On Wed, 06 Aug 2003 17:10:59 GMT, DigitalVinyl wrote:

Anyone growing these (Brugmansia, formerly was datura
meterloides--spelled from memory)

I grow Brugmansia candida, suavolens, versicolor. There is no Brugmansia
meteloides, that would be Datura meteloides.

I've got one growing (all white flower). I seeded it a bit late (May
20th) but it has grow quickly. It bloomed its first flower 3 days ago
but I only got to enjoy it for a day. The plant was wetted down from a
thunderstorm the night after the flower opened. The next day it was
drooping down, mashed closed. After that it started browning
throughout the petal tip and when I touched the 8" petal cone it
separated from the bud.

Yes, flowers of D.meteloides only generally bloom one time in the evening, stay
open till morning when bees come in and pollinate and brown over. Removing the
stem in the axil where the seed pod will produce seed will help the plant to set
more buds.

Is this normal?

Yes.

Are the flowers that short lived or was this because of the rain?
Should I cut the petal-less flower base off to avoid a seed pod and
encourage more growth.

Yes, and yes.


I haven't been fertilizing this much. It is growing in a pot of equal
thirds mix of composted manure, peat & perlite. I've got two more
flowers growing now on it and it looks like a bunch of branches are
starting in the V of each existing branch.

Datura and Brugmansia are heavy feeders if you want them to bloom a lot. Datura
are not AS heavy a feeder as Brugmansia, but you can use Osmocote prills to give
the soil fertilizer each time you water. I only recommend synthetic fertilizers
in container plants. All my Brugmansia are in huge tubs. All datura are in the
ground. They do much better in the ground.


I am hoping to overwinter this plant indoors this year (it is Zone
9-10 I believe) and repot in a tub for next years growth.

Why?

some side info...

We are experiencing occasional torrential downpours (2 inches in an
hour). We have already reached August's average rainfall. This plant
is more sheltered since it is against the house wall facing SW and
under an overhang so it doesn't drown like many of the other plants
do.

This plant has also been attacked twice by bugs chewing the leaves
which is a shame cause they are supple and velvety to touch and very
attractive. One left yellow eggs everywhere and tiny yellow
inch-worms. Another were colorful Orange and black beetles. I think
they were stripped more than dotted. I have been cleaning them off by
hand.

Datura is in the solanacea (nightshade)) family. Tobacco horn worms, tomato
horn worms love this and like it or not, is a host plant for one of the largest
moths on the planet, the sphynx moth, or hawk moth. They are also pollinator
insects and very valuable to have. I let the plants be devoured and in a few
weeks time they are recovered with new foliage.

If you live in the south, you have no need to bring datura inside. They are
root hardy for me in Texas USDA Zone 8b. So are brugmansia root hardy. I like
my brugmansia to get tall, so in 30 gallon tubs, in the greenhouse they go
every winter. They do bloom all winter in the greenhouse and it smells like a
perfumery in there!

You may get a lot out of www.nativehabitat.com

There is a lot of information there.