Whether in the garden or on the balcony: the colorful flowers of the fuchsia are always eye-catching. In addition to the choice of the right location, professional maintenance is also decisive.
Location
In terms of location, the fuchsia proves to be adaptable, because it can cope with both partially shaded and shady places. Many varieties can also cope with the sun and even flower more profusely than in the shade. With fuchsias in pots and window boxes, however, the blazing midday sun should be enjoyed with caution, as the vessels and thus the root balls heat up quickly. For this reason, fuchsias should preferably be placed in pots so that they can enjoy the mild morning sun or the late afternoon sun. Ultimately, however, the sun tolerance depends on the environment of the plant, because it is influenced by the following factors, among other things:
- Neighboring plants
- humidity
- Water supply
- nutrient
- Genetic characteristics of the variety
Soil / substrate
Fuchsias are relatively undemanding in terms of the soil or on the substrate. In order for the flower to develop in the best possible way, the earth should still meet certain requirements. Peat-free and slightly pre-fertilized standard soil and pricking substrate are best suited for growing in a bucket. Once the flower is well-rooted, it can be converted into high-quality, peat-free and nutrient-rich soil. The fuchsia feels most comfortable in a substrate with the following properties:
- Nutrient-rich
- Humos
- Fresh and moist
- Slightly acidic pH between 5.5 - 6.5
If you want to cultivate the fuchsia in the garden, you should always make sure that the root area is kept cool and moist. For this reason, the root area should be shaded, such as with bark mulch. Alternatively, there is also an underplanting
evergreen ground cover such as ivy or lesser periwinkle. This not only protects the root area, but also acts as winter protection in the cold season.Pots / tubs
Fuchsias can be cultivated in a wide variety of containers without any problems, because they do very well in pots as well as in window boxes or hanging baskets. It is important that the vessels are made of a material that does not heat up as quickly. Accordingly, black plastic pots are only recommended if they are placed in a cooling clay pot or placed under sun protection. Otherwise, the root ball will heat up too quickly, which can damage the plant. When choosing the vessel, it is also important to ensure that it is not too large. If the pot is too big, the growth of the leaves is encouraged, but the buds do not develop as abundantly and the root ball does not become as stable. In addition, attention should be paid to the following when growing in pots and the like:
- Water drainage on the floor prevents waterlogging
- Per 1 m balcony box approx. 5 - 7 plants
- Traffic lights from 20 cm diameter approx. 3 plants
Planting
Fuchsias can be planted in the bed from mid-May at the earliest, provided that ground frost is no longer expected. In winter-gray locations, however, it is advisable to wait until the beginning of June before planting. As long as the temperatures no longer fall into the minus range, the fuchsia can be prepared for onset. To do this, the root ball is soaked by placing the plant in a container with water. In the meantime, the planting hole can be prepared as follows and the fuchsia can then be planted:
- Remove weeds, roots and stones from the soil at the site
- Rake through the soil until a crumb structure is formed
- approx. Dig a 10 cm deep hollow
- Dig a hole in the hollow
- Hole should have twice the volume of the root ball
- Set the fuchsia 8-10 cm lower than it was in the pot before
- Water abundantly
Note: The hollow is not filled up immediately after planting, but proportionally to the growth in the course of summer to autumn!
If you want to continue to cultivate the fuchsia in a pot, you should also put it in fresh substrate after buying it. To protect the fuchsia from waterlogging, it is advisable to create a drainage system. For this purpose, some pottery shards are laid over the water drain and an air and water-permeable fleece is attached between the substrate and the drainage.
Fertilize
In order for the fuchsia to grow and thrive, it should be regularly supplied with nutrients. A liquid fertilizer that is slightly calibrated and contains only a little phosphorus is best suited for this. This is administered once a week from March to August, whereby the fertilizer output should not be too high. Many hobby gardeners swear by dividing the fertilizer output between two watering processes. In addition, the following should be observed when fertilizing:
- Never fertilize on dry soil or in extreme heat!
- Always pour clean water first
- Only then add fertilizer
to water
When it comes to watering fuchsias, you need to be very sensitive because they don't like too much or too little water. In general it can be said that the plants should only be watered when necessary. This can be determined with a thumb test: If the root ball is still moist, it does not have to be watered. If the root ball has dried off since the last watering, the fuchsia should be watered. With regard to irrigation, the following maintenance measures have also proven their worth:
- Water in the morning or in the evening
- Ideally with tempered rainwater or decalcified tap water
- Never pour cold water on the warmed root ball
Note: A low level of humidity ensures that the buds wither and the leaves fall off prematurely. It is therefore advisable to regularly spray fuchsias with water at high temperatures and in dry weather.
Fuchsias tend to let their leaves droop in extreme temperatures to protect themselves from evaporation. As soon as the heat subsides, the leaves straighten up again. Until then, however, the plants should not be watered, as the roots cannot absorb the water. It is better to wait until the root ball is dry. Then hobby gardeners can put the plants in a shady place and water them as usual.
Cut
A regular maintenance measure is the weekly cleaning of the fuchsia: This removes fallen leaves, ovaries and everything that has faded. The plant can also be checked for conspicuous leaves, diseases and pests at this stage. A pruning is recommended in autumn, when the flowers have dried out as well
dead branches are removed. However, only shoots that have grown in the same year should be cut off. When cutting, the fuchsia variety must also be taken into account, because different care measures are recommended depending on the variety:- Compact bushes: Shorten last year's leading shoots by 1/3
- High tribes: Cut back all unbranched shoots in the crown to 1 - 2 pairs of buds
- Hanging fuchsias: Peck out overhanging shoots down to the last pair of leaves below the edge of the pot
Note: If high stems have not been cut for a long time, the crown can be rejuvenated into the old wood with one cut.
Overwinter
Most fuchsias are not hardy, which is why they either have to be moved to winter quarters or provided with winter protection. To prepare the plants for winter, all flowers and soft shoots should first be removed. Then the shoots are cut off around 2/3 of their length. A fuchsia cultivated in a pot can then move to its winter quarters, which should have the following properties:
- Temperatures 5 - 10 degrees Celsius
- May also like to be dark
- A dark cellar works well
- Do not fertilize and only water a little
Note: The fuchsia loses its foliage in a dark and cool winter quarter. In a warmer location it will keep its foliage, but then it also needs more light!
Fuchsias cultivated in the garden are not cut back before winter, but are directly covered with a breathable fleece. In addition, it is advisable to protect the plant from frost with straw or leaves. As soon as the temperatures no longer fall below -5 degrees Celsius, the root disc can be cleared and the hood removed.
Multiplication
The fuchsia can be sown as well as propagated via cuttings. The latter is the more common method and can be done in both spring and August. Propagation itself is easy and requires little effort and time:
- Cut 7 - 10 cm long shoot tips
- Cut off above a pair of leaves
- Remove the lower leaves
- Put the cutting in a mixture of soil and sand
- Place in the shade and keep moist
Tip: Propagation via cuttings is also possible in water by simply placing the cut shoot in a glass of water. As a rule, the first roots form after about two weeks.
Diseases and pests
The fuchsia is basically quite insensitive to diseases, but now and then powdery mildew or gray mold occur due to care errors. The fuchsia can also suffer from pests such as aphids, whiteflies, red spiders and weevils.
