Help, please

My double white datura hasn't made any seeds so far and we will soon be getting a frost here in NE Ohio > 2 questions
1. It is planted in the soil. Can I dig it up and pot it and bring it in to a glass room?
2. I would like to take a cutting...just in case....so how is that done?
any help would be deeply appreciated as datura's are new to me and this was the first year I grew things from seeds.
Sincerely...gammy3

Hi,

Yes you can dig it up. The night before you want to dig it up, water it very well. The next morning dig it up. Start digging about 6 inches away from the main trunk and go about a half to a foot deep. Ideally, you want to plant it in a pot that is 2 inches all around, larger than the root ball. Put some potting mix, preferably not soil, but a peat based mix in the bottom of the pot then put the root ball on top of that and fill in the gaps on the side with more potting mix and water. It may take it a few days to get over being dug up so if it starts to wilt don't panic and don't add more water. Keep the soil moist but NOT wet.

Take cuttings like you would do any other plant. You can either stick the cutting in water or push it into moist but not wet potting mix.

Since datura is so easy to grow from seed, you'd be better off just starting over again. Start the seeds in January and place the tray you are starting them on on a heating pad set on low and cover with plastic wrap. Keep an eagle eye out that you don't start getting mold or mildew on the top. If that happens, remove the plastic. Again, you want the potting mix to be moist but not wet. Once they have sprouted, put them in a South facing window to grow. If the room gets below 65 degrees at night, be prepared for them to act like they are comotose and not grow. You might also want to put a fan in the room set on low pointed at an adjacent wall to keep air moving so you won't get mold.

Next year, when you start getting flowers, you will need to shake the whole plant gently a few times a day when the flower are present. It's really unusual not to get pods. Check out this site for more information on datura pods.

http://www.xeramtheum.com/Daturaseeds.htm

X

Xeramtheum, thank you ever so much for the info...I've printed it out so I will always know. Your site on the Datura is the BEST.
Now, I've been sent some Brug seeds. Will I treat them in the same way as a datura for planting? (Should I even try them? I have the heat pads and the lights and a room to winter them in...just not too much luck or an awfully black thumb. I planted 5 B seeds last Feb and none germinated. I planted about anywhere between 50-60 Datura seeds and had 10 plants. Oh, by the way...my white D does have 2 gumball-sized seed pods on it We had a really hard rain yesterday and afterwards I went out and looked around and found the 2.. Now I just have to hope we don't have a frost till way after our 1st frost date. If we do have one, do you think covering the plant would allow the seeds to continue to develop? The pods just don't look quite big enough yet they are big gum ball sized but not quite ping pong ball sized.
Anyway...thanks loads for your info on moving and making cuttings
Helen

Hi Helen,

You may not be aware that there is a brugmansia forum. I did a search and came up with some links.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/556655/

There is a link in that thread as well

http://www.brugmansias.net/seedstarting.htm

If you have a South facing window that gets good sun all day and the room doesn't get below 50 degrees at night, I'd start them now. Brug seeds in my experience keep well.

X