Fuchsia - Fuchsia

Fuchsia is a genus of flowering shrubs and woody plants belonging to the Cyprus family. The genus includes about 100 varieties of fuchsia. The widespread distribution of this plant is in the tropical forests of the Central American and South American regions, as well as the islands of New Zealand.

Due to the large number of species, the appearance of fuchsia can be quite varied. The leaves of the plant can be located on the stems and shoots both oppositely and in the form of medium-sized whorls. There are leaf plates in the form of an ellipse, lancet, or egg. Some species are characterized by the presence of jagged edges of the leaves, for others - whole. Depending on the variety, fuchsia can retain foliage throughout the year or shed it at the end of the growing season.

Fuchsia flowers in most cases resemble elongated tubes in shape, decorated with even longer stamens. The most common color option for petals is red in all the variety of its shades; there are also white flowers.
Despite its southern origin, fuchsia is not capricious and not too demanding on the conditions of detention. Successfully growing it in an apartment is within the power of not only experienced flower growers, but also beginners. Fuchsia is grown not only as a pot culture, but also on a stem, as well as an ampelous plant. It should be borne in mind that for her comfortable stay in the apartment, it is necessary to place the plant in a room with a rather low air temperature during the cold season. Another important feature of fuchsia, which affects the preservation of its attractive appearance, is the periodic fall of foliage in some varieties.

This article will discuss how to properly care for fuchsia at home.

Basic requirements for caring for fuchsia

In order to provide fuchsia with the necessary conditions for successful growth and development, you should know its main characteristics and take into account the plant's preferences for keeping at home.

The flowering period of fuchsia falls on the warm half of the year and lasts from mid-spring to late autumn. In the last days of October, a dormant period begins for the plant, in which it stays until the second half of January.

The temperature regime is regulated depending on the processes taking place in the fuchsia tissues: during the period of rapid growth, the optimum air temperature is from 18 to 24 degrees. During the rest period, it decreases and fluctuates between 5 and 10 degrees.

The frequency of watering fuchsia also depends on the season. From March to September, the plant should be watered at short intervals so that only the top layer of soil in the pot can dry out. With the arrival of autumn, the frequency of watering decreases, but the earthen coma cannot be allowed to dry out.

Since fuchsia is a tropical rainforest inhabitant, additional humidification may be required at home. From May to August, the plant should be sprayed twice a day - morning and evening. The water in the spray bottle should be warm, at room temperature. From September to November, the spraying procedure is carried out 1 time in 2-3 days. There is no need to spray fuchsia during the winter months.

Fuchsias need additional nutrition only during the period of rapid growth, which begins in mid-spring and ends in September. Fertilizers are applied once every 14 days: mineral complexes designed to fertilize flowering crops are suitable. In terms of soil composition, fuchsia prefers a mixture of 3 parts leafy soil, 2 parts peat and 1 part sand.

Pruning is not required for all types of fuchsia - for example, ampelous varieties do not need to be shortened. The pruning procedure is carried out in the spring (March), before the beginning of the growing season. After pruning, if required, the fuchsia bush can be transplanted. This is done no more than once a year.
The main methods of propagation of fuchsia are the seed method and the cuttings method.

Unpretentious fuchsia is quite disease resistant. As a rule, her ailments are associated with a violation of the recommendations for her cultivation. In addition, the development of rot and the appearance of spotting is possible. Among the harmful insects, the whitefly and the Putin mite are the most dangerous for fuchsia.

Detailed care instructions for fuchsia

Lighting mode

Since fuchsia is not exposed to direct sunlight in its natural growing environment, this condition must also be met when grown at home. It is best if the pot with the plant will be located on the windowsills of windows facing east or west. Thus, the fuchsia will receive enough sunlight, but it will not harm it. In the daytime, the light should be diffused. If the window faces south, you need to take care of the shading of the plant - you can protect fuchsia from bright sunlight with a cloth or translucent paper. The location of a light-loving plant on the windowsill of a window facing north is highly undesirable. In this case, he will constantly lack light, which will certainly affect the condition and appearance of the bush. Fuchsia branches will stretch, which will lead to the loss of its compact and attractive shape. Flowering may not come, or it will be short and not too lush. During flowering, it is highly undesirable to move the fuchsia pot, as this can cause the flowers, buds and even leaves to fall off. In warmer months, it is recommended to place the container with the plant in the fresh air, however, a gradual adaptation of the fuchsia to changing growing conditions is necessary.

