Contents
A magnificent tropical shrub with huge gramophone-shaped flowers grows up to 5 m in natural conditions. The plant itself scatters seeds, easily multiplying in nature. Brugmansia from seeds at home is much lower: from 1 to 2 m. It is thermophilic and demanding on compliance with growing conditions. Flowers have a strong aroma, have many shades: yellow, white, pink, cherry, orange and even a gradient color.
The beauty of an unusual flower more than compensates for the efforts spent on growing and breeding it. He is the pride of every gardener, and the main decoration of the winter garden, greenhouse and personal plot.
Features of growing Brugmansia from seeds at home
Growing Brugmansia from seeds in a mid-latitude climate is troublesome, you need to maintain temperature conditions, protect it from drafts, provide the plant with the necessary lighting, periodically take the flower outside and change the container where it grows as it grows. For the summer season, it is recommended to transplant it into open ground, and with the onset of cold weather, put it back in a pot and take it to a room in which to maintain the humidity and air temperature that is suitable for it.
During the first year of life, Brugmansia will require 3 to 5 transplants into a larger container. Then the change of the tub is carried out once a year. Do not use dark-colored containers – this leads to disruption of air circulation and overheating of the roots.
At the end of February, the plant must be cut; Brugmansia tolerates this procedure perfectly. Having got rid of damaged, diseased and dry branches, it is necessary to shorten healthy shoots by 1/3 of the length, without touching the side branches and branches with peduncles. The first pruning of a home-grown shrub is carried out the next year after it blooms. Young plants do not need this.
For wintering, Brugmansia is transferred to the basement with a temperature of + 5 ÷ 10ºС. With the onset of April, it is slowly adapted to street conditions, taking it out into the garden for a few minutes.
When to sow Brugmansia seeds for seedlings
The best time to sow Brugmansia seeds is January-March. The plant will have enough time to germinate.
How to plant brugmansia seeds
The soil and containers are prepared in advance. In order for the seedlings of Brugmansia seeds to be friendly, you need to plant them correctly and provide the crops with the necessary care. Even a slight violation of the conditions of planting or growing can destroy the plant.
Preparation of planting containers and soil
The soil for sowing Brugmansia at home should be loose, with a neutral pH. Suitable nutrient substrate of peat, humus and loamy soil. Having mixed the soil well, it should be disinfected with a solution of manganese. A drainage layer is placed at the bottom of the planting tank and covered with prepared soil. It is preferable to choose a container for planting seeds without holes in the bottom in order to retain moisture in the soil longer. For subsequent transplants, it is better to choose ceramic or clay tubs. In plastic containers, the roots of Brugmansia get very hot and overheat.
Seed preparation
The plant independently scatters seeds, which are formed in the form of an oblong pod.
They ripen in September. To propagate Brugmansia with seeds, you need to hang gauze bags or food bags on the branches in advance. When the seed pod cracks, all the material will remain inside. If the testicle has not burst, you can cut it off the bush with scissors, carefully cut it in half and remove the seeds.
Brugmansia seeds are quite unusual in appearance. They are large, irregular triangular in shape, similar to the bark. To increase the level of germination, it is recommended to soak the collected seeds for 48 hours in a heteroauxin solution, after removing the top cover, or hold for a day in a mixture of aloe, honey and rainwater.
Rules for planting Brugmansia from seeds
In order not to dive seedlings, it is better to immediately sow the seeds of Brugmansia in individual cups or cassettes. The glass is filled 2/3 with prepared soil, moistened and loosened. Putting a seed, lightly press it into the ground and sprinkle it on top. It is necessary to deepen the seeds no more than 1 cm.
If sowing is done in solid containers, without partitions, then it is recommended to spread the seeds at a distance of 3 cm from each other. Crops are moistened from a spray bottle with clean water, covered with a film and installed on a window on the south side. To improve the germination of seeds, a lot of light and heat are needed.
To avoid moisture stagnation, crops are ventilated daily and the level of soil moisture is checked.
When do brugmansia seeds germinate?
