Ingrid , you are not going to ruin your plant if you cut it back. Mine was like 9 ft tall and I cut it back to 4 ft about 3 weeks ago . Now is putting up new leaves.
Pat

You won't hurt the plant but you are cutting off new blooms. The plant continues to Y after each flush and the next flush is on the new Y's

Hi Ingrid, I'd personally try and keep at least 2 or 3 branch nodes, well in your case branches (as you have it in a state of growing) above each first true Y. Better yet to keep a Y on each Y, each having at least 2 or 3 branches on each.
That's how mine are being stored in the basement, plus some more Y's if they Y'd when they were short enough - in other words, as much as would fit the heighth of the basement ceiling was kept on. I want flowers early next year so I'm trying just about everything I can to make it happen.

But if you really need to hack it back I'd keep at least some branches above the first true Y, even if it means cutting them back.

-Sandy

Thank you all. Good advice.
Ingrid

Hi Ingrid, maybe you could try training all your brugs as standards like Monika Gottschalk does. Remember she was the one on the German forum. They definitely have a neater appearance for a small space.

Jill

Hi Jill,
what does that mean, training them?
Is that to tie all the branches after the Y so that they will grow "upwards?"
That is a possibility, however, I would have to watch out again, because there is a lattice roof over my patio and I can't let them grow too high.
Sometimes I think that my little 15X12 ft, totally fenced-in patio is not big enough for brugs, especially since I have new cuttings coming. I love these plants so much and got over-excited, trying everything that was offered on the forum to multiply my collection.

But they are tough guys, and so am I. It can't hurt to let them grow one way or the other, and see what happens.

Ingrid

hey Jill,""maybe you could try training all your brugs as standards like Monika Gottschalk does."" is there some where on there that has that info, I would love to read about it.
Thanks
Cassie

Cassie - That just when you only allow one branch to grow and to Y, not allowing anything to sprout from below where it Y 'ed. Usually done with seedlings but is done with cuttings when you're limited for room but want lots of specimens or a standard tree look to them. The standard type are more likely to grow as tall as possible in a shorter period of time rather than many branches which would require more energy from the same roots. However, over time, the more leaves you have the more roots you'll have.
- Sandy

Why not cut it back all around to a nice little 4' x 4' ball.
That should leave plenty of old growth to produce new flowering branches.

So many suggestions. Now I have to sharpen my brain and do some serious thinking.
Thank you all!
Ingrid

Someone on this site posted a link to Monika's website a while back. It was in German and had a section titled Fotos. Her brugs were just incredible and I believe they were all standards in large pots which she has to put in the greenhouse every winter.

thanks, I will look for it. I do think thats the way i want mine. lol I live in michigan, and just started collecting I have around 60 cuttings, and a couple trays of seeds lolol my space is limited, hehehe but i keep collecting I think I need brugmansia anonymous. lololol

Anything you encounter in German, let me know, I can translate. That was my profession.

Ingrid