You are doing great.. I would start a 1/2 strength fert. everytime I watered and not repot them.. no need to transplant shock them 2 times.
and a couple of weeks before you put them in the ground I would go full strenght on the fert..strip them or caefully ease them into the sun.
when you plant use good organic matter in the hole..
Good Luck and pic's!! We love the pic's.. Spring is so exciting!!!
Kylie

Yesterday I sat them in the shade of my truck. There's a lot of other plants in this picture, but the brugs are on the left. As if I had to tell you all that. LOL

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Thanks for the advice. I've got all of those plants in the hoophouse now. It's mostly open, but I covered it with a white bedsheet to keep the sun off them. I hate to strip the leaves, but I know I should. I want to take a few more cuttings of the tender new growth for my cloning machine before I do that though.

Here's a cutting I did back in January. It's one of the ones in the picture up there. I gave another away to a friend who was moving to New Orleans.

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Sounds like great advice..How are you Tom? Long time no see..That cloning machine sounds awesome...Barb

I'm good. Hope the same can be said for you. Your post about potting up actually inspired my questions. I'm terrified of losing another cutting due to mistreatment. I know that's what happened to my kongmansias. I was thrilled to get the cuttings from Eddie this fall. I hope he will have more available in the spring.

The cloning machine is great. Less than 2 weeks I can have a rooted brug. Pineapple sage takes about a week. Going to be trying tomatoes soon. I might even take cuttings during the summer to increase my brug population in the white bed.

Speaking of cuttings, can datura be propagated that way? Or should I just stick with seeds?

Tom I have no idea on that one. Try it for the heck of it..It might just work.....I am sorry for kong..I am so excited for that one..I will have cuttings this fall if I dont kill it..LOL your WS looks like a great year for you..:)

I LOVE the cloning machine! I haven't had time to get one build but it is def on the list!
Everything looks great!! Nice and healthy.. Don't strip if you don't want to ..just take it slow on the sun...

Yea I would love know how to build one...Tom I need to go back to your website...Didnt you have it posted there?

Here is one the Karyn posted a bit back.. I know she has had success with it..
Kylie

Here is a link that might be useful: Cloning Machine

Thanks Kylie :) I will check it out...

I shameless stole ideas from Karyn when I built mine. But I did give her credit when I posted on the propagation forum. The great thing about these is that you can build one any size you want. I made mine a lot larger and use foam hair rollers to hold the cuttings.

Here's the blog post where I built it.

My Homemade Cloning machine

And then I updated it a bit and made the water container smaller. You really don't need one too deep since the water does have to be changed after a couple of weeks.

It works!

I'll be putting it to the test this summer and spring. My datura that I started in Dec looks so good right now, I don't want to chop the top off the see if I can clone it. I may wait until I have others up. The wintersown ones are already sprouting too.

I found more information using google about these. One guy had used a smaller bubble tube, air pump, and heater. He build his to fit a plastic shoebox container. It's the perfect size for the "weed" he was cloning.

One more question. The brugs are in my unheated hoophouse/coldframe right now. Today's temperatures should be in the 80s with 36 overnight. Should I plan to bring them in?

Tom: I tried to root a double purple Datura in standing water and it didn't work.
I can spare 5 or so seeds from the double purple and a double yellow if you want. I have lots of single white seeds from last years crop if you would like some of them too.

Send me an address "( athompsonjr@hot.rr.com )>
princealbert

Your plants are looking good. Sorry about the Kong. The cloning box wasn't my idea. lol I got it off the web. The foam hair rollers sound like a good idea as some cuttings are hard to secure in the expanded clay pellets. The chambers are so easy to make and like Tom said can be any size. I know someone that is really tight for space who made one that's smaller then a shoe box.

Thanks albert, but I have several daturas already. Cloning just seems to be a quicker way to produce a lot of plants. My double yellows are already sprouting outside.

Karyn, I didn't want to overlook you. Glad to know we all use each others' ideas.

When I took my plants out on Saturday, I cut off some firm green growth from a few of the brugs. I put 4 of them in the cloner. Today, they have nubs. Roots should be here by the weekend. About 10 days from cutting, I can pot them up.

That is amazing. Sure would not mind having one of those one day

Lucy

I've really got to get busy. Please let me know how the camellia cuttings work.
I think my project today will be to build one. Maybe 2. I need all the propagating space I can get to feed this "addiction".
Thanks, Linda

hmmm I'm thinkin I need to make me one of them there thingies as well...I was tmpted to do it when Karyn told us about hers, but the clay pellets..dollar store hair rollers I can do. sounds like a good little project for after I finish my pond extension. I HAVE to have projects or I am not a happy girl.

All your seedlings look great..keep up the good work! SOrry to hear about your Kongs..that sux. I am hoping to get a Kong myself once the weather warms up more. I want him so bad. Him and SS make me drool.

All you brug lovers should like this.

On Saturday evening, I took fresh green growth cuttings from the brugs that I moved outside. I took them just where the growth was starting to get really firm. Too soft and they rot in the cloner.

One week later....

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The one on the left is a pineapple sage stuck at the same time. Two of the cuttings have rooted. One, which gets less spray due to where I stuck it in the chamber, has not rooted yet. I moved it to another location and should see roots on it in a week. I use a wee bit of transplant fertilizer in the cloner but no other chemicals.

That's awesome, Tom! Gotta make me one of those!

Theresa

Theresa, they really are easy to build. An air pump, a container, a bubble wand (or two depending on the container), a drill and some water is all you need. I have an aquarium heater in mine that keeps the water temperature at 78 degrees. The basement is too cool for it to work without heat, I think.

Tom this has been the most wonderful informative thread..I just love your blog..:) Thanks for sharing..While I have the extra time I am gonna build one too.. :) Thanks Tom

Go for it. If you have any questions, shoot me an email. I figured it out as I went along, but I tend to be more technically minded than some.

I do wish I could come up with a better method for holding the cuttings. Some things don't like being enclosed in the foam rollers and rot. I've taken to just sticking them in the holes and hoping the leaves hold them up. When the leaves get wet, that causes other issues.

And remember, as with any indoor propagation, sterile medium and tools are VERY important. I clean everything with bleach. I change my water about once a month right now. In the summer when I fill every hole (67 in my current chamber), I'll have to do it once a week.

Great job token! May you continue to succeed. I have no problems in rooting cuttings; it's keeping them from dying once I pot them up.

I've gotten better and the not dying part. I wish I had done that before I ordered the Kongs. I hope eddie has another on eBay this spring.

I just wait now to water once the container is almost completely dry. I don't mind if the larger leaves droop a bit. It solves the rotting issue I was having.

The last of the cuttings has finally rooted. Next week, they'll all go out to the hoophouse which will be shaded with a white sheet. A week later, they'll start receiving morning sun with afternoon shade. I'll bring them back inside if freezing weather threatens.