TROPICAL GARDENING: How to grow Brugmansia (Angel Trumpet) in the ground outside.

Q: I recently moved from New Jersey to Florida and I brought with me my Brugmansia that I used to have as a house plant. Can I plant it in the ground now?

A: Angel Trumpet - Brugmansia - is a very popular container plant valued for its large, stunning fragrant flowers. Originated from South America, it will be happy to grow in tropical to subtropical climate outdoors. These are a few useful tips to get the most out of this beautiful plant:
1) Light. Plant it in full sun - the more sun, the more flowers you get, although Brugmansias tolerate shade. If the plant was previously grown in container indoors, to avoid leaf burn, keep it protected with a shade cloth or simply white sheet for a while and gradually open to adjust to full sun.
2) Soil and fertilizer. Use fertile soil with lots of organic matter (add compost to existing soil). It must be very well drained, Angel Trumpet won't tolerate waterlogged conditions. Plant it on a little "hill" elevated 3-4" above the surrounding area. Brugmansias are very heavy feeders. Once the plant is established, fertilize on regular basis with Slow Release Fertilizer - a handful once a month.
3) Water. Water daily until established. Once the root system is well developed, the plant is drought tolerant and won't require too much care. But at the beginning, watch the leaves - the lush foliage droops quickly if the plant is thirsty.
4) Plan space. Brugmansia is a short tree, but it needs a lot of room to spread branches with its heavy hanging flowers. Think 12" wide and maybe almost as much tall.
5) Support. Being widespread plant, Brugmansia can be blown with strong winds. Stake with strong support until established.
6) Propagation. Brugmansia is one of the few plants that propagates with semi-woody cuttings; soft green cuttings usually have little success. Other than that, it is pretty easy!

Check out our Brugmansia collection and... collect them all!

SUNSHINE in a bottle - your help during winter

Q: I have been using your new plant hormone SUNSHINE for plants after shipping, and I must admit it does make a big difference! They recover right away. I order plants online very often, and usually it takes up to a week or more until they start showing new growth. After SUNSHINE treatments, they look fresh within a day or two. My question would be, for improving cold tolerance, what do you recommend? I live in Florida and it is still warm here, should I start spraying my garden now or should I wait until cold spells?

A: SUNSHINE is very effective plant stimulant that helps tropical plants survive different kinds of stress, including cold, heat, drought, low light, etc. At TopTropicals gardens and nursery, we have been using this hormone for many years to protect our plants from unfavorable conditions, and it saved us many rare tender species, and lots of money!
The sooner in Fall you start treatments, the better. Don't wait until cold spell. SUNSHINE works slowly and in very low doses. The mechanism is actually about boosting, building up the plant's own immune system. Low doses once a week, even every other week will work just fine, so you will need very little of the product. For less than $5 you can help expensive rare plants to go through winter painlessly. Recommended application is only 2.5 ml/1 gal of water, to spray every 1-2 weeks throughout winter period.

Start spraying your plants with SUNSHINE now, to help them survive short winter days, build up insect resistance (especially for plants indoors), and what is most important, to remain strong through lower temperatures. These are our suggestions:

- SUNSHINE-T - thermo-protection booster. It is specially formulated for winter protection of tropical plants. To improve cold hardiness even more, spray 1-2 days prior to cold with 5 ml/1 gal solution and after that, continue applications with 2.5 ml/1 gal solution every 10-15 days throughout winter period.
- For large plant collections, and in-ground gardens in subtropical areas, take advantage of very cost effective bulk items 50 ml and 100 ml bottles of SUNSHINE.
- Don't forget that SUNSHINE is only a stimulant, and not a plant food. While regular fertilizer should be avoided during winter months, it is always beneficial to apply microelements through foliar spray. During cooler period, chances of chlorosis increase, because at low temperatures iron is difficult so absorb by roots especially in moist soil, hence iron deficiency! Our new Iron supplement SUNSHINE-Super-Iron microelement booster will help to avoid yellowing leaves and to maintain your plants strong and healthy during slow growth period. Ultra-potent, highly absorbable iron mix, with chelated Iron with DTPA (instead of usual EDTA) that is better soluble in hard water and more effective for chlorosis. This mix contains both EDTA + DTPA chelated iron in higher concentration than regular micro-elements mixes.

See all SUNSHINE booster products in our store. For advanced information on SUNSHINE plant boosters, history of use, formulation, and frequently asked questions, visit our manufacturer's website TTLaboratories.com.

Best plants suitable for containers. Check out our large selection of plants that are easily grown in containers. This week only, 20% off!