Air temperature

The optimum air temperature in the room where the fuchsia is located is regulated depending on the season. During the growing season, it fluctuates between 18 and 24 degrees. For the winter, it is recommended to place the fuchsia in a well-lit but cool place with an air temperature of 5 to 10 degrees. Compliance with this condition is extremely important, because otherwise the stems of the bush will begin to stretch, and the foliage will fall off. Air circulation should be constant - it is necessary to ventilate the room, while protecting the fuchsia from drafts that are detrimental to its health. In warmer months, the plant can be placed on an open balcony by choosing a corner as closed as possible from the bright sun, rain and wind.

Watering mode

Water for watering fuchsia should be softened, well-settled, at room temperature. From March to September, the plant needs regular watering - the substrate in the container should always be moistened. In the interval between watering, only its top layer may dry out. In October, the frequency of watering should be reduced, and by the end of November, the fuchsia should be watered as little as possible to ensure that it blooms lush next season. The lower the room temperature, the less often you have to water the plant in winter. If the air temperature rises above 10 degrees, you have to do it more often.

Air humidification

The natural environment where fuchsia grows is characterized by a rather high air humidity, therefore, it must be regularly sprayed in the summer months. For this procedure, only water is suitable, which has been settled for at least a day. From May to August, fuchsia is sprayed twice a day: the first time before 9 am, the second after 6 pm. In winter, fuchsia does not need to be sprayed.

Top dressing

Fuchsia needs additional intake of nutrients only during the period of active growth - from April to September. Top dressing is carried out twice a month using mineral complexes designed to fertilize flowering houseplants. Fuchsia should not be fed during the rest period.

Fuchsia care during the flowering period

Fuchsia is characterized by a long flowering period: starting in May, it ends only in November. However, this happens only if the necessary recommendations for plant care are followed. With proper care at the end of flowering, fruits can appear on the fuchsia bushes. Timely removal of wilted flowers promotes the rapid formation of fresh buds. You can extend the flowering of fuchsia by placing it on an open balcony in the middle of summer and pruning it three times during the warm months. This will allow it to bloom in December.

Cutting technology

Pruning allows not only to preserve the attractive appearance of the fuchsia bush, but also contributes to its rejuvenation and more lush flowering. Pruning is especially important in those cases when during wintering the temperature in the room was too high and the shoots of the plant were too elongated, and the foliage was fallen. Keeping old, bare shoots prevents fresh buds from ripening, as they only form on young twigs. Cut off last year's shoots can be used for cuttings.

You can trim and pinch fuchsia shoots throughout the growing season. Young shoots need to be pinched after the formation of three pairs of true leaves on them. To form a bush in a standard form, it is necessary to dig in a support next to it and tie one of the vertically growing stems to it. All lateral outgrowths must be removed regularly until the stem of the desired height is formed. Then you should cut off the top of the bush and allow 3-5 lateral shoots to grow, which will gradually turn into the crown of a miniature tree. For three years, with proper care, fuchsia will acquire a dense, neat crown.

Transplant recommendations

The transplant procedure is carried out once a year, at the very beginning of spring. Before that, it is necessary to trim its last year's shoots by at least a third, as well as shorten the longest root processes. To shorten the shoots of fuchsias grown in the form of ampels is not the best solution, because because of this they will lose their decorative effect.

A new container for fuchsia must be filled with a slightly acidic soil mixture consisting of 3 parts of leaf soil, 2 parts of peat and 1 part of sand. Another substrate is also suitable: in addition to sand (1 part), it includes greenhouse soil (2 parts), clay-sod soil (3 parts), as well as a small amount of crushed peat.

The soil that fills the container requires well-drained soil, so the drainage layer should occupy at least 1/5 of its volume. The transplanted plant should be thoroughly moistened by spraying, and the soil should be shed with water. Then fuchsia should be placed in a bright, but sheltered place from the bright sun. In exceptional cases, another fuchsia transplant is permissible, carried out in July, for which a fresh substrate is used.

Fuchsia propagation

Fuchsia propagation is carried out in two ways - seed, or vegetative (cuttings).

Seed method

This method is also called generative and is quite time consuming.In order to propagate fuchsia by seeds, it is necessary to artificially pollinate its flowers. This method is used by breeders and flower growers who want to breed a hybrid variety of a given crop: for this purpose, various types of crops are used for pollination.

