Hi,
Any tips on starting a brug from seeds? I got a pack of seeds and a few weeks ago I planted some and so far nothing is happening... I tried to see if I could sprout the seeds like you can do with morning glories, beans, and other plants but again no luck... I know its probably late to start from a cutting (which years ago I did ) but I would like to try from seeds this year... or I will have to make a trip to logee's and buy one... just want one this year!!!!

thanks

Kassia,
Brug seeds are encased in a corky coat. Sometimes, if the pistil didn't receive enough pollen, the corky coat may not contain a seed. It may be that some of your "seeds" may not have contained an embryo. I like to peel the corky coat off so I know how many seeds I start off with. Brug seeds may take anywhere from a few days to several months to germinate. The older the seed the longer it may take to germinate. They need light to germinate and should be barely covered or just pressed into the growing media to get good soil/seed contact. The seeds need high air humidity, but the growing media needs to be barely moist. Too much water in the growing media will lead to rot. Starting with naturally sterile growing media or sterilizing the media you use also helps prevent damp-off and other rot problems.

Without knowing exactly how you handled the seed, It's hard to tell what has gone wrong. If you still have seed, try starting with a sterile growing media, soak the seed for 24 hours, barely moisten the growing media, press the seed onto it, tent the pots and place them under a grow light. Above all, be patient. It may take a while them to germinate.

It is not too late to start plants from cuttings. Spring is one of the best times to root cuttings. I wish I could help you with cuttings, but I lost most of my Brugs last year and what I have left are still very small and tender, but may another member will offer some cuttings for postage. If you can make it to Logee's, you have some choices. You might try some sellers on this list:
I would be leery of buying from anyone on e-Bay. I didn't recognize the sellers currently offering plants.

Veronica,
thanks so much for your reply! I still have some seeds but will check on the DG as you suggested... good to know I can still start from a cutting!

I went to Logees once and I just want to live there next door and work there!!!! I just could not believe that place... ]]

Thanks again!!!!

I have luck with my seed just soaking for a couple of hours, then peal the cork off then you know for sure if you have a seed, out of a batch od 29 seeds last year there were only 10 with a seed. I start mine in those little seeds pods that you soak, and let them expand then just poke the seed in, when they grow you plant the whole thing and doesn't disturb the roots. you can buy them at Wal-Mart.or any place that sells the potting soil.

Doris,
I've never had much success with those Jiffy pots because they are peat based. Peat tend to hold too much water and my seeds tend to mold and rot. How many of your 10 seeds made it to the stage that they could be transplanted. I've had much better success with rock wool, Root Riot, Park's pugs, and coir based media in descending order. Some of the seeding media come pre-sterilized or are naturally sterile. This helps germination. Rock Wool gave me the best germination rate — almost 100%. Root Riot was a close second.

But for the most part, I have given up trying to start seeds. I've tried starting seeds at different times of the year, but with few exceptions, the seedlings fall prey to the millions of grasshoppers that show up early spring and don't disappear until the first hard freeze. Established mature plants may come back but seedlings never do.

I found a seed today from the 9 that I planted!!!! I am so excited!!!! I planted and lets see!!!!
I found a site called Valleygrow.com - they are in FL and they have cuttings.
I am actually going to Logees with a fellow gardener and I will get a Sanguinea and Equador Pink... I love their plants!!!

I loved when I got my first brugs... it was so fun to have them... I remember taking care of them all winter and planting them in 2007... I will save cuttings this fall and have it for next year... even if I don't have the room to bring inside for the winter...

I will let you know the results with the seed!!!

BettyDee I had 8 out of 10 seeds make it, after I soak those "pots" until they swell then I let them sit for several hours befor placing the seed in, then I cover with plastic film, and do not water any more until I see a sprout. seems to work for me.

Oh I planted right away yesterday... oh I hope it goes ok... live and learn! I will actually open all the other seeds/things remaining in the pack and see!!!!

Kassia,
I have not heard good things about Valleygrow. I'm also leery of buying from e-Bay sellers because I don't recognize the greatest majority of them A few of the reliable sellers from whom I have purchased cuttings are no longer selling. With the seller, 7servant7, you don't get what you paid for.

Here are the names of a few Brug plant sellers that I know are reliable:
Liz, arghyagardens, does, but she doesn't sell cuttings only plants. She has a few for sale on e-Bay now. She sells mostly seeds.

