Brugmansia Fertilizer and Mites

Question

I recently acquired a 3-ft Brugmansia from my local nursery. They were pretty clueless about how to care for it and didn’t even know what color it’s going to be since the only markings on its tag were that identifying it as a Brugmansia. It has many buds as well as new growth and I’d like to know exactly what NPK ratio I should be looking for in a good fertilizer for my new plant to make sure it gets the optimum nutrition it needs. I noticed a few days after bringing it home that it appears to have some mites, so I doused the Brug (under the leaves as well) with a good spray of water. What spray would you recommend to use in treating pests on Brugmansia? Normally, I use Bayer Natria products but some folks have told me not to use anything containing pyrethrins on this plant. Would appreciate any advice, tips, tricks, etc. you can give me in caring for and treating my Brug. Thank you kindly for your time.

Answer 1

Use liquid fertilizer on your brugmansia 2 -3 times a week. There is conflicting information on its NPK, but using a ratio of 6-10-4 or similar is normally adequate. Spider mites and aphids are among the most common pests of this plant–both of which can be taken care of by treating the plant with neem oil. Here is more information: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/problems/pests/neem-oil-uses.htm