How to grow and care for potted fuchsia at home
Abundantly flowering houseplants are especially popular with florists and hobbyists. Fuchsia, strewn with buds and flowers, can become a real decoration of the house, and in the summer - and a summer cottage flowerbed. The refined shape and complex, brilliant color of the petals make cultivation popular with flower growers. Consider the features of growing and caring for fuchsia.
What is a plant ?
Small fuchsia trees or shrubs were discovered in the Dominican Republic in the 17th century. Fúchsia owes its name to the German botanist L. Fuchs. Natural species are found in South and Central America, New Zealand.
The perennial plant belongs to the willowherb family. About a hundred natural species of fuchsia are known. The decorativeness of the bush and the long and abundant flowering prompted the cultivation of the plant at home. Breeders have created many varieties that differ in a wide variety of flower shapes and colors.
A houseplant is a straight-stemmed or ampelous bush with flexible branches.The foliage is green or slightly red. The leaves are pointed, arranged oppositely. Fuchsia blooms for a long time, with a large number of buds.
Drooping flowers, consisting of a brightly colored calyx and a corolla. The petals are folded. Forms an edible fruit.
Reference: magenta is called fuchsia. Bright and sophisticated shade invariably becomes a hit in many fashion collections.
Varieties of fuchsia
From hundreds of natural species of fuchsia, breeders have obtained many varieties and hybrids that differ in the shape of the stem and flowers. Plant lovers grow species and varieties in their dachas and apartments.
Fuchsia cultivars fall into several groups based on flower and stem shape:
- amputated;
- with simple colors;
- terry and semi-double;
- flower brushes.
Popular varieties of fuchsia growing in a bush:
- Thalia - orange petals, cultivar with three leaves;
- Bright red - scarlet flowers adorn the house from April to October;
- Anabel is a cultivar with exquisite white flowers;
- Ballerina - medium-sized flowers combining pink-white and scarlet tones;
- Allison Patricia - a small bush with medium-sized purple flowers, for a small windowsill;
- Alisson Bell - red-violet buds turn into semi-double flowers;
- Dancing flame - pink-orange semi-double flowers.
Ampel varieties with flexible drooping stems and abundant flowers are grown in pots:
- Blue Angel - a lilac flower on snow-white, double sepals;
- Bella Rosella - variety with large flowers, lush pink petals on a bed of lilac;
- Cecile - semi-loose variety, lilac-purple skirt with pink falls;
- Blue Vale - bluish-blue, pink-based, petals on a white calyx bed.
Many varieties and hybrids have bushy, ampelous forms.
Basic rules for growing a crop
To preserve varietal characteristics, fuchsia is grown from cuttings of an adult plant, so rooting and development are faster. All the properties of the mother crop are fully transferred to the young plant.
Place and time
Cuttings are cut in the spring from an adult plant. Ceramic pots are used for planting. It is important to remember that large containers for small plants are not taken. The size of the container increases as the bush grows. For planting a young cutting, a pot with a diameter of 9-10 centimeters is enough.
The fuchsia container is placed in a place protected from bright light for most of the day. Sunlight is only allowed in the morning or evening.
Preparation of planting material
To plant a young fuchsia, a young, slightly hardened stem of an adult culture with 2-3 buds, 10-20 centimeters long, is chosen. The cut is made with a sharp, clean instrument. Cut off all lower leaves, leave 2-3 on top. For root growth, use:
- settled water;
- a mixture of sand and peat - the cut is deepened by 1-1.5 centimeters.
From above, the container is covered with a transparent film or glass. For rapid root growth, a temperature of 18-22° is sufficient.
The roots of the plant grow back in 5-10 days, they can be seen in the water. You should not delay transplanting for too long, otherwise the long roots will be damaged during planting.
Landing technology
Fuchsia loves drained soil, so small chips or other materials are poured into the bottom of the pot. It is better to buy the floor ready-made, disinfected. When preparing the soil yourself, mix equal parts leafy earth, peat, sand and turf. The culture has no special requirements for the soils, the acidity of the soil is neutral. A seedling with roots is planted in prepared soil and watered. Rooting takes place within 2-3 weeks, the seedling begins to actively develop.
Features of care for fuchsia
Growing fuchsia requires compliance with a number of prerequisites, otherwise the bush will drop its buds and stop the growing season. It is important to follow certain rules during flowering and dormancy.
Temperature
Compliance with the temperature regime is the main difficulty in growing fuchsias. It is not easy to create comfortable conditions for a flower in an apartment environment.
At the stage of active growth and flowering for cultivation, it is necessary to maintain a temperature of 18-24°. Excessive heat and direct sunlight are a common reason why fuchsia fails to bloom, loses buds, leaves turn yellow and wither. The wintering of a flower requires even lower temperatures (8-10°). It is also important to maintain a low humidity level during the resting phase.
watering
The flowers are watered with soft, lukewarm water. Recommended watering schedule:
- during the growing season - 1-2 times a week;
- in autumn and winter - every 2 weeks.
