariable rule of wintering of Brugmansia: the higher the atmospheric temperature, the brighter the lighting should be.
You can organize an adult plant to winter in a dark room (for example, a basement), in the absence of other, more suitable options. In order to avoid the possible loss of part of the foliage during the cold period, it is important not to allow the soil to dry out, watering the plant very moderately. At the end of the winter colds, with the first growth of shoots and sprinkling of buds, Brugmansia must be transferred to a bright room.
Brugmansia: description, breeding, summer care
In summer, planting a flower in a sunny place, protected from drafts, is optimal. Brugmansia will also feel good in partial shade, compensating for the lack of active lighting, to the detriment of flowering, leaf growth. On hot summer evenings, it is advisable to spray such natural beauty, trying to avoid getting water on the blossoming flowers.
Plant pruning, carried out in January - the first half of March, is recommended to be done with gloves in order to protect oneself from the action of toxic substances of the deceiving beauty. This process, which is mandatory, includes the removal of diseased and damaged branches, thinning of dense processes and shortening them by no more than a third. It is important to preserve U-shaped branches that contribute to the qualitative formation of the plant crown, as well as many small knotted side branches, which are the basis for the formation of most of the flowers.
Brugmansia: care, landing, application
Cropped branches can be used to propagate an exotic beauty. Having placed the shoots in a container of water, you need to wait for the growth of roots, and then plant the seedlings in the ground.
You can immediately plant the branches in the ground, covering them with plastic wrap. After about a month, when the plant reaches a growth of 30 cm, it can be nipped, which will provide for greater branching in the future. Plants planted on seedlings in February-March, planted in open ground, by August reach a height and diameter of up to 1 meter. After laying over the 15-16th node of the first bud, branching of the main stem begins, giving rise to new shoots. There is an active growth of side shoots (stepsons), which makes the plant more branched. The flowering of young Brugmansia usually occurs in the second year of life, and during this period, the plant requires fertilizing with calcium and phosphorus. Powerful bushes daily give up to 12 new flowers, while withering old ones in the same amount. An open flower lives for one day.
Propagation by air layering
Also, Brugmansia (plant description, care, propagation by cuttings were discussed in detail above) can be propagated by air layers, which is not particularly difficult. To do this, in the upper part of the plant, you need to choose last year's developed shoot, on which to make a wedge-shaped transverse incision. The formed section should be lightly sprinkled with a root stimulator, wrapped with sphagnum (marsh moss) and a film on top. It is important to ensure that the moss does not dry out and periodically moisten it with a syringe filled with water. Within 1-1.5 months, the rooting of the twig occurs, which is carefully cut, breaking off large leaves and flowers on it, and planted in a pot. A container with a young plant must be placed in a dark place and sprayed daily.
Brugmansia soil
Brugmansia, content options, reproduction, pruning of which are quite diverse, requires optimally selected soil. The soil should not be acidic. When using purchased peat soil, it is desirable to enrich the latter with fertile loamy soil and humus, bringing the proportion of peat in the total mass of the earthen mixture to 50%. Before planting a flower, it is advisable to pour the soil with a hot solution of weakly diluted potassium permanganate.
A good fertilizing affects the plant in a positive way, accelerating its development. With proper care, young Brugmansia (care and reproduction should be done only with positive emotions) will require almost annual transplantation into more capacious containers, due to the active growth of an exotic beauty. From March to September, once a week, it is desirable to feed the plant with complex fertilizer according to the manufacturer's recommended doses.
Pests of Brugmansia
The main pests of Brugmansia are whiteflies and red spider mites, which often attack a plant located all year round in closed, unventilated rooms. Of the diseases, the flower is susceptible to damage by gray rot. To combat these negative factors is required by spraying with special drugs. This should be done evenly and abundantly, since the pest often lives on the inside of the leaf and in internodes. In outdoor conditions, Brugmansia may suffer from slugs and caterpillars eating flowers and leaves.
It is recommended to water the plants with hard water; plentifully in the spring - autumn period, moderately - in the winter. Once a season, it is advisable to treat the near-stem circle with lime milk (1 g of hydrated lime diluted with 1 liter of water).
Problems growing Brugmansia
Even if all the requirements for proper care of the plant are met, the latter can become sick and die. Frequently asked and exciting questions for gardeners:
- Why is Brugmansia not blooming? This can occur when the plant is too young, not yet ready for flowering. This problem can also occur with insufficient lighting, which is indicated by weak elongated shoots, the leaves are fragile and light and the prolonged absence of branching of the crown.
- Why do brugmansia show off buds? This can happen with a sharp change in temperature, especially in the autumn, when the plant is transferred to winter in a warm room. Or this problem may occur when the illumination of the flower changes; for example, a container with a plant was moved to a darker place or turned at a different angle. Shedding of buds can also occur in case of violation of the irrigation regime (with underfilling or overfilling of the soil).
- Why does the plant die? One of the factors may be the constant stagnation of water at the bottom of the container with a flower, leading to rotting of the root system. This occurs when growing plants in containers without drainage holes. Or the cause may be too heavy soil. The resulting rot spreads up the roots, reaching the base of the trunk, leading to the death of the latter. An existing disease can be detected by a strong yellowing of leaves, falling buds, acidification of the earth in a container, an unpleasant marsh odor of non-drying soil, in which Brugmansia grows. Care and reproduction, carried out correctly, as well as timely transplantation into fresh soil will save the flower from possible death. To do this, all rotten roots are removed, and the remaining ones are treated with fungicide; shakes off most of the old soil. Initial watering required moderate. At a late stage of the disease, Brugmansia can be tried to re-root, using young cuttings and parts of the trunk without signs of decay for reproduction. The death of the plant can also occur under the influence of low temperatures, if you do not have time to transfer it in time to a warm room for the winter period.
Brugmansia is a magnificent creation of nature, the dream of many gardeners, worthy of love and admiration. Warm gentle hands, touching care of which will be subjected to brugmansia, care, cultivation, reproduction, produced only with positive emotions, will provide the fragrant beauty a well-deserved place in her beloved garden.
Brugmansia: description, breeding, care