How is fuchsia care carried out at home? Features of planting and growing
It is rare that any grower will remain indifferent at the sight of such a beautiful flower as fuchsia. This is a very beautiful and outwardly unusual flower. It attracts the eyes of passers-by and pleases the hostess with its flowering.
Growing and caring at home for this plant will not cause any particular difficulties or difficulties even for beginner gardeners, and it will be more than one year to please its bright and varied flowering.
In the article we will tell in detail about the care of these indoor flowers. We will also pay attention to the peculiarities of their reproduction.
How to care?
When growing fuchsia at home, it is necessary to be guided by certain rules and create comfortable conditions that will provide the plant a long life, pleasing with a long and lush flowering.
So, how to care for this flower so that it blooms?
In detail about the intricacies and nuances of growing fuchsia and caring for it at home, we talked about in this article.
Pot selection
What size should the pot be? Do not plant fuchsia immediately in a large pot. She does not tolerate excessive space, but also does not tolerate crowding. Starting growing from a small shoot, you should choose a small dish the size of a plastic cup. As the flower grows and its root system grows, it should be transplanted into a looser pot.
REFERENCE! For planting fuchsia, plastic pots with large drainage holes are best suited. Clay pots are also suitable, but their use will require more frequent watering, since the water in them evaporates not only from the soil surface, but also through the walls.The composition of the soil and its proportions
An important criterion when choosing soil for planting fuchsia is the ability to pass air to its root system, it should be quite loose. What kind of land does he like? For fuchsia, slightly acidic, with a pH level not higher than 6.0, is suitable for universal soil. It should be like for indoor plants and contain peat, ash, sand. It is also possible to prepare an earthen mixture yourself, you only need to observe the following proportions:
- leafy soil, peat, sand (3: 2: 1);
- turf land, compost, humus (2: 1: 1).
In order for the plant roots not to rot, it is necessary to use drainage, which will ensure the absence of stagnation of water. For this, small pebbles, expanded clay or broken brick may be suitable.
Air humidity
In the room where fuchsia will grow, you need to set the humidity level within 40-60%. During the period of active growth, the plant will require additional hydration. This can be achieved by spraying the leaves from the spray twice a day - in the morning and in the evening. In this case, pay attention to the fact that direct sunlight does not fall on the flower, which can lead to a burn.
What to do with a flower in the fall and winter (how to keep fuchsia in the winter in the basement and in the apartment, read here, and from this article you will learn about whether it is possible to cut the bush for the winter and how to carry out the procedure)? It is definitely not necessary to spray, but to maintain optimal humidity, you can use a container of water installed next to the pot.
Lighting and location
The most correct placement of a pot with fuchsia will be rooms located on the southwestern or eastern side. Having placed the plant indoors on the south side, it is worth installing the pot not on the windowsill, but on a table or shelf next to the window, thus protecting it from direct sunlight. Placing fuchsia near the window on the north side, it is worthwhile to be prepared for the fact that the plant will bloom weaker and stretch more. Drafts in fuchsia can lead to the fall of its leaves and buds.
Important! During the formation, blooming and flowering of buds, in no case should you rearrange the pot with a bush, this can lead to the fall of all flowers and buds.Fuchsia is a light-loving flower, but prefers soft diffused light. It transfers the morning and evening sunshine without consequences, but it is worth protecting it from the daytime hot rays of the sun by covering the pot or obscuring the window.
Temperature mode
Fuchsia is a fairly demanding plant regarding air temperature. During the period of active growth and flowering, the plant prefers to be warm, in the summer and spring, the optimum comfortable temperature will be 18-25 degrees, but it is very important that the temperature does not exceed 30 degrees, otherwise this can lead to wilting of leaves and falling buds and flowers.
In winter, fuchsia goes into a state of rest, during this period a comfortable temperature will become 10-12 degrees. In an apartment, a pot with a plant can be placed on an insulated loggia, where the temperature does not drop below 3 degrees.
Watering
Proper and timely watering is the main condition for the cultivation of fuchsia. The amount of moisture needed and the frequency of watering depend on the time of year and on the condition in which the plant is located.
