Brug munching not poisonous to all?

16 years ago

We know that brug biting is dangerous, and that brug leaf eating is even more dangerous. With that in mind, I have searched all around my brug pots for dead creatures that have been eating them, but, alas, no success.

Either they are like elephants and have gone off to die, or they are still alive, and maybe even getting fat on my brugs, though I haven't read any reports that brug leaves are fattening. Perhaps they are merely able to maintain their ideal weight while eating brug leaves and that brugs may be their source of "fiber" to prevent cholesterol buildup.

They seem to be having a wonderful time. Some start munching in the middle of a leaf, while others start at the edge and eat inward. I can imagine them singing "Whistle while we work" with happy smiles on their faces.

I have attempted to discourage them by using insecticide soap, but it now seems that they may be also eating the soap. In a way, it is gratifying that I have provided a more balanced diet for the critters, but my preference is to discourage them.

Oh, what's to do? What's to do?

Jim

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Comments (10)

chena
16 years ago
ROFL!!!!
Hey Jim nice to see you!!! I've missed you!!
Kylie
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gardenpaw
16 years ago
Jim it is nice to see you, Ive missed your wit as well.
Is`nt it amazing that these critters can munch on our brugs
and it has no ill effect on them....maybe no one has told
them that they are poisonous!! LOL
Good to see you posting!
Karen
0
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Prairiemoon2, What a lovely name! I believe you just read the postings that I recently contributed to. I am sorry if you got alarmed or overly anxious. I've been working with datura and brugs for quite some time now, and this recent incident was the first ever for me. To be honest, I know that I should wash after touching them, but I don't always do so, but I do exercise caution with them. Keeping the sap away from sensitive areas is a good rule to follow. NEVER eat it. Learn from my experience and keep it from touching your eyes. By all means smell it though. I love to gently lift the flower and inhale its perfume. I also encourage my guests to do so too, but I also warn them about being careful with it for a couple of reasons, one being the obvious fact that it is poisonous ( although NOT like poison ivy), and another that I don't want it to be snapped off by an insensitive person, but rather handled gently. This is me touching the flower.....and I am still alive longing to touch more. To answer your questions, No, I do not believe they will poison the soil. Even poison ivy does not poison the soil. Neither do tomatoe plants poison the soil, and I believe these plants are in the same family. Daturas will usually self seed in one year. I note that you are in zonew 6. I am in zone 5, and have found that the simple white datura often seeds itself, and propogates itself the next year. The more complex ones seem to be more frost sensitive. I had good luck collecting seeds from my double purple swirl datura. Brugmansia, on the other hand, as a rule, will not produce seeds the first year. In fact, I have never had one go to seed for me here at my place, but friends down the road have had some seed. I have found that the plant takes about 3-4 years from the seed propogation to flowering. It is much easier, and faster to take a cutting and root it. Also you tend to get a truer genetic plant to the mother plant. With pollination, one usually has to be concerned about where the male genetic contribution comes from, as flowers are usually pollinated by bees, birds, or moths. The more sun you can give it, the better. I have some that get the morning sun similar to yours, and some that get the evening sun similar to yours. Either one is good. The best comes from getting even more sun. I suggest you enjoy your plants. I LOVE mine, and get very excited when they flower. However, do respect them, and definitely TEACH any young folks around to respect them as well.
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fool4flowers
16 years ago
My dog chewed off half of Miss Ellie's trunk and had no ill effects at all. I fixed her of that pulling my plants out of the pots though. After she did that I tied the chewed up pots to her collar and made her wear them for a couple of hours and she hasn't touched any plants ever since and that has been several weeks ago.
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hong2007
16 years ago
Christy, that such a good idea to get the dog stop chewing on stuffs. Maybe I will tie my couch legs to my maltese's neck to teach him not chew on my couch :)
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flwrs4ever
16 years ago
OMG, thanks so much for the laughs !! ROFLMBO!!

( although I am sorry the little buggers, are brug lovers..LOL)
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wildflower
16 years ago
JIM where have you been?? I've missed your posts too!!! I've never understood either how a plant that's considered so poisonous can have so many pests. You'd think they'd all die after the first bite, but it sure doesn't work that way. So what's eating your brugs?

Kristy, that's hilarious. Hong, that's even more hilarious.
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fool4flowers
16 years ago
Lol, John said he did that to our doberman to keep her from eating his flip flops and she never touched another one either. I also make sure the dog has plenty of other stuff to chew on that is ok. She is doing much better. Now if I could get ahold of that red squirrel and tie some pots to him I would be good, lol. What kind of bugs do you have Jim?
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shortyhead
Original Author
16 years ago
Let's see. What kind of bugs do I have? They either have multiple rows of shiny white teeth, OR, a sucking mechanism that could suck the chrome off a trailer hitch if they were much larger.

I hope this info is helpful.

Jim
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fool4flowers
16 years ago
ROFLMAO you are so crazy. It might be snail, slugs, little green worms. Go out at night and check under the leaves or spray mist of water on them and see if you see any webbing or something wiggle. The little green worms are the same color as the leaves and this is the only way I can find them. Post some pics of the damage if you can.
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honeybunny2 Fox
16 years ago
Jim, so glad to see you post again. I really have missed your quick wit. The only problem I have had is with BIG green worms, those Texans worms. can destroy a large brugmansia in few days, I can only find them in the evenings, when it is almost dark. I take a flashlight and just pick them off the back side of the eaten leaves. I don't think the brugmansia effect them in any way, except make them fat. Barbra,
0

Brug munching not poisonous to all?

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Brug munching not poisonous to all?

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