No need to sex the plants...brugs are monoecious and they have boy and girl parts in the same flower. However, they can't pollinate themselves or very closely related specimens (clones) so you either have to hope for more pollinators like hummingbird moths and bumbblebees to happen onto you plants or you can take the male parts (There are more of them, they are located in a ring around the female part.)If the pollen is ready you can tell because it wipes off readily. Just apply the pollen onto the female organ of another flower and if they are simular species or a viable hybrid you should be able to get a seed pod. Of course if you want to be really sure about it you then have to wrap the flower parts in some inpermiable material until the pod begins to form. Of course I'm only speaking from experience with other flower species. This is my first year growing brugs and I haven't had both my var. bloom at the same time yet to attempt pollination.
Hope that helps.
Peace,
Nathan

Thanks Nathan, that helps a great deal. I did try the "paint brush method" on a couple. Guess 'boy didn't meet girl', tho. Hopefully my next flourish, they'll all be blooming together. Best of luck with your new hobby!

Nancy

I cross pollinated a CG with a JY and got a few seed pods. I chose those simply because they were blooming at the same time. I just used my fingers to rub pollen from the staymens of one bloom and transfered it to the pistil (long skinny thing in the center, it's surrounded by the staymens) of another. I didn't bother covering the flower afterwards because none of the other brugs were in bloom. You can easily tell if a seed pod will develop. The calyx will remain green and you can soon feel the pod growing, otherwise it will quickly turn yellow after the bloom is spent and will fall off. I haven't tried cross pollinating any of my other brugs. Even though I have plenty of sphinx moths I haven't gotten anymore seed pods from natural pollinators.
Karyn

Thanks Karyn, odd how a datura inoxia puts on seed pods like crazy. My Double purple flowering datura, even after the many blooms, has one seed pod. The brugs nothing

Although, I noticed yesterday, my pink versicolor is still holding on to the calyx on 2 dead blooms, so maybe....

I'm currently trying my hand at cuttings. They needed a haircut yesterday. I've already managed a cutting from the white suaveolens but didn't have luck with others. According to the book, I used too high a water level.

Thanks for the input ya'll. Have a great day!

Nancy

Nancy my dbl purple datura doesn't produce many seed pods either and the ones I got from them last year never germinated. I've never had a problem rooting brug cuttings though, no matter if they are in almost no water or close to being submerged. I usually start getting roots within a few days. Maybe it's the varieties I've been rooting. My Creamsicle seems to root the fastest. BTW it wasn't a CG/JY cross that I got seeds from it was a Jamaica Yellow/Frosty Pink cross.
Karyn

Karyn, how did the cross turn out? Did it flower & do you have any pics? This pick versicolor I have was incredible this last flourish of blooms, however, they were very short lived. I know it had to have 25+ on a 3 1/2' bush!!

The yellow insignis had a good many blooms and they lasted a few days. I thought I may try to catch these two and try to cross them.

Hmmm... this raises another question. I really like the yellow insignis and loved the profusion of flowers on the pink versicolor... would I deliver pollen from the yellow to the pink or vice versa? In other words... do you deliver the pollen of the traits we want to enhance in the cross, or should the dominant trait be the receiver?

Tricky, tricky. Any input anyone? Thanks.

Nancy

Nancy I did the JY/FP cross this year and am waiting for the pods to ripen. I'll either start them in the fall or wait until early spring. My Hawaiian dbl White/L'Amour cross sedlings are a good size but I don't expect blooms from them until next year. I'm really curious as to what I'll get from that. I don't know enought about plant genetics to answer you questions but I'm sure someone on this forum will have an answer. I've been astounded at the wealth of info you can get from reading the posts here. I guess you could always do both, take the pollen from one to the other and vise versa.
Karyn

Its shuffling cards as far as what you get from crosses...Brugs expecially are really variable in how the genotyope of seed is distributed, most of the plants will be base white even from colored crosses, but they'll all be a little different so you never know what you get. Even which var. was the mom and which was the pollinator can make a difference, expecially if you're trying to cross the hybrids. As for why Datura seed so easy, most of the species fertilize themselves well more the flowers open (I think D.metel might be the expection). Anyway, good luck if you get seeds. I'm hoping to get some this year too, just because its my understanding that the surviving seedlings next summer will be by natural selection be adapted to this area. Hopefully it works.
Peace
Nate

I'm dreading all the possible white blooms I'll have next year from my brugs and the year after from my plumeria. At least I can put the young brugs in the garage or basement. The plumeria aren't strong enough to go dormant yet. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with 100+ plumeria seedlings and half as many brugs seedlings this winter. I wasn't thinking far enough ahead when I started all these plants.
Karyn

Karyn, I just did a search on your plumeria... those are gorgeous girl!!!!! How tall are your seedlings right now? What zone are you in? Will they eventually survive in your zone?

