I have two brugmansia of unknown identity that I got in June of 2002. They
were about 8 inches tall in three inch pots. This year they are huge,
approaching 6 feet tall. They were both wilting terribly so I repotted them
from their 12 inch pots to 18 inch pots (I am in zone 6, so I have to bring
them inside and let them go dormant in the winter.) They still wilt a bit,
but are much better, especially after moving them out of the direct
afternoon sun.

I noticed that one of them started to look a lot more horizontal. They are
growing like weeds, so I thought it might just be from growth. Then it got
more pronounced, and I saw that it had spit near were it comes out of the
soil. The plant in question seems to have formed the typical "Y" very close
to the soil. The plant looks very good and is covered with flowers. The
problem is that where it split, the stems are getting soft and undoubtedly
rotting

I know I have to do something, but I'm not sure what the best approach is.
I am also worried that the rot will continue and the entire plant will be
lost. A few pieces broke off in high winds a few weeks ago and I tried
rooting one in some potting mix and one in water. The one in the soil
rotted. The one in water had the nodes on the stem expand into white bumps,
but no actual roots have formed. It is getting some new leaves, but the
bottom is also rotting a bit and I have to keep cutting it shorter.

Any advice would be appreciated.