Fuchsia cultivation methods and precautions
Fuchsia is native to Mexico and is widely cultivated in China, especially in the north or in greenhouses on the northwestern and southwestern plateaus. As a potted plant, it is suitable for living rooms, flower stands and desk decoration. Placed in a vase of clean water, it is not only ornamental but can also take root and propagate. Let us take a look below at the cultivation methods for fuchsia!
Growth characteristics of fuchsia
Fuchsia is a perennial shrub, with lanceolate-ovate leaves, toothed leaf margins, pointed tips and opposite arrangement. The flowers are born on the stems, the calyx tube is bell-shaped, the petals vary greatly, the flower stalks are long, and the fruit is a berry. There are many varieties.
Fuchsia is native to Mexico. It likes cool, humid conditions and fears hot, high temperatures. Its growth temperature is 15-25°C; above 30°C, the growth of branches and leaves is affected, and at high temperatures above 35°C the branches and leaves will wither and die. In autumn and winter, when the temperature is below 10°C, it should be moved indoors immediately. If the temperature drops to 5°C, it should immediately be regulated to above 5°C, otherwise it will suffer cold damage.
Fuchsia propagation methods
Fuchsia propagation is mainly by cuttings, which can be done throughout the year, but spring and autumn rainy seasons are more suitable. In spring it should be March to May, and in autumn it should be August to October, when the temperature is more suitable.
Cut 5-8 cm long, well-grown shoot tips as cuttings. At a temperature of 20°C, softwood cuttings take root after two weeks. After rooting, pot them promptly, otherwise the roots easily rot. Cuttings are often used for propagation and can be done throughout the year, with rooting faster in spring and autumn.
The best cuttings are tender tip shoots, 7-8 cm long, inserted into a sand bed and kept moist. They take root about 10 days after insertion and can be potted in September.
Fuchsia cultivation techniques
1. Potting soil: For potted soil, use 50% leaf mold (or grass debris), 40% sandy loam and 10% decomposed cake fertilizer, combined into one growing medium. Usually repot and change the soil once every spring. New soil with comprehensive nutrients is beneficial for bud formation and flowering.
2. Watering: Fuchsia grows rapidly in spring and autumn. During the flowering period, water 1-2 times a day, preferring moist over dry. But at ordinary times, watering should follow the principle of "water when dry, stop when wet." In spring and winter the weather is dry; in the hot, high-temperature summer season, besides watering once a day, it is also necessary to spray the branches and leaves with water 1-2 times a day, but do not water too much and cause water accumulation in the pot soil. During flowering, if the pot soil is too dry or too wet, it easily causes bud drop, flower drop and leaf drop. Long-term excessive moisture in the pot soil can also lead to root rot, yellow leaves and even the death of the whole fuchsia plant. When the indoor temperature is low in winter, watering should be controlled even more strictly and fertilizing should also be stopped to prevent root rot. In summer, during July to August, do not water fuchsia too much, and be careful to prevent rain exposure; rain exposure can cause root rot, leaf drop and even death.
3. Fertilizing: For fuchsia, in ordinary times, along with loosening the soil, apply a thin organic liquid fertilizer once every 7-10 days. But in the hot summer season, when the temperature is high, fuchsia is generally forced into dormancy or semi-dormancy. In summer, during July to August, growth is slow, so fertilizing should be stopped and only a little clean water given. From September to December, water with decomposed cake fertilizer liquid once every 10-15 days to encourage continuous flowering. After each fertilizing or watering, loosen the soil the next day to improve aeration.
4. Temperature and humidity: Fuchsia likes a cool climate and most fears hot, high temperatures, sun exposure and rain. Therefore, attention should be paid to cooling and increasing humidity. For home potted fuchsia in summer, when the temperature exceeds 25°C, it should be moved to a ventilated, shady place indoors, and cooling work should be done well. It can be placed under a fan for airflow, and the pot soil can be opened up to expose the roots, using airflow to dissipate heat. Also sprinkle water on the ground around the potted flower and spray water on the leaves to reduce radiant heat, lower the temperature and increase humidity, artificially creating a high-humidity microclimate and a safe summer environment for the potted flower. In winter it also fears cold and frost. If it is not promptly brought indoors, it will be frostbitten after a certain time and will be very difficult to keep alive.
5. Pruning: In summer, from June to early July, all the leaves of fuchsia can be cut off to let it gradually enter dormancy and safely pass the summer. After dormancy, in early autumn, along with repotting, shorten the long branches. Because the branches and stems are slender and drooping, overly dense ones need pinching and shaping. When pinching, pay attention to the direction of the retained buds and the length of the small branches, and keep the plant full and symmetrical. About half a month after pinching, the new shoots that grow can bloom again, so pruning and shaping is a technique to ensure that fuchsia blooms more.