Propagation by cuttings

Cuttings about 7 cm long are suitable for using the vegetative propagation method. First, they must be placed in water or sand - this will allow the cuttings to take root in 3-4 weeks. Root cuttings can be transplanted into small pots no more than 9 cm in diameter, filled with a nutritious potting soil. It should include sand, humus, leafy and soddy soil in equal proportions. Several cuttings are planted in each of the pots at once - this will allow you to grow more lush fuchsia bushes. The flowering of seedlings occurs in the same season. Cuttings are especially effective for the propagation of fuchsia species, which are characterized by a slow growth rate. The last summer days are considered the best time for this procedure.

The main diseases of fuchsia, their causes and treatment

Fuchsia is not too demanding, but there are some conditions of its detention, the violation of which entails diseases. Stagnation of air is especially dangerous for this culture: it needs regular ventilation. With the arrival of warm summer days, you can safely place a fuchsia pot on an open balcony.

Shorter flowering period
Fuchsia flowers fall too quickly due to the following factors:
- abundant watering of the bush during the dormant period and placing it in a room with an air temperature above 10 degrees;
- lack of sunlight during the warm season;
- lack of nutrients associated with rare fertilization during the growing season.

Falling foliage
If fuchsia sheds foliage, as a rule, this is due to the following reasons:
- winter leaf fall is usually provoked by too bright fuchsia lighting, so the plant needs to be moved to a shaded corner and pinched fresh buds;
- insufficient moisture of the soil and ground parts of the bush in the summer months can also cause leaf fall;
- in summer, foliage may fall off due to lack of sunlight, irregular watering and too high air temperature.

The formation of spots on the sheet plates
Too frequent watering of a tropical plant during the wintering period is fraught with a problem such as spotting of leaf plates.

Falling buds
Flowering fuchsia bushes should be protected from drafts as much as possible and, if possible, not be moved. If you rearrange and even simply turn the container with the plant, its buds will begin to crumble. The same will happen under the influence of the through wind.

Pest attack
Whiteflies and spider mites are the main enemies of fuchsia among the important insects. It is important to detect their presence in time and take appropriate pest control measures. To do this, it is recommended to regularly inspect fuchsia bushes.

Fuchsia varieties

Fulgens

One of the Mexican varieties of fuchsia is called brilliant and is an evergreen shrub with a height of 1 to 2 m. It is characterized by bare and highly branched stems. Smooth heart-shaped or ovoid leaves have serrated edges, they can reach 20 cm in length and 12 cm in width. In the upper part of the shoots, inflorescences are formed in the form of brushes, consisting of pale red flowers. The average length of their petals is about 10 cm, as is the length of the tubular corolla. The fruits of the fuchsia are brilliant edible. The flowering period lasts throughout the warm part of the year.

Boliviana

Despite the name, the Bolivian variety of fuchsia in the wild grows not only in the mountains of Bolivia, but also in Ecuador and Argentina. These evergreen shrubs rarely grow taller than 1 m.The characteristic shape of their leaves is an ellipse or oval with jagged contours. The average length of a leaf plate is 15 cm, width is 6 cm. A feature of Bolivian fuchsia is a rather early flowering period, which occurs in spring. At the tops of the shoots, cluster-like inflorescences are formed, consisting of dark red flowers.

Magellanica

This type of fuchsia is also called conical (F. Conica) or multi-colored (F. Discolor). These tall shrubs can reach a height of 2 to 5 m. The surface of the stems has an unusual purple color and the edge along the entire length. Egg-shaped or lancet-shaped leaves have jagged edges and grow singly or in whorls. The length of the leaves decorated with purple veins is small - only 5 cm. Single flowers or flowers collected in inflorescences have a beautiful color: the tubular corolla is painted in a pale red shade, the petals are in a mixture of purple and blue flowers. The flowering period begins in late spring and lasts until the end of summer.

Corymbiflora

In Peru and Ecuador, in the foothills, corymbus fuchsia grows, growing up to 5 m. On its erect shoots, pubescent oval leaves with solid edges about 17 cm long and up to 7 cm wide are formed. They are characterized by the presence of a central vein of rich red color. The flower petals are purple and the calyx red. The flowering period is in the second half of the summer.