In winter, when fuchsia is at rest, it should be watered no more than 2-3 times a month, provided that it is in a cool place. If the flower hibernates at room temperature, then the amount of watering should be increased to 3-4 times a month. With the onset of spring and until autumn, when fuchsia passes into the growing season, it is necessary to provide abundant regular watering, while avoiding stagnation of water near the roots, which can lead to their decay and death of the plant.
Flowering plants are most in need of water. When watering fuchsia, it is worth using warm boiled water, without the presence of chlorine impurities.
Now you know how to save fuchsia. It is enough to create the appropriate conditions for it.
Fertilizers
We will tell you how to feed fuchsia for abundant flowering.
In order to achieve magnificent and beautiful flowering, during the growing season, fuchsia must be regularly supplied with fertilizers.
What elements should be supplemented with:
- Young plants need fertilizers rich in nitrogen, which contributes to the rapid growth and acquisition of a bright green color.
- An adult plant should be fertilized with fertilizers containing potassium and phosphorus, providing lush, abundant flowering.
Organic fertilizers are also suitable for fuchsia, but nevertheless they should be alternated with mineral ones. Before you fertilize, you need to make sure that the soil in the pot is quite moist. Experienced growers are advised to fertilize every 2 weeks. Otherwise, exhaustive search with fertilizers can lead to leaf overgrowth, but flowers on it will become a rarity.
IMPORTANT! In winter, when the plant is at rest, the use of fertilizers should be discontinued.You can not use top dressing for the following fuchsias:
- Diseased plants.
- Young cuttings, in which the root system is not yet fully formed.
Photo
In the photo you can see what fuchsia looks like.
If the flower grows in the garden
Caring for fuchsia may vary slightly, depending on where it was decided to grow it: at home in a pot or in the garden, outdoors. Creating comfortable conditions in the garden is just as important as when growing a house in a pot.
An important criterion for growing fuchsia in the garden is the choice of planting location. Unlike home breeding, it will not be possible to transfer or rearrange the flower in the garden. Therefore, you should immediately choose the calm and well-lit corners of the garden, with sufficient humidity, sheltered from direct sunlight.
In detail about the cultivation of fuchsia in the garden and the subsequent care of the flower, we talked about in this article.
Growing
In order to guarantee the plant a long beautiful life, it is necessary not only to provide it with proper care, but also to carry out some important procedures throughout the year.
Breeding
Fuchsia propagates in three ways:
- The seeds. Basically, this method is suitable for breeders, as it is quite time-consuming. Its main condition is the artificial pollination of the mother plant.
- Cuttings (propagation by scraps). It is necessary to separate young cuttings 10-20 cm long from the plant, remove the lower leaves, then place the cuttings in water and cover with a bottle or bag. After the appearance of the roots, about 5-10 days, you can plant in the prepared soil.
- Leaves. A leaf with a leg comes off the plant, placed in the ground, it must be regularly sprayed with water. After 1-1.5 months, shoots will appear at the cut site, after which spraying can be stopped.
Details about how best to plant a flower - seeds or cuttings, read in this article.
Transfer
Fuchsia cultivation includes the annual transplantation of a plant into a larger pot, which ensures its further development and obtaining seedlings for propagation.
How to form? The plant is transplanted into a new pot by transshipment. Very carefully, trying not to damage the root system.
Along the edges of the pot, they necessarily fill up new soil and watered abundantly. Leave watered fuchsia on a light windowsill without direct sunlight.
Read more about how to transplant fuchsia in our material.
Disease
Fuchsia has a fairly strong immunity to various diseases and pest attacks. If the cultivation conditions are not observed, fuchsia becomes ill:
- Falling foliage. The reasons are lack of light, watering or an excess of dry air.
- Falling flowers. It occurs with irregular watering, as well as the location of the pot on the sunny side.
- Yellow stripes and brown spots on the foliage. They are a consequence of waterlogging in the winter. If you want to know how to care for fuchsia in winter, remember: it does not tolerate overflow
- Short flowering season. Various factors can affect: lack of light, fertilizer, moisture, too warm a room.
Fuchsia is a fairly unpretentious flower for home breeding, but when growing it you should not ignore certain factors. Creating comfortable conditions of temperature, watering, lighting, fertilizer for this beauty, there is no doubt that fuchsia will be the pride of the owners, and will thank the lush and bright flowering.