Brugmansia in the photo and caring for her
Brugmansia in the photo looks very beautiful, and because of the shape of the flowers, the plant is called "angel pipes".
Content:
Brugmansia flowers are characterized by huge (their length reaches 30 centimeters) gramophone-like and bright flowers with a strong aroma. They open in the evenings and close in the heat of the day. The flowers of this plant are distinguished by a wide variety of both color and shape. They can be colored light pink, lemon, bright yellow, blood red, ocher and ivory. Flowers are simple, semi-double, double, with funnels located on two levels. The night beauty blooms in July-August.
General characteristics and origin
Brugmansia is a member of the Nightshade family and a close relative of the Datura, to which she is very similar and with whom she is often confused. This is a perennial woody plant, reaching a height of 3-5 meters in its homeland. In an apartment, it usually does not grow higher than 2 meters.
The birthplace of brugmansia is the tropical regions of South America, or rather Brazil. Therefore, she prefers a warm, humid climate.
Brugmansia care
Since brugmansia does not tolerate frost, in our area it is grown as a houseplant. Due to its large size, she needs a voluminous pot and, accordingly, a spacious sunny apartment.
The best "home" for a plant is a stable tub that can accommodate a large volume of substrate. It is best if it is made of stone.
Landing
Pour some expanded clay into the tub before planting. The brugmansia flower, the cultivation of which will not be difficult, will grow even better if you add a small amount of clay granulate. It will help retain moisture and nutrients.
Brugmansia needs nutritious the soil, to which it is recommended to add clay-turf soil, sawdust or sphagnum moss.
Transplant young plants need to be produced in the spring. Moreover, the size of the new pot must exceed the previous one.
Brugmansia roots feel better in a plastic container than in a terracotta or earthen pot. The role of the drainage holes is extremely important for the release of excess water.
In order for brugmansia to please with abundant flowering, it needs fresh air and bright sunlight. Therefore, for the summer period, it is recommended to take the tub with a flower out into the street, it is best to plant it in the ground.
Watering
Brugmansia tree-like is distinguished by the presence of large leaves, evaporating moisture in large quantities, and juicy shoots. However, they are extremely unstable to strong winds. Therefore, for a tropical guest, it is necessary to choose a sunny place, protected from strong winds.
Brugmansia, the care of which includes adherence to the water regime, needs abundant watering... At high temperatures, watering is required daily, twice a day. When there is no intense heat, then once is enough. Excess water should remain in the sump.
With a lack of moisture, the flower sheds buds and leaves.
Top dressing
When replanting a plant, it must be fertilized. For this purpose, it is advisable to take chicken manure or fertilizer for indoor plants.
Then brugmansia is recommended to be fertilized weekly. She prefers organic fertilizers, but she also needs mineral feeding. In May-June, it is advisable to use phosphate-potassium fertilizers to stimulate flowering.
Pruning
Pruning brugmansia is required year-round. In this case, it is necessary to remove the shoots that grow below the first forks. Small knotty horizontal branches should be left: flowers will appear on them.
If you wish, you can give your pet the shape of a tree or a bush.
Wintering
In autumn, when the night temperature drops to + 5-7 degrees, brugmansia should be brought into the house by cutting off the overgrown roots and treating them with charcoal.
In winter, brugmansiya prefers temperatures of 10-15 degrees above zero. You can send it to the basement for the winter, but you need to make sure that it does not dry out and the temperature does not drop below + 6-8 degrees. If you do not follow these conditions, your pet will die.
Reproduction
It is extremely rare to grow brugmansia from seeds. If you nevertheless decide to use this method, then keep the seeds for 1-2 days in "Kornevin" or "Heteroauxin", and then sow in pots and cover with foil. The seeds will germinate only after 1-2 months, but they will delight you with flowers after 2-3 years.
Experienced growers prefer cuttings. The length of the cutting should be no more than 20 cm. Then it is placed in water and waited for the first roots to appear. Brugmansia, the reproduction of which cannot be called difficult, takes root in the soil, which is rich in nutrients, as well as in perlite.
If you treat the cuttings with rooting stimulants and cover with a jar, you can get almost 100% rooting.
Brugmansia can also multiply with the help of layering. But it is extremely rare to get a new plant in this way.
Poisonous beauty
Like its close relative, the dope, brugmansia is poisonous and contains narcotic substances that cause hallucinations, for which it was nicknamed the devil's tree. There are especially many toxic substances in seeds and flowers.
Therefore, if you have small children, then it is better to give up the cultivation of brugmansia. Be careful when pruning, as the juice can irritate the skin.
But its poisonous properties were used. Brugmansia juice has long been used by South American Indians for their rituals and for treatment.
In our time, brugmansia is used by the biochemical and pharmacological industry: valuable alkaloids are produced from it - scopolamine and atropine.
Diseases and pests
It seems that a plant with toxicity should bypass all pests. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Brugmansia leaves are not averse to eating aphids, whiteflies, slugs and various caterpillars. Loves to settle on a plant and arachnoid mite... To destroy pests, you must use the appropriate chemicals.
The most common disease is gray mold. To combat it, you will also have to use chemicals.
Although brugmansia requires a lot of worries, it will thank you for your work with a gorgeous flowering that will not leave anyone indifferent.