The above is the general pruning method. If you want fuchsia to bloom more, you can use the following method: fuchsia flowers usually develop from flower buds born in the leaf axils of new shoots. To make it bloom more, it must produce more branches, and timely pinching is an important measure for fuchsia to produce more branches. Generally, when the seedling grows to about 10 cm high, the first pinching can be carried out to encourage branching. After about one month, when the new branches grow 6-8 leaves, carry out a second pinching and remove excess leaves. Keep 5-7 branches per plant.
After the weather turns cool in autumn, overly long branches can be shortened and overly dense branches thinned out to encourage vigorous new branches. After each pruning, watering should be reduced; after new buds grow, gradually increase watering and return to normal management. In addition, fuchsia can be pinched after flowering. Under suitable conditions, 25 days after pinching, the new shoots can bloom again. Generally, people with flower-growing experience use this habit to regulate the flowering period and let it bloom continuously.
Old plants of many years are highly sensitive to high temperatures, fear heat, have poor resistance, and easily lose leaves and bloom poorly. To fundamentally solve this problem, it is best to cultivate new plants every other year. New plants are robust and resistant, do not lose leaves in hot summer, and bloom more and better. This is a positive and effective measure for cultivating fuchsia.
Fuchsia cultivation methods
Fuchsia avoids severe summer heat, stuffiness, rain and sun exposure. The suitable growth temperature is 15-25°C. In winter the temperature should not be lower than 5°C. When the summer temperature reaches 30°C, growth is extremely slow, and at 35°C large numbers wither and die. In winter the minimum greenhouse temperature should be kept at 10°C. At a low temperature of 5°C, it is prone to cold damage. The suitable growth temperature is 10-25°C, and relatively high air humidity is required. Fuchsia is suitable for fertile sandy loam rich in humus and with good drainage. To make fuchsia lush in leaves and abundant in flowers, attention should be paid in daily maintenance and management to:
1. Repotting and soil changing: Seedlings that have survived cuttings or have been sown all need several repottings from small pots to medium pots to large pots. The plant needs repotting once each spring or autumn before sprouting. The medium should be fertile, loose, well-drained growing soil. Generally, leaf mold plus sandy loam plus decomposed organic fertilizer and phosphate fertilizer can be evenly mixed, and no base fertilizer needs to be applied, so as to avoid root rot.
2. Fertilizing: Because fuchsia grows quickly and blooms many times, during the growth period, apply thin fertilizer frequently, about once every 10 days with thin cake fertilizer or compound fertilizer. During the flowering period, also apply a liquid fertilizer mainly of phosphorus and potassium once a month, but stop fertilizing in high-temperature seasons. Before fertilizing, the pot soil should be on the dry side; after fertilizing, spray water once with a fine nozzle to prevent the leaves from being stained with fertilizer water and rotting.
3. Temperature: The growth temperature of fuchsia is 10-28°C. In summer the temperature cannot exceed 30°C, so cooling work should be done well in summer; in winter plenty of sunlight is required, and the cultivation temperature cannot be lower than 5°C, otherwise it will cause cold damage, and insulation measures must be taken. In addition, attention should be paid to ventilation in both winter and summer.
4. Watering: Water when dry, and water thoroughly, and never allow water accumulation. In summer the pot soil is better kept on the dry side, but pay attention to spraying water on the leaves and ground.
5. Placement: To keep the fuchsia plant full in shape, change its position often during the growth period so that the plant receives light evenly, so as to avoid leaning to one side and ruining the plant shape. However, during the flowering period it should be moved as little as possible, otherwise it will cause bud drop and flower drop.
Fuchsia care methods
1. Temperature and humidity regulation: Place the plant in a shaded, ventilated, cool and rain-sheltered place, spray water on the leaves several times a day, and sprinkle water on the ground to lower the temperature and increase air humidity.
2. Fertilizer and water management: For old plants of many years, restrict water and stop fertilizing so they can pass through the dormant period smoothly. The plant should be brought indoors before Frost's Descent and taken out after Qingming. The room temperature should be kept above 5°C. In cold waves and windy, snowy weather, when freezing occurs outdoors, it is best to move it back indoors.
3. Pinching and shaping: For perennial plants, pinching should be done in winter, cutting off the top 5 cm to 6 cm of tender shoots to encourage more branching. During the summer dormant period, shorten the slender, weak, drooping, leggy branches so that they bloom abundantly in autumn. For newly cultivated young plants, when they grow to 20 cm to 30 cm, remove the top to set the trunk height, encourage side branches, and form a plant shape with many, even branches. Carry out a second pinching around the Beginning of Autumn to welcome a second full flowering period. Before bringing indoors, carry out a whole-plant pruning and shaping, cutting off dead branches, weak branches, inward-facing branches and overly dense branches, and shortening leggy branches, so as to concentrate nutrients, encourage winter buds, and lay the foundation for the next year.