If you have a basement, just cut them back, put the root ball in a plastic bag and set them in your basement. Water only every couple of months and they will go dormant. In the spring, bring them out into the light, plant them in the ground or into a large pot, and they will take off. In our zone, they come back from the roots anyway, so as long as you keep the rootball above freezing it should be ok.

Thanks for your reply...I didn't even think of using the basement. Does it matter if it's heated?

:)

Hey Peaseblossom, where in Colorado? Me too! I overwintered my brugs in a growing state in the basement in a corner window under lights, and was rewarded with peach versicolor flowers all winter. My only issue was that spider mites do like to live on the plants indoors and occasional sprayings were necessary.
It would be fun to connect if you're in the Denver metro area.

I am also in zone 5 but in Michigan. I have succesfully over wintered in the basement before, but am wondering if these can be brought in and kept alive in my family room that gets a lot of sun. Does any one know - do they need to go dormant. My only concern is that the winter indoor heat is so dry.

Hello TCharles53,

Yes, I believe they do much better in the Spring if you keep them going (as well as possible) during the Winter.

No, they do not need to go dormant.

You may need to treat monthly with a systemic so you are not afflicted with a spidermite invasion in mid-late Winter.

Wildcat

Hi everyone,

Now that it's really getting down to the wire, I was wondering if it would be possible to dig up my brugs, clean off the roots and then place them in a bucket of water (like the bucket rooting method, but with roots already present).

The reason I ask is because I would like to try to keep them going over the winter, but I do not want to bring a pot (soil and all) indoors.

When I received these cuttings I rooted them in a bucket of water and they leafed out indoors in low light conditions...so I wonder if I can just store them like that this time, with roots. Love to hear your input!

Thanks:)

Hi Peaseblossom! What a cute name!!

Brugs should have a dormant period. I have been told it lets them rest. They are very prone to spider mites, too....Plus, you will have room so you can keep more....LOL.....I will be keeping mine in my basement....I will keep them dormant by taking anything they grow off....

As for digging up a brug and sticking it in water......I don't think so....It just don't sound right.....More experienced ones might let you now, but I have never heard of anyone doing that....

Good Luck to you!!!! :-)

Thanks LucyGoose, the name is from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream (a fairy)! :)

If I let the brugs go dormant will the new green shoots that grew this year die?

Thanks for your help:)

Well, if mine DO start to grow anything, I will be picking it off so it WILL stay dormant....I want tons of blooms next year! LOL

Have a great day!!

Peaseblossom, I wouldn't recommend storing your brug in water over the winter months if it's been in the dirt prior.
It's like water logging the plant with water while in dirt.
We folks in the north have to think about over wintering and should keep them dormant. To keep a plant growing 24/7/365 days out of the year will stress the plant. Stressing a brugmansia is not health and the goal is to keep them health so the virus or fungal problems do not show up. New green growth over a season should be fine except if you see SB and then that plant needs to be distroyed. SB is another reason to inspect your plant daily and some of us have found to do so a tree shape form is the best to get a close look!

Karmahappytoes, thanks for the response...I wasn't aware that Brugs go dormant in their natural environments, because so many tropical/sub-tropical plants that I am familiar with grow year-round without any stress. I will keep this in mind. What is SB?

Peaseblossom, I'm so sorry. SB/Stem Blight/Stem Rot There is also a fungal disease going around.

What a neat site! I received 2 passalongs this spring which are now about 5-6' tall. What do you all think my chances are of overwintering them in place? I've taken cuttings, but these are so big and full that I would hate to lose them!

achinback, I would dig them up to over winter inside if you want to save them.

Thank you Karmahappytoes, I will take your advice--grumpily :-) -- because I was really hoping to avoid the whole chore. This is the sort of situation that gives new meaning to my nickname!

Many of my brugs were in half barrels this year and I was pleasantly surprized how easy they were to dig up with a nice root ball. I was afraid they would have made very woody aggressive root systems but my tiling spade made short work of it and they are all in 3 gal nursery pots in the basement and the big tops in a 'bucket o brugs' set up.
Last year I toted them down in 5 gal pails and the 3's are much easier. Now if I can only quit getting more new ones....yeah like thats gonna happen - lol

The only way there is stress on brugmansia is when it is not happy with its environment. Like other kinds of semi-tropicals Brugs just naturally go into a semi-dormancy state during the winter months. They do not naturally go into total dormancy and total winter dormancy is not needed to grow a healthy brug.
But ... If you live in a cold climate and you have to choose between total dormancy or trying to keep the plant healthy all winter in a stressful growing environment, choose dormancy. You do not want your brug to suffer all winter in cold wet drippy conditions and/or frequent freezes and thaws. This is the ultimate stress! It is guaranteed that you will eventually get a disease of some kind in these conditions. If you live in a cold climate and can afford to maintain an environmentally controlled ghouse all winter then go for it. Your brugs will still flower in the semi-dormant state.