Hi everyone! Hoping maybe IslandShari or Tropicman can help me. When do C. fistulas bloom? Also have had Queen of the NIght (night blooming Cereus) or Dragonfruit growing well for few years now, but no bloom or fruit? Are they still immature or need fertilizing? One more-- Do Angel Trumpets go dormant at times. All my trees are doing well except him. Any ideas out there? Thank you!
? Tropical Blooms
C. fistula is a summer bloomer. Queen of the night goes in June and July. How large are those plants, are they blooming size? Angel trumpets also tend to be summer bloomers, but because of all the hybridization there are some that may bloom off & on all year if the temps are warm enough. Angel trumpets are pretty susceptable to pests, particularly mites, so you may want to check that.
Aloha DebSTX !
We only get 7 inches of rain a year here (if we are lucky) so I haven't noticed a flush on the Angels (Brugmansia) because of rain, as Chrissy has. They never go dormant for us here in Hawaii, in fact they get to be large trees - Carol has some beauties over there on the Big Island, and she gets lots of rain! My poor babies have to do with a sprinkler system, but I have found that HEAVY feeding does the trick for me to bring on flushes.
You didn't memtion if your Brug had formed a Y yet? They will not bloom until they have that Y.
I belong to a couple of Brug forums, and people who grow them in very hot summer areas say they do better in the fall, when it's a little cooler. Our temps are pretty consistant here, usually in the 80's year round, so I have no experience in that area.
Popper1 is certainly right about them being bug magnets! Because of our dryness I have a constant battle with spider mites. Hate them critters! Makes my plants look sort of grayish instead of vibrant green when they attack.
Do try feeding them once a week, give them plenty of water, and let us know if it works for you!
Hi Debstx,
What zone are you in,might help and your general location as well.
My C.Fistulis has yet to bloom,and about 10ft tall now,I heard in Californy they usually bloom heavy in springtime and a little flush in the fall.
My brugs usually bloom every 6 weeks intervels,more so when the nights get a little cooler,very heavy feeders as well for me,and you can not give them enough water in the summertime.
It took about 4 to 5 years before my Queen of the night bloomed for the first time,and nows does in the sping and the fall.
Hi DebSTX! Welcome to Tropical Gardening! I agree completely with everything stated so far. Queen's are particularly stubborn about sharing their beauty...when someone on island has a bloom, we throw a party. That night.... we may not get another chance to see it for a while. So be patient. And if your winters are typical NY winters...get them inside before first frost.
Popper1 - Welcome to you as well! Hope you both enjoy your time here in the Garden as much as we do!
wow! You guys are so nice. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. Just came down to my compound on St. Croix, found my poor little Trumpet plant dead as a door nail. Thanks Tropicman. My C. fistulas are about 40 feet, healthy. Explains my blossom problem since I'm not here in the summer. Got another one for you. What in the hell kind of Cassia is this? Is a small tree. Leaves very distinct, only two pair. First pair uneven, curved slightly toward each other. Was told by one fairly reliable source that it is a C. quinquangulata or W. Indies Cassia. Can't verify it anywhere.
Closer shot for you.. Braveheart, can relate to your water problem. Hard depending on rainwater for everything. Didn't know about the "Y" thingy with the trumpet flower. Sort of like Frangipanis? Anyways, was gray like you said, maybe the mite thing as well as lack of water. Also, think I'm zone 11 like you and Shari.
This message was edited Jan 26, 2008 11:40 PM
Deb,
The closest I've found to compare it to,is,Cassia Corymbosa,known as flowering senna
from Argentina.
Nope. Don't think so Trop. Found only one book that even mentions quinquangulata and they even spelled it wrong. But they did say it was closely related to C. nitida which is a native of the W. Indies where I live, and I have seen three of them here on the island. Just got to get a close-up pic of the leaflets. Doesn't seem like it should be this hard...know what I mean?
I have the book Tropica first edition by A.B. Graf,that show pics of all the cassias,with flowers,and it shows a few with there leaves,yours are clusters ,while most of cassias
have panicle flowers,or hang down like grapes,but only a very few have the small cluster like yours,some trees flower with no leaves then put on leaves after flowering,there is also a pink and white variety,in the west Indies,called rainbow,have you seen this one?
Aloha. We have the rainbow here, it's quite a common tree and it's a beautiful sight in flower.
Jenny,to you have a yellow too?
Yes, we have the yellow growing here too, although I don't have either in the garden. I have wanted a rainbow for the longest time because there are supposed to be sterile and not seed all over the place.
Yep,that would be the one I would want too!!!