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Datura & Brugmansia growers?

Hey folks,
I scored a Tree Datura (Brugmansia) and was wondering if anyone else is growing them and what you can relate about your growing exeriences?

Mine arrived wilted like a weed someone had yanked up in the yard and washed the soil away from and let dry for a few days. I sent the seller an email right away but then I soaked it in room temp water and vit b all day yesterday and potted it up it looks very good now and should survive despite my first impression. I have the Dr Seuss hybrid with giant orange trumpet flowers.

I have been reading online and people seem to say full sun but some say it's easier to grow in shade as it's water requirements won't be so high. I don't care if it becomes a 8 foot tree over the summer (it's a blooming size clone from above the Y already). I just want it to produce it's giant blooms. I do have a space in either south western facing (mostly shaded until noon) or south facing with full sun morning until late afternoon. It's in a huge 15 inch pot with a soil mix of peat, perlite and shredded ceader mulch cos all the websites say it likes tons of room, moisture and good drainage. I also mixed bone/blood meal into the fluffy compost type soil since it's supposed to be such a big grower.

I wanted to know if anyone has tips on growing them or their smaller cousins the Daturas, I have a bunch of Datura metel seedlings coming up as well (under lights) and my Datura/brugmansia growing book won't be here til end of april-argh!
 
be careful if you you have any pets! angel trumpets are poisonous!
alex
 
Yes, I know but lukily my cat doesn't seem interested in any of my plants except to scratch his cheeks on my treefern. Also, there's no leaves below 18" just a small trunk about 1" + in diameter.
I think the bigger problem will be keeping neighborhood teens from eating it!
smile_n_32.gif
 
My father grows both of those plants in full sun in southern FL. He recent bought a dark purple Datura that looks like it has black flowers.

When they were in the shade, they did not do as well. It sounds like you have the potting mix right.
 
The wild, weedy form of Datura has been growing in my yard for years. We leave it be. We have hard clay soil, scortching sun, and give it water only when we remember to... it's massive and downright intoxicating (literally. Datura flowers can cause intoxication from their scent). We steer clear of it as such.

The cultivated and hybrid varieties are less sturdy, in my experience... but they all love full sun.
 
Yes, the flowers do have an amazing scent! I don't care for rose smell or most garden flowers but these... We had Daturas at work in the gardens and they were just awesome! That summer the girls I work with were all making salads out of the plants growing in the flower gardens (they always seem to) and my boss asked me if they should be eating any of the stuff that's growing out there. I told him I didn't know about most of the stuff since I only really grow exotics but to make sure they didnt eat any parts of the trumpet plants I always sniff on break cos they'll need to be taken to psych ward.
The white trumpets (D. inoxa?) did naturalize to the property at work as an annual. I'll see one coming up every now and then, usually between the sidewalk stones only to be yanked out by the lawn service. I can't wait to have these on my patio making their "intoxicating" smell!
 
Count me in!

I've recently fallen in love with this mysterious plant which is said to have been cultivated since ancient times. It all started with seeing a little brugmansia tree for the first time - I wasn't sure the flowers would be fragrant so you can imagine my surprise when I smelled them! I got a cutting but it fell prey to spider mites...

Then I found a wild datura among weeds in a deserted piece of land. This one had big white flowers that stood erect instead of hanging down like brugmansia. The fragrance was just as fantastic and it even had a few thorny seedpods.

I collected a pod that had just split open and sowed about 20 seeds. Even though the germination was slow and rather low, I now have a very young plant that's about to bloom.
I am keeping it inside on a southwestern window. I know it prefers as much sun as possible but I am hoping this window willl be just enough for it to bloom inside. I have a southern balcony that it would love but I want it to bloom inside.
It was dropping the flower buds at first but stopped doing that once I increased the fertiliser dosage. Now it seems to be going strong and you can imagine my excitement!

datura01.jpg


datura02.jpg


ps: I am amazed some people would dare eat this plant's parts. Even when I only rub my mouth/nose to smell the leaves, I get a burning/itching feeling; I can't imagine what eating it would do !

ps2: There are a few tomato and watermelon plants next to it, maybe I should remove them :p
 
WOW! This was an old post! Well now years and years later I've grown every species of Datura and several forms formerly classified as species. Now in my experince I've found that Datura are easy and Brugmansia are huge, and seem to attract bugs and viruses. I like Daturas much much better. They are both water hogs however and I usually water them every day to keep up with their needs.
 
Hehe yep, sorry about that. I was about to start a similar thread when I noticed this one in the suggested links part...Didn't notice the date.

I prefer datura as well. There is at least one brugmansia in almost every garden here and some of the are basically trees. I don't have the space for that. Besides I like how datura has a wilder, more weedy look; I have a thing for wild flowers, even the weeds.

I think mine is an Inoxia judging from the pictures, I can't wait for the first bloom...
 
  • #10
I'm partial to Brugmansia myself, especially cultivars like 'Incan Sun' that nearly bloom continually instead of in waves like 'Equador Pink.' They are very heavy drinkers, and heavy feeders too, but those great big fragrant flowers are so impressive, I can't resist!
 
  • #11
Argh, I'm very very disappointed...Unfortunately my datura has dropped the flower buds. I made some research and apparently it might happen due to lack of sunlight, excessive watering or high temperatures. I think in my case it's over-watering because I've been watering it twice a week without waiting for a dry up and it dropped the buds a few hours after I watered...

New buds are growing of course but I was so looking forward to those buds opening, they were the biggest so far. Hope this is a lesson learnt...
 
  • #12
I'm so in love with this plant ! It has such beautiful fragrance, crazy...Too bad the flower lasted only 2 days.

Got my first seedpod as well, can't wait to sow these fresh seeds. I learnt a lesson though, the plant has a large root system and needs a really big pot to thrive.


datura01.jpg


datura02.jpg


By the way, I was so obsessed with it that I actually started to make a drawing of it :) It's not finished yet though, looks like it'll be a while before I can finish it...
The things obsession can do to you!

datdra.jpg
 
  • #13
put it in the biggest pot you can get and water it with gals of water
 
  • #14
Beautiful <3 I have a dozen datura varieties of seeds to try out..can't wait for them to be mature enough to bloom one day...I think i may have a single species of brugmansia..however those haven't been sown yet either :/ Nice job (i know, i know, it's an older thread, but i still like it! ;) )
 
  • #15
I have seeds of the double purple, I think the white like you have there, and in Datura the peachtone. It looks cool, the flowers when they start to open make you think they are going to be yellow and then turn to peach as they open. I may have the yellow Datura somewhere and/or seeds. If you want a cutting of the peach, sing out! Another plant with seed pods on it now I think is the Brug in a darker yellow/almost brown.
 
  • #16
Opps, just saw the Turkey thing. Might be a problem to ship to you.
 
  • #17
I've shipped seeds to many different countries via swaps the last several months, and not only had no issues but been encouraged my my post office clerks lol..its pricey..but takes only a few minutes to fill out the customs slipped labeled "seed packets"...
 
  • #18
any one have any brugmansia cuttings they can shear, used to grow them but lost them one cold night when I was very sick and could not bring them inside
love the red or yellow ones also the orange
 
  • #19
I got a few brug cuttings from a local grower and they rooted in 1 week and have doubled in size in a second week , just had to re pot them to a 1 gal pot , , next week they probably will need a 5 gal pot
I will probably have some cutting to share in June , nice ones also
 
  • #20
Maxima that drawing is beautiful! I need to draw more plants! Mickey, did that cutting I sent you ever make it?
 
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