With proper planting and care, at home, Brugmansia seeds will germinate in 10-20 days. But this rarely happens. Usually in the middle lane shoots appear after 1,5 months. Many factors influence the duration of seed germination:
- freshness of planting material;
- environmental conditions (air humidity, temperature, lighting);
- quality of care for crops;
- varietal features.
As soon as the change germinates, the shelter must be removed.
Such a kind of hardening will help the plant adapt to staying in the garden in the summer.
How to grow brugmansia from seeds
Growing Brugmansia from seeds at home is not always effective. In addition, the grown plant may not fully correspond to the varietal characteristics. In a cold climate, it makes no sense to breed a tropical shrub. The southern countries have the best conditions for the growth of Brugmansia, in the middle latitudes it is permissible to grow a flower in home greenhouses or winter gardens. A plant planted in a permanent place in open ground will die after the first wintering.
Optimal conditions for growing Brugmansia from seeds
Good lighting, nutrition, watering and a suitable temperature for the shrub are the key to future success.
It is necessary to place containers with Brugmansia in a well-lit place, protected from gusts of cold wind, drafts and direct sunlight. Insufficient lighting at home affects the color of the leaves and greatly stretches the shoots. It is not allowed to put the plant near heating devices.
In the room it is necessary to maintain high air humidity and temperature within +22÷28 ºC. Constantly monitor soil moisture. On hot days, it is advisable to water in the evening.
The organization of wintering a plant can be done in various ways:
- Warm winter – implies staying indoors all winter with t + 22 ÷ 25 ºC. Brugmansia needs to organize the required daylight hours with the help of lamps. Water and fertilize in the same way as in summer. In response, Bugmansia will delight with long flowering.
- Cold wintering allows the plant to rest. In this case, it is necessary to maintain t + 8 ÷ 12 ºC in the room and water as needed. Brugmansia will wither and shed its leaves. With the onset of spring budding, watering will need to be resumed.
Among the many varieties, the seeds of Brugmansia Aromagia white are most adapted to home cultivation in the middle climate. The tree-like shrub is so “cultivated” that it no longer grows in nature.
Watering and top dressing
Watering is the most important stage of care. Brugmansia needs abundant watering with warm water, as the large leaves of the plant evaporate a lot of moisture. On hot days, it is recommended to water daily 1 time per day, on cool days – 2 waterings per week are enough.
Excessive moisture causes the appearance of snails and caterpillars on the leaves, and insufficient ventilation of the room can provoke an attack of ticks. Too dry land leads to the death of the plant.
Starting from the age of two months, seedlings are fed with ammonium nitrate. Lack of nitrogen slows down their growth, the leaves turn yellow and fall off. With the beginning of flowering every 7-10 days, it is necessary to apply potash-phosphorus fertilizers.
Picks
If the seeds are sown in a common container, picking is carried out after the appearance of the fifth true leaf. Seedlings with a small clod of earth on the roots are transplanted into individual cups and deepened to the cotyledon leaf.
The next transplant into a pot with a diameter of 10 cm will be required when the seedling outgrows the third container. Brugmansia loves transplants, so it takes root and grows better.
When to plant Brugmansia outdoors
Transplantation into open ground is possible as early as April of the next year, when the air temperature is at least +5÷10ºC. In warm climates, planting Brugmansia can be done in the fall in the year of sowing. Transplantation is carried out by transferring the plant from the tub into the ground. The selected area must be protected from drafts and direct sunlight. The pit is dug in advance, in proportion to the brugmansia rhizome.
After the summer season, the shrub is again dug up and transplanted into a tub, moving it to a warm room.
When will brugmansia from seed bloom?
Huge flowers adorn the shrub from July to mid-December. It blooms 2-3 years after sowing. In some cases, Brugmansia (pictured), grown from seeds, can bloom luxuriantly all summer, being a decoration of the site. The number of blooms depends on the variety and growing conditions.
Conclusion
Brugmansia germinates from seeds at home for a long time and requires patience, but the result is worth the effort. A chic bush, densely strewn with huge flowers, arouses admiration and envy of neighbors and passers-by. It should be remembered that the culture is poisonous, so it must be handled with extreme care: do not inhale the aroma deeply, do not grow it in rooms where children live.