Genealogy of fuchsia
The first fuchsia was discovered at the end of the 17th century by the French botanist Pierre Charles Plumier during a trip to South America. He named it Fuchsia triphylla flore coccinea, trifoliate fuchsia, in honor of the famous botanist and physician Leonard Fuchs. Since then, more than 120 species of fuchsia have been described; almost all are native to North and Central America, but only a few are grown.
Fuchsias grown on balconies and terraces are varieties resulting from the repeated crossing of various species (over 15,000 varieties have been bred!).They were called Fuchsia x hybrida hybrid fuchsia. They are sensitive to low temperatures, so pots with them should be placed at home in the winter. If planted in the ground, they are usually treated as annuals grown from seedlings.
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Hybrid fuchsia flowers are usually bi- or tri-colored. The color palette includes white and all shades of pink, red, purple and even navy blue. So far, only plants with yellow flowers have not been grown. Flowers - single, semi-double or full - can be from one centimeter to several centimeters long, most often they are gathered in clusters and set on the tops of the shoots. The first ones develop at the beginning of May, the last ones can be enjoyed even in September.
Fuchsia slice
The most famous varieties have a semi-drooping or upright habit.This means that the shoots initially grow upwards and hang down only in the middle (or at the very ends). Such varieties can be freely shaped by trimming, giving them, for example, the form of miniature trees. There were also several dozen varieties of fuchsia with colorful leaves - white, yellow or pink edged.
Substrate
Fuchsia do not tolerate heavy, clay soil - they grow poorly and bloom very poorly. They also feel bad in light and permeable soil, which dries quickly because they are sensitive to water shortage. The best soil for them is fertile soil for flowers with a slightly acidic pH (pH approx. 6), which can be purchased at any garden center.
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Pots with fuchsia should be placed in a slightly shaded place. If there is too much sun, the plants will stop sprouting young shoots and older shoots will start to wood. Excess light also causes leaves yellowing and flower buds to wilt.Remember, however, that plants bloom poorly even in deep shade. The stand must also be sheltered from the wind, because fuchsia has very fragile shoots that break easily.
Watering
Fuchsia is extremely sensitive to the drying of the substrate. A short-term drought is enough for them to lose most of their leaves and flowers. On the other hand, in excessively moist soil, plant roots rot quickly, so they should be watered with a little water, but very systematically. Flowers growing in high density, e.g. in balcony boxes, require watering even twice a day in hot weather.
Fertilization
Since fuchsia blooms long and profusely, they need a lot of nutrients. Every week, starting from March to the end of August, they should be fed with fertilizer intended for blooming flowers. Other types of fertilizer contain too much nitrogen. Its excess causes the plant to produce a lot of young shoots, but it blooms less.It is most convenient to use liquid medium. If the fuchsias are in bad condition, it will be more advantageous to fertilize them by foliar application. For this purpose, we use a preparation diluted in double the amount of water.
Trimming
Specimens kept at home for winter require pruning every year as their shoots are excessively run-down and slack in spring. Plants are best trimmed in February. If we want to give the fuchsia the form of a tree, remove all the lower shoots and shorten the upper ones by half, when the plant only needs better branching, shorten all the twigs evenly.
Wintering fuchsia
Since in our climate, hybrid fuchsia does not winter in the ground, plants that we want to cultivate for several years should be brought home before the first frosts. It is best to store them in a cool, bright room at a temperature not higher than 10 degrees Celsius. An unheated garage, a glazed balcony or a bright staircase are ideal for this purpose.Plants wintering in such conditions end their vegetation and may lose some leaves, which is a natural phenomenon. We water them very sparingly. Plants begin to sprout new shoots in early March. Fuchsia can also hibernate at room temperature, but then they will not come to rest. In order for the shoots not to stretch out excessively, place them on the window sill.
Breeding fuchsia
Hybrid fuchsia is propagated from cuttings. Young, only slightly lignified shoots take root best. To obtain them, 6-8 weeks before planting, we must cut the mother plant strongly to stimulate it to sprout new shoots. We cut them out and then divide them into sections with a minimum of 3 nodes (the places from which the leaves grow). We remove the lower leaves and place the seedling in moist sand. Cover the box with the seedlings with foil and then place it on the window, making sure that they have a slightly moist substrate.
After 2-3 weeks, the plants should have taken root.When they start to sprout young leaves, we gradually uncover the box, airing the seedlings to get them used to the lower air humidity. Then we transplant the young plants into pots and pinch the tops of the shoots to stimulate them to branch out. In the first year of growing, we should change the pots to larger ones at least twice. Later, we replant the fuchsia every February. If the seedlings are obtained in March, the young plants will bloom in late June and early July. The seeding treatment can also be carried out in the fall. Then the flowers on young plants will appear in May.