I'm thinking you need to build a greenhouse. You can always make a frame out of cheaper materials like pvc or ripped 2x4's, (which is what mine is) then cover it with 6ml plastic available at Lowes. I bought a 35000 btu propane blue flame heater. The time to buy the heater is now before the cost goes up. I got mine at harbor freight for around $70. You can always add updates to the GH later, like vents, exhaust fans, etc.

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You need to give it some serious thought before snow flies. Harbor Freight offers an 8'x6' GH for $300. It'll work in a pinch. Farmtek has several options, too. I hope you can keep your babies through the winter.

Nancy

Here is a link that might be useful: Harbor Freight GH's

My seedlings range from about 4" with three leaves to about a foot with 6-8 leaves. They can never live outside in my zone. We have 2 commercial sized greenhouses at our farm. One we keep heated at about 70-75F (top two pics) the other is kept above freezing. I already have several hundred container plants that have to go in the warm house and about half as many go into the cold house. I don't think my husband would be too happy if I took up all the room. lol
Karyn

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PS: That's not my husband in the pic.

Dang girl!!!!! I thought my GH was something special. Here you got 2 queen mothers at your place!!!! lol!! Well heck, I don't think DH would even notice a few more plumerias that you smuggle in, would he??? I'm coming up there to play with you, shoot!! lol! I'm sure you can convince DH to let you move more babes in out of the weather. Just stick out the lower lip a little bit (works for me all the time).

I sniffed out some more of the plumerias, I'd better stop... or I'll be wanting some of those too! There's a bunch of them on ebay, have you checked there lately?

Anyhow, my two newest brugs arrived today, Gemini & Morgensonne. Got'em all potted up and tucked in with the rest of them. Thanks for sharing the pics of your GH's, now I'll go throw rocks at mine, lol! Have a good evening.

Nancy

Nancy I buy most of my plumeria off of ebay. There are also a number of reputable nurseries that you can buy from online. I usually buy cuttings and root them myself. They are much less expensive than already rooted plants. Once you get them started they're easy to care for it's just getting them there that can be a problem. This is the first year I've grown them from seed. Email me if you want a seedling. It does take a few years for them to reach blooming size.

Don't be too envious of our GH's. Fuel (propane) for the winter runs $8-$12 thousand. We have the farm as a side business. We grow mostly peonies, hydrangea, lilac, sunflowers, zinnia and herbs for cutting on 10 acres. We grow seasonal plants and finish annuals in the GH's. It's a lot of work but it's also fun. In the real world my husband is a wholesale floral distributer.

What does the Morgensonne brug look like? I've never heard of it. My favorites are the doubles.
Karyn

Wow!! Now that's a fuel bill! That will make me appreciate to cost of fuel for mine. Ideally I would'nt mind a little set up like that... maybe sell a few plants, herbs, grow some mums & pumpkins, pony rides. I think I'd LOVE a job like that! Even my DH would love it! Besides, then these "things" would have a 'job' besides me throwing feed & hay over the fence twice a day! Gosh, I could put a lot of brugs in a GH like yours!!!!!

I remember the pumpkin farm when we was kids up north. Halloween we'd go to the pumpkin farm. It was all decorated and scarey, had cider, apples, candy, hay & pony rides. They also sold all kinds of mums. Those are so very easy to propagate, too! Not entirely out of the question, just have a lot more clearing to do!

Gosh, I'd love to have a plumeria baby, (are they addictive? lol). I'll trade you a baby brug for one. (just what you need, another baby) Boy I bet you have some nice peonies, too! When I make a few more flower beds, I thought about getting a couple of them. I've seen some pretty ones.

Ya'll get much snow up there? How to do you keep the snow off your 'cold' house? I'm thinking I won't try to keep my GH as warm this year. I'm thinking of cool storing my brugs and let'em sleep. I had a terrible time with white flies and aphids in the GH last year. How do you deal with that, sprays? I figure if all the leaves are off the brugs, then there won't be nothing for the insects to eat. Although, I may decide to bring these smaller plants inside just so they can grow some and be at least a little bigger next year. Have a good day gal.

Nancy

Here is a link that might be useful: Morgensonne

Nancy I sent you an email.
Karyn