JT sold his Brug nursery to someone, but I don't know what the new buyer has to offer or what the business is called now. I just noticed that JT has a few Brug plants for sale on e-Bay. He sells under the name: countrygdn.

Fred Sommers also sells plants and sells under the name sommergardens

I hope this helps.

I definately do not recoment 7servant7 I have been misled by that co too many times, last time I told them I would not report anything nicer about them at all, they did not answer.

Thanks Veronica & Doris!!!

It does help!!! I will stick with Logees then... they are expensive but at least I will choose the plant... I hope to go soon!

Hi Kassia..
Logees is a great trip ... Just returned a few weeks ago... when you go you can get plants that they wouldn't ship... being too big... if you were closer .. you could drop by here and take some away..
seeds are fun... a bit slow to see flowers from... but a great chance at something new .. never before seen in the brug world..
another to add to veronicas list of dealers you might try would be Alice... At http://www.karcheskycanna.com/
she has some great brugs... lots of her own... and plenty from Monica and some European growers
As a resident of Framingham for a couple of years when I was about 5.. then we moved to Fayville.. I feel we should get you going as best we can... we do try to help everyone out though..
I just cut the roof off 1/2 of the cool room yesterday... sun 1/2 a day now... and some from the skylight on the other side.. and a closer tie to the temperatures and humidity of the outside... the humidity inside is 16% today... down from the 80% I had with the roof on... there's a adjustment alone for them to get used to.. in preperation for being planted outside...

Hi Gordon!
I can't believe the size of those brugs... goodness gracious! they are huge!!!
I have been to Logees once and fell in love with the place... saw some huge plants and fell in love with the passion flower vines, elephant ears and got few plants that I ended up killing! so sad... but I am counting on my friend Deb going with me there some time soon. She usually gets geraniuns for her mom and I will definitely go with her so I can get a brug - a sanguinea and maybe also a pink one... another thing I want this year is a passion flower vine (hardy one!!!)

So you lived in my beloved Framingham... I have been here so long it's really home... do you ever come back for a visit??? if you do please stop by... it would be a pleasure to see you... and my plants would love to see you also

I have a love-hate relationship with seeds... in the dead of the winter I love to see any kind of growth, so I start things inside... then I get a bit in a hurry to put all outside and kill the plants... oh I need to wait a bit longer now to plant other things but I have tons of Lupines, foxgloves and hollyhocks that are about 2 in tall and they are my joy at the moment... also I am dividing things up to just make my garden more of a perennial garden than anything... I have so many dreams for my garden... I will plant some daturas in front of the house so they can seed and come back every year... I used to have some purple ones that were really pretty... sowing seeds very soon...

I haven't been in NY in a long time... every time I think of going I think twice! my car has Red Sox plates and I fear getting in trouble ... once I drove to Buffalo and a yankee fan decided to tail gate me and it scared the living lights out of me so I really think about it...

Kassia,
B. sanguinea belongs to the "cool" growing group of Brugs. This group really, really dislikes temperatures above the mid to low 80s. Anything over 72ºF, they stop producing buds and start losing any buds and flowers they may have formed. Temperatures greater than the upper 80s and you lose the entire plant. If you have San Francisco type weather — 70s to low 80s during the day and cool to cold nights — then B. sanguineas will grow well and bloom for you. Otherwise, then I suggest you do what most of us do — turn green with envy and enjoy the posted photos.

Really???? oh I will be so unhappy if I spend the money and it dyes on me... darn it.... I wanted a sanguinea because its from Brazil... oh I am happy I have not gotten one yet...but they would love my house in the winter... specially my bedroom... it never goes above 70... I love a cold room... maybe I can have one in the winter!

Thanks so much Veronica... I will look at the others... I am going to Logees next Sunday... my summer here will get above 80... so I guess I will get the yellow one I used to have... I will look for a pic...but I wish I could get a pink one... oh well, it's life!

Thanks again...

