Growing Brugmansias in Western Washington

Brugmansias are very easy to grow, if you pay attention to their few basic needs. They want good light (not necessarily direct sun), frequent watering, lots of fertilizer and ample room to grow. They want to grow and grow fast they do, when they are happy. A 10 inch plant start, put into a roomy container, will reach four feet tall by June and six feet or more by July. Depending on the cultivar, they will start forming a 'Y' on the tips of the upright growing stems, at between three and four feet tall, and then start to set buds. When done right, a first year plant can be blooming by mid-June, here in Kitsap County.

Although you can grow them in a 12inch by 15 inch pot, and they will set a few blooms, they will not be happy. They will be stunted, get rootbound almost immediately, and need watering as much as three times per day when or temps approach 90 F. They also tend to get top heavy and blow over easily. I recommend that you grow your Brugmansia in a container that is a minimum of 24 inches across and as deep as you can get it.

Some growers don't like to move their plants from a small 1 gallon container straight up to the equivalent of a 10 gallon container. I find that, although there is a slight delay in visible growth starting (while they start putting roots out), it doesn't take long for them to start showing rapid top growth, if temperatures are good. When conditions are right, they are such fast growers that you don't want to keep shocking them with one transplant after another. By choosing the right type of potting soil, you can overcome what is called 'over-potting' quite easily with Brugs.

After transplanting, I keep the plants out of the direct sun for a few days, and then gradually move them into more sun exposure. The beauty of having them in containers is that you can pamper them. On the other hand, if you just want to plant them where they are going to stay, in either a container or in the ground, try to choose a spot that gets morning and/or late afternoon sun, but is protected from about 1 to 4 pm. Just because they are sub-tropical doesn't mean they need full sun. I find, here near Puget Sound, they like full sun from about early May to mid June only, then after that they want some afternoon shade.

You can plant them in the ground, but be sure the soil temperature is at 60 degrees or higher, first. Cold soil will slow down their growth. The soil you plant them in should have lots of organic matter added to it and a little bit of lime. It should be able to retain moisture well, but drain well without puddling. Basically, Brugmansias appreciate a rich soil, with the Ph just on the acid side of neutral -- pretty much the same thing vegetables require.

For the most part, Brugmansias are quite happy with our outside growing conditions here, from mid-May until mid-October. In fact, they are not as happy with super warm days in the upper 90's (F.), and since we have so few of those, our West Sound climate suits them well, during the summer.

Brugmansias do not seem to be susceptible to many disease problems here in Western Washington. Overall, they are strong growers, with few health issues. There is, however, one disease that is starting to show up throughout the country. It�s a stem blight called stangelbrand and is incurable. Fortunately, it is easy to identify very fast and most growers destroy infected plants by fire, as soon as they see it.

Brugs also are susceptible to many of the same diseases that tomatoes get, here in Western Washington. They can get tobacco mosaic virus, fusarium and verticillium wilts, etc. I believe that Brugmansias are much more resistant to these diseases than tomatoes, at least for now. That could change in the future. So far, the tomato's worst local killer, late blight disease, has not surfaced in Pacific Northwest Brugmansia, as far as I know.

Slugs and snails love Brugmansias as much as they love any of your other special plants. It�s amazing how far up the plant they will climb to get to the newest, most tender growth. They will also chew a succulent growing tip right off, especially on small plants, so you need to control them somehow, or have your plant pruned in ways you don't like.

Although aphids can be a problem for me in the greenhouse, I have never had a bad attack of them on my outside plants, during the growing season. I think aphid problems tend to hit plants that are stressed in some way, especially plants that get stressed by not enough water. With proper plant care, plus being outside, with natural predators to take care of them, aphis problems are reduced to worry-free levels. Do keep an eye out for them, though, and control them, as you would aphids on any other plant. Many Pacific Northwest growers have had problems with whitefly, as well, although I haven't, personally, as yet. The control for them is pretty much the same as for aphids.

When it get very warm and dry, during August, spider mites frequently rear their ugly heads. Both red spider mites and, especially, broad mites, will start colonizing on the undersides of leave. Because these insects are so tiny, the first sign you usually notice is a peculiar mottling of the leaves. Whenever you see mottled leaves on Brugs, turn them over and look closely, looking for something kind of dusty or dirty looking. A magnifying glass helps.

You can just spray-wash them off with water, if they're only on a few leaves. My best offense for mite outbreaks has been spraying with a horticultural oil. This coats and smothers the critters. Any oil labeled horticultural oil, or fine spray oil, from the garden store will work fine. These oils are normally used as dormant spray, but there should be directions of a lighter mix to use on actively growing plants. Make sure you actually spray it right on the mites, on the undersides of the leaves, for it to work.

Spider mites are harder to kill than aphids. There are some really good pesticides out there to kill spider mites, but they usually sell for 4.00 an ounce, or more. Again, this is another pest that seems to only get really bad on plants that are unhappy. If you're getting bad outbreaks of bugs, try to figure out what you can do to help your plant grow healthier.

In order to grow a sub-tropical plant, like a Brugmansia, in the Puget Sound region, timing is everything. If you are fortunate enough to have a greenhouse, or partially enclosed patio or good overhang on a wide front porch, you are in good shape for a head start. Some people put their plants out as early as the first week of April and pull them inside a garage or shed, every night it is below 40 degrees.

Small Brugmansias generally don�t thrive in temperatures much below 45. If day time temps are starting to reach 60 and night lows are over 40, then they are okay being outside, if properly acclimated. It is important, when you get your plant, to know what conditions it is accustomed to up until that point. Has it been totally in a greenhouse or other protective shelter? Has it been 'hardened off' at all? If a young Brug has never been exposed to the out-of-doors, it can kill them to suddenly be put out. They are especially susceptible to getting sun burn on their leaves, if they've never had the direct sun before.

Introduction to direct sun rays on their leaves must be done gradually. An hour or two a day only, for the first couple of days, then gradually increasing the time. It�s good to start this process on days that are partly cloudy or all cloudy, but bright. On bright cloudy days, no direct sun, you can leave them out much longer, and it still is helping them harden up.

Generally speaking, the first week of April is too early for them to be left outside completely, without protection, but by the last half of May, it should be okay. Having said that, I might mention 2008, when we had a surprise frost in late May. I pulled my Brugmansias under a second floor deck and that was sufficient to protect them.

2008 was a exceptionally hard spring, because we did have so many late snows and freezes. I had been gradually giving my plants more and more time out of the greenhouse, until the first week of May, when I left them out. During the hardening off period, I would sometimes have to pull them back into the greenhouse and leave them for two or three days, because of nippy days. Hailstorms can be the worst.