How to Grow Fuchsias

Fuchsias (lat. Fuchsia) are plants from the evening primrose family (lat. Onagraceae). Fuchsias are very diverse, they can be upright, trailing, with single, semi-double and double flowers, in various colour combinations. Breeders have cultivated over twelve thousand cultivars. Fuchsias differ not only in their appearance, but also in their growing method. Some cultivars are very beautiful, but the price for this beauty is relatively high sensitivity to growing mistakes. Common fuchsia species can be successfully grown even by less experienced growers, but it is necessary to follow basic care principles for these beautiful plants.

Growing fuchsias – alternating summer and winter periods is essential

Fuchsias are one of the few plant species that prefer partial shade or shaded locations. Even in shade, fuchsias need sufficient light and air. Most cultivars cannot tolerate direct midday sun. The ideal location is east, west or north facing. If you have no other option and are forced to place fuchsias on the south side, choose cultivars with darker flowers that better tolerate direct sun. Another option is to shade fuchsias from direct midday heat. Fuchsias thrive in outdoor locations. They are not frost-resistant, so they must be moved indoors before frosts arrive. Fuchsias should return to outdoor locations as early as possible. Protect them from ground frosts with non-woven fabric covers. The appropriate time to move plants to their summer location is at the turn of April and May. New shoots can then grow in the outdoor location and won't be deformed by lack of light in the winter location. The reward for early transfer to the summer location is abundant flowering and compact growth of fuchsias. As mentioned, fuchsias are not frost-resistant, so they must be harvested from the summer location in time. This must be before the first frosts arrive. The ideal winter location for fuchsias is a place where the temperature is stable between 5 – 10 °C. Low temperature prevents plants from growing, thus avoiding deformation (stretching) of plants caused by premature growth and lack of light. You can choose a greenhouse that doesn't freeze or another cool room with sufficient air humidity and diffused light as winter quarters. Most fuchsias will survive even in a dark room with a temperature around 5 °C. Plants overwintered in darkness must have all shoots that grew during the vegetation period pruned. Only a few buds with leaves are left on each branch. Unpruned shoots would become woody during winter and would sprout poorly in spring. The advantage of pruning is also getting rid of pests and disease spores that could spread uncontrollably during winter. An exception to the winter temperature is for plants that will be propagated from cuttings in spring, these require a winter temperature around 15 °C.

Start the New Growing Season with Repotting...

Fuchsias must be repotted every spring to ensure sufficient nutrients for their vigorous growth and abundant flowering. The most suitable time is repotting before moving them to their summer location – i.e., in March and the first half of April. Give fuchsias an airy, humus-rich substrate with a slightly acidic character and pH around 6. Fuchsias can be grown in ready-made substrates designed specifically for them or in a mixture of well-matured compost, horticultural substrate with the addition of perlite or sand. The substrate in pots should be slightly dry before repotting (planting) so it can be easily separated from the roots. Damaged and dead roots should be removed. Fuchsias are repotted into slightly larger pots than the original ones; older plants can be planted back into the original pot. After repotting, fuchsias should be watered lightly and any shoots that sprouted during overwintering should be pruned.

Don't Skimp on Watering Fuchsias, but Don't Overwater Them

Proper watering is an important prerequisite for vigorous fuchsia growth. During the growing season (in the summer location), fuchsias are watered quite generously. The specific watering needs depend on the fuchsia variety and also on the weather. The higher the temperature, the faster the substrate dries out. During high summer temperatures, there is a risk of so-called "cooking" of plants or overwatering. Plants are slightly wilted due to heat, which could lead to the assumption that they lack water; the opposite is often true – they have enough water and additional watering into heated substrate could harm or even destroy them. Therefore, don't be misled by muggy weather and first check whether the substrate is really dry! After watering, water should not stand in saucers for long periods, as this would lead to rapid rotting of the root system and the death of the entire plant. If possible, let the containers with fuchsias stand freely without saucers so excess water has a chance to drain away freely. You can make muggy days more pleasant for fuchsias by misting, which increases air humidity. The situation in winter is completely opposite, when fuchsias overwinter in a cool location. In winter, watering is greatly reduced; light watering once every two to three weeks is quite sufficient. The substrate must never dry out completely. The specific watering frequency must be monitored directly at the overwintering location and according to the requirements of individual plants.

Watering is Connected to Fertilizing

Fuchsias require a nutritious substrate, but the nutrients won't last the entire season, so regular fertilizing is necessary. To ensure abundant flower production, fuchsias need to be fertilized very frequently – sometimes up to twice a week. Fertilizing typically begins in early April, after repotting the plants. Fertilizing ends in late August, when the plants are allowed to properly mature before the approaching winter. A suitable fertilizer is a multi-component fertilizer with higher nitrogen content. Kristalon start has proven effective for vigorous growth in the spring period. From June onwards, it's better to use Kristalon fruit – flower. Fully flowering fuchsias have very high nutrient requirements, so fertilizer can be given in weak concentration daily with one full-dose fertilization per week. Fuchsias fed this way will bloom for a very long time with evenly sized flowers.

To Prevent Fuchsias from Growing Wild, They Need Shaping

Plant shaping must be considered during both spring and autumn pruning. In autumn, the grown shoots are shortened and the future crown shape is prepared. In spring, the elongated winter shoots are removed and final pruning is performed. Shaping pruning must be done at the beginning of the season, preferably by mid-April, to avoid removing budding flowers along with the shoots. Pinching fuchsias is necessary to create a compact bush. Many fuchsia varieties can also be trained as standard trees. A selected shoot is not pinched but instead tied to a short stake. Unwanted side shoots are removed as soon as possible. When tying fuchsias, be careful not to strangle the plants with the string.

Fuchsias Can't Escape Diseases and Pests Either

The best prevention against diseases and pests is providing fuchsias with suitable growing conditions – then the plants will be stronger and less susceptible to diseases. During poor overwintering, gray mold often appears, which spreads in excessive moisture and insufficient light. In summer, fuchsias are most commonly attacked by spider mites, aphids, whiteflies, and thrips. Spider mite presence is recognized by tiny webbing on the underside of leaves. Aphids are visible at first glance, and you can get rid of them using, for example, Mospilan. Another unpleasant insect is the whitefly. Whiteflies are small white flies that suck the leaves. Leaves affected by whiteflies are covered with sticky liquid. An effective product in fighting whiteflies is again Mospilan. With this product, you can solve both whitefly and aphid problems at once.

Best of Luck Growing Fuchsias!