COMMON NAME:
► Fuchsia
SCIENTIFIC NAME:
► Fuchsia
FUCHSIA VARIETIES:
►
View fuchsia varieties and photos
GROWERS HINTS:
►HINT about watering: If any of your fuchsias or other basket plants dry completely the soil will shrink back from the edges of the pot. When you water it goes down the inside of the pot but not into the soil. Take the plant down, place it in a container of water (the water only needs to come in contact with the bottom of the pot and then a few inches more.) Soak for no more than 15 minutes and rehang. If it lives, you’ll probably want to cut it back hard. (click on link for cut back instructions.)
►Buying a 4-inch fuchsia to become a basket or for the ground means you get to do the pinching instead of us the first year. Take off the growing tip to promote branching. The more branches you have the more blooms you will get. It’s that simple. Feed, pinch, feed, pinch ‘till they are nice and full’. Remember, little fuchsias in a basket don’t need to be watered as often as big fuchsias in a similar size basket.
GROWTH HABITS:
►Some fuchsias will only grow upright, with some quite tall! Others will make either a bushy upright or a bushy basket. There are also fuchsias that will only trail or hang down, these you can identify by looking at the growth.
►Pruning (pinching): All fuchsias benefit from being pruned yearly. Cutting back will help get rid of any overwintering bugs in your fuchsia basket. The same for fuchsias in the ground. In December or January cut your fuchsia back to near the edge of the basket. Add some new soil and a bigger pot if needed. When new growth starts, begin to feed and start pinching.
►Here’s how to pinch. After your fuchsia starts to grow again you want to start pinching. When a branch is about 2 to 3 inches long, pinch out the end tip. When the next branchlets are 2 to 3 inches long pinch them also. That’s how it goes, pinch, feed, grow,…pinch, feed, grow,..In about three months you should have a nice bushy plant with 25 to 30 branches. Stop pinching, sit back and wait for your plant to bloom in about 6 weeks. Keep feeding!
SHADE/SUN:
►Put your Fuchsia in a shady to semi-shady area; under a tree or overhang is great, but not way under a solid roof or in an enclosed patio. Fuchsias take the same conditions that begonias enjoy. Cool & shady with good air circulation. Protect from hot dry winds. The further inland, the more shade you need however not even complete shade will allow a fuchsia to tolerate too much heat. Also, without enough light your fuchsia won’t bloom well and will become weak which more easily allows pests and disease.
FEEDING AND WATERING:
►Don’t let your Fuchsia dry out! Watering every other day in cool weather and daily in hotter weather will be about right. Watch the foliage to see when it wilts. On hot afternoons fuchsias will wilt to conserve moisture. Be sure to check the soil before watering. If moist don’t water. Misting the foliage would be your best option on hot afternoons and will make your plant happier. In the cooler evening hours your plant should bounce back. Fertilizing: During the blooming season feed every two weeks with liquid fertilizer. Less often in winter, more often in early spring when regrowing. Read and follow the directions on the fertilizer package! Weidner’s fertilizer directions: Shake well then add 2 tablespoons per gallon for once a month application and 2 teaspoons per gallon for more every two week use. Don’t worry if the fertilizer gets dark green or if some spots form on the inside of the container. This is does not indicate a problem.
FLOWER/FOLIAGE COLOR(S):
►Flowers can be single (one row of petals) or double (a fluffy bunch of petals). Flower colors range from white to red, purple, and orange. See our fuchsia picture page. The more you pinch the more blooms because the blooms come on branches and pinching creates more branches.
SEASON(S) CARRIED AT WEIDNERS:
►Spring/Summer. Occasionally in the winter
CONTAINER OR GROUND?
►In the ground a fuchsia is much more heat tolerant. Even fairly hot areas can grow fuchsias in a shady spot. No ground? Use a half whiskey barrel and plant fuchsias around the edge and in the middle. For all but the most prostrate, hanging varieties, you can plant them in the ground. If you are doing a large pot you could use hanging varieties around the edge, but there are better choices such as the companion plants we use (and sell) in our baskets. We train some of our fuchsias to be a tree and you can do the same if you want. Like most plants (exceptions that we grow are dipladenia and mandevilla) fuchsias are easier to grow in the ground because there is more soil to provide water and to insulate against too hot and too cold.
PARTICULAR PESTS:
►The biggest pests for Fuchsias are whiteflies and the fuchsia gall mite. Whiteflies are best dealt with before you have lots of them!! There are various methods of keeping white flies under control including natural methods such as beneficial insects.