Kassia... yes.. as Veronica said.. the sang will be unsuitable there.. it's much to bothered by higher temperatures..

i haven't been back to visit lately.. when
i was last there.. about nothing had changed.. now it looks compleatly different..
I cruse down the streets in Google earth street view .. it's fun to see everything.... even after moving I worked there in high school.. I caddied at the coutry club for years from jr high .. then I worked at a service station fixing things and pumping that $0 .29 / gal gas.. in the kitchen and as a bus boy at the 1812 house in framinghm center.. and at a drugstore there.. behind the counter.. and out in the falcon delivering scripts.. If i get to the next planed tour to the area.. I'll see about a visit.. and if you come in to the city with your red sox plates.. [ you'll have no problem ] come by for the tour of the roof garden.. and your complementary beverage and mandatory bunch of cuttings/plants.. thanks..
here's a picture for your enthusiasm .. I've lots of brugs.. as well as a bunch of passion flowers.. I'll send you seeds of that passion flower if you like.. it should be overwintered inside here I believe.. yes.. some of the ones in the cool room are big... at about 8-9 ' tall ..

Oh Gordon, I am coming to visit you and you have to come here too!!!! Do you have family here???

I would love to see your roof garden... wow... so all your brugs are in big huge pots and you keep them inside your house??? you have a great view of the city! looks really cool!

I love that passion flower ... gorgeous... I tried some seeds this year but nothing so far... according to pack I got is called Amore and is hardy on zone 6... but so far no sprouts...

https://lh6.googleusercontent....

That's a picture of my brug in 2007... I loved it!!!!

BettyDee said:Kassia,
Brug seeds are encased in a corky coat. Sometimes, if the pistil didn't receive enough pollen, the corky coat may not contain a seed. It may be that some of your "seeds" may not have contained an embryo. I like to peel the corky coat off so I know how many seeds I start off with. Brug seeds may take anywhere from a few days to several months to germinate. The older the seed the longer it may take to germinate. They need light to germinate and should be barely covered or just pressed into the growing media to get good soil/seed contact. The seeds need high air humidity, but the growing media needs to be barely moist. Too much water in the growing media will lead to rot. Starting with naturally sterile growing media or sterilizing the media you use also helps prevent damp-off and other rot problems.

Without knowing exactly how you handled the seed, It's hard to tell what has gone wrong. If you still have seed, try starting with a sterile growing media, soak the seed for 24 hours, barely moisten the growing media, press the seed onto it, tent the pots and place them under a grow light. Above all, be patient. It may take a while them to germinate.

It is not too late to start plants from cuttings. Spring is one of the best times to root cuttings. I wish I could help you with cuttings, but I lost most of my Brugs last year and what I have left are still very small and tender, but may another member will offer some cuttings for postage. If you can make it to Logee's, you have some choices. You might try some sellers on this list:
http://davesgarden.com/product...
I would be leery of buying from anyone on e-Bay. I didn't recognize the sellers currently offering plants.

I wish I could help out but I have given away about twenty this spring, ranging from three footers down to a few inches. When I think I have more than enough to share I seen to always run short. -David

Kassia... well you're welcome anytime.. I've dozens you could get a cutting of if you were to make the trip.. I bet some might still bloom for you there this fall... there might also be something rooted that I'd stuck in the dirt when they were broken off in planting out.. perhaps something even more sure to bloom this summer..
no..no family there aboutsit was just my parents and they all moved some years ago....I get back there sometimes... in 20014 I'm sure to be there for my high school reunion... if they are having one.. for our big anniversery... I went to Algonquin the regional HS for North and South boro... Living in Fayville through out.. Loved the area .. and keep up with it to some extent on Google street view.. lets you go down the roads if if you were walking/driving.. and seing the houses.. and sometimes activity in the front yards... people loading the autos or cutting the lawn... kids playing.. it's fun to see the changes..

Thanks David! I could not start any from seeds... tried almost 20 seeds... nothing... I ordered one form select seeds and hope it will come soon!

Gordon, I am looking for a job, had 2 interviews and I am waiting... if things does not go ok, I will try to go and visit you. I have a friend whose brother works in Manhattan at Hugo Boss and she is going to visit her brother so I will probably go with her and I will let you know... this way maybe we can see each other and I will be able to see your gorgeous plants... oh it will be a treat for me... My thing this year is to really get a starting brug so I can have it inside! I saw some this weekend at a plant sale but the guy only had white and yellow... I want a pink one this time... I almost got it, but I am waiting for mine to arrive from select seeds... I love their plants!!!!

Ah roses are beginning to bloom... I am so happy this year everything is huge! I gave every plant milorginite and wow it's really great... I love it!