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New to Brugs, not sure how to properly care for my young one

13 years ago

Hello all!

I have a young brug that I rooted over the winter and it is now about 2' tall and looks healthy. I have never grown anything similar, and mostly have a perennial garden with hostas, but I do have a sunroom and thought this would be a nice addition for winter enjoyment. So, here are a few questions:

I was talking with a friend and she warned me to not touch my brug without gloves and to keep it away from my dogs and cat due to its being poisonous... just how poisonous is it?

It gets very hot and humid in St. Louis during the summer. Is it better to take the plant outside or leave it in the sunroom?

What is the "best" light/location/potting soil for growing brugs? (I have vermicompost if that would be good)

How big do they have to be to bloom, and should I pinch (with gloves on!) the side sprouts that are very close to the bottom to encourage more upper growth?

Right now I have it planted in Miracle Grow potting mix, in a tall, urn shaped concrete planter (keeps it out of the reach of dogs and cats) - but this will be too heavy to bring inside, so it would have to be repotted in the fall. This urn is about 18" deep and 12" or so wide and is presently under an arbor that has clematis/climbing hydrangea growing on it. This is a partial sun area, as the arbor backs up to a line of fir trees and so the sun is from morning until about 2pm (somewhat filtered through the arbor as it passes overhead) Is this a good place?

Thanks for any suggestions/instructions/teaching you can offer. You are all so generous with your responses!

BettyLu

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Comments (4)

karyn1
13 years ago
Hi BettyLu,

Brugs contain alkaloids which can be toxic but usually just from ingestion and if the sap comes in contact with the conjunctiva of your eyes they will dilate. If you have especially sensitive skin then you should wear gloves but I (and most others) pinch my brugs and daturas with bare hands. Just remember not to touch your eyes if they have sap on them. I have cats, dogs and other animals and they've never chewed on my brugs.

Keep your brug outside during the summer. Give it am sun and protect it from late afternoon sun. The description of where you have it sounds perfect but does the urn have drainage holes? They are very heavy feeders and need a well draining soil. Container brugs will need daily watering during the heat. I don't care for MG products and would add some perlite to it to help with drainage. Feed your brug every 2 weeks minumum. Weekly is even better.

I prefer to allow my brugs to go dormant over the winter because they are such bug magnets and I have so many. With only 1 brug I don't see a problem keeping it growing over the winter. If you have a very well lit room it might do ok over the winter but you might want to add a grow light to increase the hours of daylight. It will likely decline some being inside but will rebound once it's back outside. Make sure you don't overwater your brug while it's inside or it can lead to rot. If you decide to allow it to go dormant over the winter you will restrict watering almost entirely giving it just enough to keep the roots hydrated. Maybe a cup or two of water every 4-6 weeks, if that. I have dormant brugs that get no water over the winter.

I hope this helps and I'm sure others will chime in with suggestions. Good luck. They are beautiful and addicting. Kind of like potato chips. I don't know anyone that has just one. lol
fool4flowers
13 years ago
If you plan to repot it I wouldn't wait til fall. That will want to make it grow more. Better to do it in the spring or early summer. If you are letting it go dormant I would leave it a bit restricted during winter.
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rock_oak_deer
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I have very sensitive skin and touch my brugs all the time with no problem. If I'm going to do a lot of cutting, I wear gloves as I do with all my plants.

Brugs are much easier to grow than their beautiful flowers would lead you to think. Keep it watered and fertilized and prepare to be dazzled.

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sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
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I used to be super allergic to the sap but now that I have been growing them for so many years I seem to have become totally immune to it. I used to break out in a really bad rash but not anymore...

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