If the temperature in winter is above 10°, watering should be done more often. It is necessary to defend the water for at least a day, the clod of earth should not be dry or too wet. The water accumulated in the pan is drained.
Excess moisture, especially if the pot is too large and not completely filled with roots, causes the root system to rot
top dresser
The culture grows rapidly, blooms profusely and for a long time. The vegetation should be supported by a top dressing. They are carried out from March to September, with the transition of the plant to an inactive state, fertilizers are stopped. Basic rules:
- when collecting green mass, nitrogen-containing fertilizers are required;
- during flowering - potassium and phosphorus.
In addition to the main elements, for the development of fuchsia, manganese, zinc, magnesium are needed. It is better to use special complex fertilizers with a verified composition.
Fertilizing frequency is a particular topic of discussion for flower growers. Weekly or more frequent feeding is recommended. When fertilizing with each watering, the weekly rate is divided into several parts. In the absence of flowering, it is recommended to spray the bushes with stimulants (Zircon).Fertilizers are applied in the form of a solution; many growers dissolve the dressing in water for irrigation.
Transfer
Fuchsia does not like large pots and loose soil in containers, but grows quickly. The bush is transplanted annually - in the spring, when the culture has not yet completely moved away from winter dormancy. Choose a pot 4-5 centimeters larger than the previous one. Prepare the drainage layer and soil as for propagation. The bush is transplanted by the method of transshipment, only slightly shaking the ground.
The soil ball is moved to a larger container without burying the plant.The voids in the pot are filled with fresh soil. The oldest branches are cut off, the others are shortened by a third. Baste the piece well with water until the excess appears in the pan. Drain the water, put the pot in a shady place. Plants tolerate transplantation well, rejoice in abundant flowering.
Air humidity and spraying
Plants absorb water not only through the roots, but also through the stems and leaves. Fuchsias like high humidity and should be misted. Plants are moistened with a spray bottle in the absence of sunlight, the best time is in the morning and evening.
Cut and pinch
Buds form on young shoots. Old branches are pruned to make room for new ones. Pruning is also used to form the desired shape of the bush, giving the plant the desired appearance. Pinching slows shoot growth, but stimulates flowering. Without pinching, the number of flowers will be less, and the bush will stretch.
Autumn pruning of fuchsia for the winter, after flowering is completed, is used to form a bush. You can cut woody branches in winter if the bush is in the apartment. In the spring, the bush is revised, dead and excess processes are removed.
Cutting off the top growing points allows you to create a lush crown and stop the plant from excessive upward pushing.
winter care
A perennial plant needs a period of rest, stopping the growing season. This happens in winter. Low temperature conditions are created for the bushes, at this time all processes are suspended. Watering is minimized (once every 2 weeks). Horticultural crops in warm regions often hibernate directly in the open field. For them, shelters are created from spruce branches.Indoor plants need a significant temperature drop (5-10°). Many flower growers send fuchsias to winter in a cellar or basement, if it is impossible to create the necessary conditions in the country or in the apartment. In most areas, fuchsias will freeze in the garden.
Diseases and pests
The main diseases of fuchsia are associated with the wrong choice of the irrigation system and conditions of detention. With excess moisture, fungal diseases of the roots and green part develop. For treatment, fungicides (Topaz) are used, they normalize lighting, watering and temperature.
In hot, dry weather, pests breed - spider mites, whiteflies. It is important to regularly inspect the bushes in order to stop the growth of the population in time. For treatment, folk remedies or insecticides are used.
Plant propagation
Fuchsia can propagate in two ways - vegetatively and by seeds. Getting your own seeds is laborious and difficult. When grown from seed, maternal properties are rarely retained. The seed is used by breeders for work.
The vegetative method is more reliable and shorter. Cuttings and leaves are used to obtain young plants. Subject to the basic rules of care, young fuchsias retain all the characteristics of the parental specimen.
Possible problems
The cultivation of fuchsia presents many difficulties. You need to take care of the plant all year round. Several probable problems and their solutions:
- Fuchsias do not tolerate wintering in an apartment. A good option is a glazed and insulated loggia without heating.You can hide the bush in a foam box.
- Fuchsia does not bloom. The reason may be too high temperature in winter - the growing season has not stopped, the plant has no strength for buds. A top dressing is required. The use of growth stimulants that are sprayed on the bushes helps to increase the number of buds.
- The leaves wither and turn yellow. You need to find a place with a lower temperature, organize proper watering.
- Drop the buds. The plant does not like a change of location, even a simple turn to the other side of the light is hardly bearable. Often the fall of buds is associated with overheating of the roots and high temperatures in the room.
For any problems, watering, care is standardized, the bush is checked for pest infestation.
When growing fuchsia, it is important to follow all recommendations regarding temperature conditions, watering rates, timely transplantation into large containers. If you follow these rules exactly, fuchsia will delight you with a sea of flowers that will decorate your home or garden from spring to early autumn.