DATURA CULTIVATION
I am certainly no expert on this subject, far from it really. I have grown plants my entire life, but this is my first season with Datura and Brugmansia.
However, I have learned a thing or two since I started that may prove useful to some of you that are new to growing datura.
STARTING SEED
I have tried soaking, not soaking, peeling and not peeling, bright light, indirect light and no light at all to germinate datura seeds.
I have found that for me putting them as deep as they are thick in seed starting mix in plastic cups, in ziplock bags and then exposing them to bright light at between 70-80 degrees seems to work best for me. I mist them when they start drying out, and yes they can dry out even in a ziplock.
I have also learned not to give up on them for a long time, so far I have had Goree Island and Inoxia seeds pop up after 5 months, in seed starting cells and in cups in ziplocks.
As soon as they shed the seed shell I remove them from the ziplock and mist them a few times a day for a couple days so they can adjust to the lower humidity.
After that I start exposing them to direct sunlight slowly until they tolerate as much sun as I plan on giving them in their permanent spot.
I kept a few D. stramonium in these cups as an experiment to see how big of container is needed for them to produce flowers. I found they will flower and produce seed even in a small cup, I had one bloom in a seed starting cube as a matter of fact, they just stay real small.
I found the info below while surfing and thought it interesting. It is totally opposite of much of what I have read about germinating these seeds.
Reisman-Berman, O.; J. Kigel and B. Rubin (1990) Short soaking in water inhibits germination of Datura ferox L. and D. stramonium L. seeds. Weed Research 29, 357-363.
Tests have also shown that Datura seeds can stay viable for many years. One test claims a 90% germination rate after 39 years in storage (Heiser 1969:140).
PLANTING
After they get 3 sets of true leaves I dig as big as hole as is practical to plant them in with full sun exposure. I have read they don't transplant well, but so far I haven't lost one from it, and I've been pretty brutal with some of them.
Like pulling some out of the potting mix that were almost a foot tall and sticking them in the ground, they moped around for a day or two but then it was right back to growing.
I have also read many places they don't take much water, for me this hasn't proven true, some of mine wilt badly in the full sun if dry. I suspect its because I spoiled them as far as water goes while they were seedlings.
Next season I am going to see if I can get them to adapt to much dryer conditions and see if my wilting problem is due to the fact I got them used to being watered all the time, or if thats just how they are in this environment.
Most of my datura and brugmansia holes consist of 4-8 cu. ft. of this mix.
3/4 black top soil from the forest
1/4 of cheap potting mix(sand, peat and perlite) with a few more shovels of sand mixed in.
To this I add well composed cow manure, chicken manure, lime and bone meal.
I switch between fertilizers, one week I will use Miracle-Grow the next week fish emulsion.
I also use epsom salt once a month as a supplement.
Some of my datura patches get sprayed for pests and others do not. On the ones I have sprayed I have used Orthenex and Neem.
I am sure most of this is far from ideal for datura but mine seem to be doing alright so far. Next year I won't be getting as extreme with the datura holes, not because I'm lazy, even though I can be at times lol, but because at least for some its simply not needed.
I found that the D. stramonium and D. inoxia I planted in the clay that was removed from my main datura holes are doing even better than many of the ones I spent all the time on, and I planted my small rejects in the clay. Next year I will try other species to see if I get similar results, I suspect it has something to do with ph and or water retention.
Well thats pretty much how it all happens here in The Ghost Garden, as far as Datura is concerned anyway.
I created this site as a starting point for others with the same interest and also so I would have a one stop information source when it comes to researching these sacred and interesting plants.
On the last page you will find links to the real experts in this field, from scientifical works to the historical and spiritual side of Datura.
Take Care and Be Safe!
StormWalker & The Ghost Garden Crew
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