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Care & Cultivation of Fuchsias By Harold Ford Many grow at high altitudes in cloud forests where they enjoy cool, moist conditions in humus rich soils with good drainage. Remember this when growing fuchsias in your garden. In the Southern Hemisphere, in temperate and cool climates, fuchsias flower from October to May which makes them one of the longest flowering plants around. Fuchsias are generally said to be upright, bush or trailing types. Position: Fuchsias like a dappled shade, wind protected position, which receives morning sun. They like high light conditions without direct sun in summer and full sun during the day in winter. They need free draining soil and like a humid atmosphere like the cloud forests. Protection from summer sun, hot winds and winter frosts will prolong the life of the plant. Shade in- ground plants, mulch well and wet the mulch on very hot days. In extreme condition move pots and baskets into a garage or covered space. Fuchsia Forms: Fuchsia flowers have a tube, sepals and corolla. All fuchsias have one tube and four sepals so they are defined by the petals in the corolla The fuchsia forms are defined as: Single: 4 petals in the corolla Semi Double: 5-7 petals in the corolla Double: 8 or more petals in the corolla Gardeners new to growing fuchsias could begin with easy to grow single cultivars. The large doubles, which look so beautiful in baskets may be a challenge but have a go! After success with easy to grow plants, move to other cultivars Containers: Grow fuchsias in containers such as pots, tubs or baskets for the trailing type These can be kept in a shade house of 50% to 70% shadeclot( white shadecloth works well)) or a suitable place of dappled shade in your garden. Container growing means plants can be relocated during extremes of heat or cold. Fuchsias are heavy feeders so use a regular potting mix or better and add slow release fertilizer on a regular basis. Water crystals can be added in dry times. Liquid fertilizer can be added as a supplement during the growing period. In Ground: Grow fuchsias in the ground on the Eastern side of the house, fence or shrubbery to get morning light and reduce summer heat damage. They appreciate well-composted, friable soil and regular fertilizing. They do best in soil which is neutral to slightly acid. Pruning: Pruning of established plants can begin in July in warmer frost free areas or Autumn and Spring in cold areas or wait until frosts have passed. Fuchsias benefit greatly from pruning because next season’s blooms only grow from new branches. Prune older plants by half to a new node keeping a balanced framework inside the shape of the basket or container for even growth next season. Masses of Blooms: To create a compact, bushier plant with more flowers simply ‘pinch out’ the new shoots during the growing phase of the plant (Sept to October). Once a new shoot has formed three sets of leaves, pinch out the first set to create two new branches. Two new branches will form at this point to double the number of flowers on the plant. These new branches may also be pinched out and so on and so on but stop pinching out eight to ten weeks before you need the plant to flower. Pinching out is also done to create shape and balance in the plant. Cuttings strike readily, Cuttings can be taken at any time but Autumn and Spring generally give the best results. A growing tip with two or three pairs of leaves makes a good cutting. Use a commercial propagating mix such as Debco but a good homemade mix is 5 parts regular potting mix, 4 parts sharp river sand and I part coirpeat. Cuttings should root in four to six weeks depending on conditions. Allow the cuttings to harden off for a week or so. Pot the cutting on into a small pot then continue to pot on to a one size larger pot until the plant is in a 200ml to 300ml pot; it can stay there for some years if properly nurtured. Plant out in the garden before this ( say 100ml pot) if the plant is vigorous and growing conditions are good. Growing on: Fuchsias propagated from cuttings in Autumn can be grown through the winter with protection to produce flowers in Spring and Summer. Pot on, using a good potting mix, each time the white new roots reach the sides of the pot until the Fuchsia is in a 200ml pot or basket. Pinch out the new growth to develop more new stems on which the flowers will develop. Resist the temptation to move too quickly to the next sized pot, as growth will be better if the plant is a little pot bound. After the final potting up, the plant can be left to come into