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Overhanging fuchsia and other species: Get your bearings

Fuchsia is a genus belonging to the family Evening Primrose. There are twelve thousand known cultivars. Upright, semi-overhanging, very popular overhanging, which beautifully adorns a window or balcony, with simple, simple tubular, half-full and full flowers (an overview of the most common species can be found in the gallery at the beginning of the article). A large genus means great differences, not only in the appearance of plants, but also in the way they are grown. In short, growing fuchsias is such a higher girl's.

Favorite fuchsias come to the fore

How to grow fuchsia? 10 main principles

"Fuchsia requires maximum care and any effort to simplify work, such as self-watering boxes, non-transplanting plants in the spring, the use of commercially produced substrates, has a very adverse effect on flowering and plant health," says Jiří Pevný, specialist and owner of the family company Fuchsia Liberec , which offers a respectable twelve hundred fuchsia cultivars. So look at the basic rules of growing fuchsias.

1. Don't underestimate the placement of flowers

For fuchsias, it is necessary to have an airy, bright habitat, protected from the midday sun. Therefore, east, west and north are best suited on the world side. Few cultivars can tolerate the southern orientation of the habitat, and it is necessary to consult an experienced gardener about them.

In principle, fuchsias with dark flowers prefer bright habitats, species with larger bright flowers prefer a place without the direct impact of the sun's rays. Nevertheless, in some extremely dark and large-flowered, direct sunlight is also undesirable, as the flowers are burned. Even the hot air rising in the cities from the hot streets in the summer does not indicate fuchsias.

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2. Summering? As soon as the weather allows

The most suitable location for fuchsias is directly in the garden, it will be satisfied with a suitable place on the balcony, terrace or window sill. Even though it is commonly talk about summering, take the plants out as soon as the weather allows. If ground-level freezers are reported, you will still have to protect the fuchsia at this time with suitable packaging, for example made of geotextile.

The suitable time for summering usually starts in late April to early May. The plants soon get used to the outdoors and sooner they plant on the flower. It is ideal when new shoots are already growing on the site where the plant will be placed all year round. The plants are compact and bloom profusely. On hot summer days, when the fuchsias are in full bloom, prevent their sunburn by properly shading.

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3. The fuchsia substrate must be of good quality

Fuchsias require airy, humus-rich and more acidic soils with a pH of around 6. The quality of the substrate and the ratio of its individual components is very important, which depends on the specific conditions in which the plants will be grown.

A mixture in a third of compost soil or topsoil, horticultural substrate B, geranium substrate, perlite and sand with the addition of bone meal proved to be effective for Mr. Pevné. During the annual transplanting, you can further adjust the composition or ratio of the individual components of the mixture according to how the plants will prosper in the original substrate.

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4. Watering and dew: Not much, not much

During the growing season, fuchsias require plenty of water and humid air. If the root ball dries up or overheats, the leaves and flowers fall off. However, do not water the plants, the lower the temperature, the longer the substrate will remain moist. They rot easily in a wet substrate, so make sure that no water remains in the dishes or containers after pouring.

If possible, leave the pots or boxes free to allow excess water to drain away. Individual cultivars have different demands on yield and watering frequency. Here you will have to adapt to what the plants themselves "say".

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Watering at high temperatures is a great danger. The plants are withered due to hot air, even if the substrate is still moist. Watering in this situation can cause the root ball to "cook" and the fuchsia to die very quickly.

They will tolerate the heat of summer days better if you increase their humidity by dew. However, the sun must not shine strongly on the plant at the time of spraying or soon after.

In the winter months, water with a small amount of water every two to three weeks. As long as the substrate is sufficiently moist, the plant does not need watering, and therefore the interval between watering can be extended. The fuchsias will need a gradual addition of water from the end of February, when they will start preparing for the beginning of the growing season.

We protect plants from heat and drought

5. Fertilization: At least twice a week

The healthy appearance and richness of flowers will ensure fuchsias only a regular supply of nutrients in the form of fertilizers. It must be said that fuchsias are also very demanding in this respect, they need to fertilize at least twice a week.

Start around the beginning of April, when the plants wake up from winter rest, and end in August, when the plants slowly end the growing season. From fertilizers, choose multi-component (containing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium) with a higher nitrogen content. Prepare a solution of twenty to forty grams of fertilizer, which you dissolve in ten liters of water.

