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An overview of Brugmansia
There are essentially three ways to grow brugmansia, from seed, by cuttings and by air layering. Using brugmansia seeds is a simple and easy way to grow these great plants, but obviously it takes a little time and requires some planning. A quick word about the brugmansia plant, for those of you who don't know it as a shrub, they are often referred to as Angel's Trumpets, have pendulous trumpet like flowers, alternate leaves and can reach heights of 11 meters. A very important fact about brugmansia plants, they are poisonous. All parts of the plant are toxic if ingested by livestock, pets or humans, so it is not a recommended shrub if you have animals, or children who are likely to try and eat this plan.t As long as you are careful, you can enjoy the flowers on the brugmansia as they are what make the plant so popular, they are simply stunning. The flowers, which may be single or double, are yellow, white, orange, pink, or red, and have a light, attractive scent with lemony overtones, which is most noticeable in the early evening.
Using Brugmansia seeds to propagate Brugmansia
Brugmansia seeds look like small beans, with a cork like covering which you can either leave on or remove prior to planting. It is a good idea to soak the seeds prior to removing the cover as this will aid germination. If you take the cover off the seeds, they will germinate and sprout more quickly than with the cover in place. It is best to propagate your seeds in small pots first, planted about half an inch deep in a mixture of peat and sand. The seeds should germinate within two to four weeks, and you need to leave them until they have their second leaves, at which point you can gently lift the seedlings, and re-pot them individually in well-draining soil. Then, they need to be placed in an area with indirect light. You should have a flowering plant within 12 to 18 months, which considering how some species are 6 to 8 feet tall is quite incredible. Be careful to watch the water intake of your brugmansia, they need a lot of water.
Finding brugmansia seeds for sale
The most important piece of information you need to know about any brugmansia seeds is how they were pollinated. If you collect seeds from a friends' garden it is unlikely that your plant will grow to be like the parent, the seeds have probably been open pollinated. There is a whole community of growers trying to grow the next best brugmansia hybrid; it is worth experimenting with growing your own brugmansia seeds and plants to see what new hybrid you can produce. If you want to grow a particular brugmansia, such as the popular hybrid sanguinea (red angels trumpets), then you need to buy brugmansia sanguinea seeds from a nursery or specialist grower, as any other source will not have the properly pollinated seeds. For around $21, you can get 500 of the Red Angel variety and other varieties can cost from as low as $4 to as high as $14 for a hundred brugmansia seeds.
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Author Bio Box: Patricia Wainwright
Get all the facts about seeds and organic gardening at GreenThumbArticles.com!
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