flower in a shade house or sheltered spot with filtered light but not full shade as it will not flower well and will become lanky. Watering: Fuchsias need to be kept damp but not WET . Over watering is more likely to kill a plant than pests or diseases. Keep the soil just moist through the year and avoid plants drying out. Cover or move the plants in very heavy rainy weather. As fuchsias generally grow in cloud forests they like humidity. In hot weather a light spray over the leaves once or twice a day is helpful. In very hot weather place pots/ baskets together on the ground on a shaded mulched garden or shade house and wet the mulch, This will provide the humidity the plants need to stop them drying out. In ground plants can be shaded and the roots protected by covering with cardboard or a heavy mulch and again wet the mulch. If the leaves droop do not water, as the plant will most likely revive in the evening. Fertilizers: Fuchsias are big feeders and to have a big strong healthy plant with lots of lush growth and big blooms they need lots of nutrients and in the correct proportions. Late winter, early Spring is a good time to commence feeding your plants with slow release fertilizers such as Osmocote and Green Jacket; the 8-9 month type with N=19 P=4 and K=8.3 . An addition of blood and bone and well-rotted animal manure is an advantage. Alternate foliar fertilizing with Nitrogen based such as Charley Carp or Nitrosol and Pot Ash based such as Phostogen. This will assist both leaves and flowers to develop. A weak solution of fertilizer is better than a strong or full strength solution. A weak solution of Seasol watered over the leaves will strengthen the leaves and help them to resist diseases and extremes of weather. Do not over fertilize; a little, more often, is better than too much at once. Pests and Diseases: Fuchsias are not overly troubled with pests and diseases unless you keep a lot of fuchsias altogether. Aphids, white fly, caterpillars and red spider mite are the pests most likely to affect fuchsias. One method is to separate fuchsias or use a safe systemic Confidor . Other sprays include Pyrethrum and Carbaryl. The most prevalent disease is Rust and this can be a problem. Mancozeb Plus, Baycor, Rose Shield or Benlate will usually do the job. These sprays will also deal with black spot or botrytis. These pests and diseases are not usually a problem if you only have a few fuchsias. Basic care when using sprays of any kind is important including gloves and masks and washing hands after use. Hygiene in tools, pots and picking up debris from the ground and pots will prevent many problems. Soaking tools, pots etc in Methylated spirits or bleach for up to 20 minutes will kill most diseases. Other Problems: · yellowing of old leaves usually means the plant needs food but do not over fertilize. It can also mean old leaves are past their use by date · plant drops flowers and or leaves. It has had’ a shock’ usually very hot or cold weather, it has been moved or transported/ leave it in a sheltered place to recover/ don’t fuss · holes in leaves: often caterpillars/ pick off by hand or spray with Dipel/ it can also be small snails · wilting leaves / leaf drop despite watering: may be due to overwatering/ test soil at the bottom of the pot to see if it is sour · or soil may be too dry and repel moisture/ dunk in a bucket of water or sprinkle wetting agent over top of potting mix or soil then water · plant is spindly/ no flowers: not enough light/ move · no flowers: too little light/ stop tip pruning 8 weeks before you want it to flower/ needs a high pot ash fertilizer such as Thrive: Fruit and Flower Fuchsias need protection from the afternoon heat and drying winds of summer and from Frost in Winter. Cover the root zone (up to the drip line) with cardboard, or newspaper before mulching with sugar cane or straw. In winter move pots and baskets to a warm area and summer to a shaded cool area if possible. In winter in Kelso I move my baskets and pots to an enclosed area where I can keep the night temperature to around 6C by keeping a 100 watt light on from 6am to 6pm. They remain there from May to September and are aired during the day. They need as much sun and light as possible in winter and good light in summer as long as the heat does not cause damage to the foliage. Avoid afternoon sun especially in Summer Reliable Plants: In Ground: Basket Pots: Voodoo Chantelle Checkerboard Brutus Pixie Rutti Tutti Swingtime Heidi Ann Hula Girl String of Pearls Hidcote Beauty Display Ambassador Pinto de Blue Monomeith Bianca Sophisticated Lady Dark Eyes |