Fuchsia expert Jiří Pevný nourishes his plants as follows: “In the spring we fertilize with Kristalon Start with a predominance of nitrogen, from June Kristalon with fruit - flower. If the plants are in full bloom and the weather is warm, we fertilize every day with a weak concentration. We achieve permanent flowering and balanced flower size. We fertilize once a week with a full dose of fertilizer, once every two weeks we use foliar fertilizer. We are no longer fertilizing in September. "

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6. Shaping and other important care

Fuchsias can shorten the shoots at the beginning of the growing season, thus ensuring a nice compact appearance of the plants. Remove unhealthy winter shoots. Shorten new shoots at the beginning of sprouting (preferably in March). The last cut should be made by mid-April, otherwise flowering will be delayed. As soon as signs of buds appear, do not prune the plants. For better branching, you can still pinch new shoots growing from the troughs of last year's leaves. Another important part of fuchsia care is the regular removal of faded flowers and fruit stalks, which weaken the plant.

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7. Winterizing: Better inside than outside

Trying to winter fuchsia outdoors does not make sense in our climatic conditions. Plants are prone to freezing because they are not native species that can withstand inhospitable mountain conditions, but cultivated cultivars that are always much more delicate than their ancestors. Therefore, transfer the plants from the outside before the arrival of the first frosts.

For wintering, fuchsias need a frost-free habitat with a stable temperature between five and ten degrees Celsius. The lower the temperature, the better because it does not allow the plants to grow prematurely. An ideal greenhouse is a greenhouse or cold room with sufficient humidity and diffused light.

How fuchs thrive in winter

You can winterize fuchsias even in a dark room where the temperature does not rise above five degrees. However, they must be pruned in advance. Watering is minimal in this case. If you expect to cut plants in the spring, they should overwinter at a higher temperature of about fifteen degrees.

When storing plants for the winter, it is necessary to prune all shoots that have grown during the growing season. One pair of leaf loops is left on each branch. If long shoots are left, they will become woody during the winter and in the spring the plants do not shake well and are "sticky". With pruned shoots, you will also get rid of pests and germs.

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8. Transplanting is needed every year

Fuchsias need to be transplanted annually to ensure sufficient nutrients in the substrate for the spring season. The best time for transplanting is March and the first half of April, ie the beginning of the growing season.

Allow the substrate (if used above) to dry - it will easily separate from the roots without damaging them. Carefully knock out the plants from the existing pot. Remove any damaged or dead roots.

Transplant the young plants into a flowerpot slightly larger than the original, or into a sufficiently large box or container. Older plants will suffice with the original container, just replace their substrate. Slightly water and trim the transplanted fuchsias.

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9. Diseases and pests: Prevention is essential

The emergence of diseases and pests is mainly due to incorrect growing conditions or diseases of neighboring plants, from which the disease is transmitted to others. It doesn't have to be your fault, you can bring an infected plant home from the store, which often happens, so examine each plant in detail before buying.

Withered, withered leaves, blackening stems, spots on the leaves or stems, or even flying and crawling insects are clear proof that they don't care too much about their living goods in this store, so go somewhere else.

As already mentioned, fuchsias are relatively difficult to grow and the emergence of problems with diseases and pests begins with incorrect placement or watering. To prevent this, your green trustees must meet all the requirements.

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10. Molice and other insects: What to do when they appear

The most common unwelcome visit in the winter is the gray mold on fuchsias, which arises from excessive humidity and insufficient lighting. Others are mites, moths, aphids and thrips, and fuchs can also settle on fuchsias in the garden.

Spider mites reveal a tiny cobweb on the back of the leaves. The cause of their occurrence is often too dry air, so ensure this requirement for plants by dew. For more severe cases, use a suitable insecticide (Talstar, Vermitec, Omite), which is applied to the back and front of the leaves at the intervals specified in the package leaflets of each product.

Moths are tiny white flies that suck up leaves. They appear on their backs along with their larvae, and their presence is also revealed by the sticky fluid they secrete. To remove the larvae by repeated spraying with an insecticide, it is best to use a systemic insecticide on adult insects. Mospilan is a relatively reliable tool. Mospilan or Sumithion are again recommended to remove aphids.

Thrips are black, only millimeter-long insects with fringed wings. Its presence on the plant signals leaf spot, deformation, etc. Organophosphate-based preparations help.

Bugs are flat, brown or green-colored insects with hard hemispheres that suck from the entire aboveground part of the plant. The protection is the same as for thrips.

VIDEO TIP: And how to take care of flowers indoors? You can find out in the video below.

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