All Brugs are not created equal..
Trust me ! We have all lost our fair share..LOL
Sounds like you are doing all of the right things..Some people have had luck with the "Log Method".. Maybe something you could try .Here is a link ..
Wishing you Luck!!
Kylie

Here is a link that might be useful: BGI

I had no luck with Madeline. I tried 2 or 3 times to root cuttings. I did manage to get one rooted but it rotted soon after. Edna was nice enough to send me a good size rooted plant or I'd still be killing them. lol I think I'd try sphagnum moss if I was trying to root them again. I tried water and soil, with and without bottom heat in the past with no luck. I'd get long fiber sphagnum, moisten it with water mixed with ST & B1 and wrap it around the base then cover it with newspaper then a baggie and hope for the best. I might even try some rooting powder with a fungicide. Good luck.

I found that the ones that were shriveling at the top could sometimes be saved by cutting them down to healthy firm part and dusting them with yellow sulphur powder. It makes the open cut dry up faster and heal better and it has some fungicide properties too I think. I wish I had figured that out last year before I killed so many. I have one now I am going to do it to tomorrow. I'll see if it works. Most of the time the ones that rot at the bottom on the first try will do so again if you put them back in water. Those for sure need to go into potting soil with a lot of perlite. I did the log method on a couple that I only had tiny pieces left of and it worked so maybe try that with one as well. Good luck!

Oh where is Gloria. I miss her so much. I loved laughing with her about cuttings that just refused to cooperate.

I have been dying to get on here and talk to you guys. I miss you all so much.

Anyone doing a "bubbler" again this year? Or are we just doing the dirt thing?

I have to go get some of that orange tape to tag my cuttings.

Hi Dweeb! Glad to see you. How's everything going? I've been wondering about Gloria too. I've emailed her but haven't heard back. I hope she's alright.

I'm ok Karyn and miss you guys so much. I am trimming the obligations on my plate now, and some will be gone very soon anyway.

guess I should stop baring my teeth at people who ask me to do things, huh? (grin)

I told sweetypie that I am going to do GREEN things today. Get back in my brugs, the things that keep me sane during the winter.

He smiled. I think he is happy I'm gonna get dirty again too. I was a much happier person then. Ha!

Gloria hasn't been here? Wonder if I can dig up her number somewhere. Think I've got it here, somewhere.

I think brugs are easy to love because it's possible to root many of them in water with little attention to other environmental factors. However, if you want to be successful with difficult brugs (and other plants - think of the new addictions you can develop) you have to get more sophisticated.

It doesn't sound like you've tried bottom heat, which I always use for rooting cuttings. You can buy a horticultural heating mat that keeps constant temp of about 70 degrees so soil is warm - more important to roots than air temperature. The mats that are about 10" x 20" cost around $30. You can get bigger ones, but they're proportionally more expensive. If space for large cuttings is a problem, you can do a couple of cutting at a time on the mat until they root, meanwhile just holding your other cuttings as "sticks".

Some plants root better if they're allowed to dry and form a good callus before rooting, and this could be the case, too.

Although I know many people have success with rooting in water, I much prefer using a solid medium with good drainage - like a peat-based potting mix with additional perlite. NOT potting soil, which is too dense.

Finally, maybe using a rooting hormone would help.

These are all the general things I've found helpful in rooting anything, including other difficult plants; my experience with brugs is limited. If someone has experience with combining all these things with difficult-to-root brugs, please speak up.

Ideally, we could find a scientific paper by someone who has had unlimited numbers of plants to work with and has tested all kinds of conditions, especially something like allowing cuttings to dry for one day, one week, two weeks, etc, and maybe storing the cuttings at 70 degrees vs 50 degrees.

Of course if people want to send me multiple cuttings of all the most beautiful and difficult brugs, I'd be happy to experiment :-) ....

This recipe is what I'm using this year. It came from another forum & has been modified to my liking & to the likings of a few others! :) Seems to be working well - so far! Any ideas, modifications, or added ingredients - feel free to mention! Always willing to try something new! :)

Mike

Watering & foliar spray: Mix 1/4 teaspoon of Superthrive & four teaspoons of H202 in one gallon of water. Use this when watering is needed. (just a note - Superthrive is on clearance for $3.50 a bottle at Wal Mart - at the moment! Stock up!!)
Soak Orchid Moss or Sphagnum Moss for about 20 minutes in luke warm water. Also included in the water (large one gallon bowl or small bucket, pan, etc.) should be 1/4 teaspoon of Superthrive & four teaspoons of H2O2.
Squeeze out moss until just a little damp. Put into the cup as if you were using potting mix. Several inches of moss should be fine. Continue to use the mixture by adding more moss to it as you need it.
Stand cutting in the center & pack moss around it. Not to tight - just enough to keep it firmly in place.
Make a mental note of the weight of the cup - as this will be an indicator of when to water. I use a 'dummy' cup the same size I have the brug cuttings in. In the middle of it - is a 6" stick about the same diameter as the brug cuttings! lol! I can check the 'dummy' cup by pulling out the moss & I'm able to tell if the brug cuttings need watered or not. Very easy! I've not used my moisture meter at all - so far!
Try to use cups with holes in the bottom - as it helps alot!

Cups without holes - water as needed by filling the cup & drain by tipping the cup - until excess water is gone. Hard to do - trust!
When watering - use the Superthrive & H202 mixture each time.
After the leaves appear - start fertilizing at quarter strength every watering.

Note: If you should try this method & it doesn't work for you - please don't shoot the messenger! :)

To all that took their time to give their input, I
thank you so very much for the information ! Going to Wal-Mart today for the Superthrive, and looking on line for the heat mat.
You are great !!
Sandra

MIKE! Thank you SO much! I'm printing that one out pal!

Thanks! I have cuttings in BUCKETS right now (and pots with plastic bags) from yesterday.

And I've got to do it ALL OVER again today cutting down mine.

Thanks! I'll race over to Lowes or home Depot for a pile of spaghnum moss, and find more hydrogen peroxide.

I've rooted thousands of cuttings-and Some cuttings are impossible to kill-and others a great mystery to root...Sometimes it seems ya need a full moon,with "stairway to heaven" playing backwards to get 'em to root!LOL.I got spoiled with the easy to root ones-Dr Seuss,Frosty Pink.Those root so easy in water,almost impossible to kill.But alot of the newer hybrids(especially the doubles) will rot before they root in water.Now I root almost all of mine in a bark based potting media-it drains super well.The key seems to be watering the cutting well when 1st potting it up-then letting the potting mix get really dry before watering it again.Sandra,since yours rotted from the top in soil-it may be another problem altogether.I've found that the cutting must be about twice as big around as a pencil to make it.Sometimes they do-but alot of times those really green thin cuttings of some varietys rot before they root.I try to root only larger cuttings-but I still wind up losing some cuttings.Mark

Super cool and thanks Mike, I'm going to try that on the new babies.