Fuchsia is a plant from the family of Cyprus, which grows in Central and South America. Although the flower is very popular with many, flower growers are in no hurry to purchase their own collection, as fuchsia is quite capricious in its care, especially during the resting period.
In our article you will learn about the proper preparation of fuchsia for the winter, about how to save it for the winter in the basement and in the apartment.
Features of preparation for the cold season
In the fall and spring, fuchsia has a period of active growth, reproduction and flowering, and in winter it retires (about how to propagate fuchsia correctly by cuttings, read here, and from this article you will learn how to grow a new plant from a leaf). The flower needs good lighting all year round. Watering in winter is less common than usual. The earthen ball should not completely dry before the next watering. In the fall, the plant should be moved to a cool place, and if there is no such place, then artificially create coolness.
How to start preparing the plant for the winter:
- The first thing to do is to leave the plant outdoors until the first frost. If you bring fuchsia before the cold in the room, then the process of lignification will be interrupted.
- Since the beginning of autumn the flower is not fertilized. Feeding is not needed, because by this time it accumulates a sufficient amount of nutrients.
- To prevent the crown from stretching, the buds were smaller and in the spring a lush flowering was done pruning.
- Before wintering necessarily need to inspect fuchsia. It is necessary to remove all yellowed leaves and dry stems.
- Also, experienced growers advise processing on the basis of rapeseed oil, Rapsol. Spraying protects the flower from pests.
How to keep in the basement and in the cellar?
Not all flower lovers can afford to organize the wintering of fuchsia on the glazed loggia of the apartment or the bright greenhouse, but what to do in this case with fuchsia? To store plants in the winter, you can use the basement or cellar. Before transferring fuchsia to one of these places, it is pruned and leaves are shortened.
In the dark, it also breathes, as well as in the open air, consuming the accumulated nutrients. The room must be equipped with ventilation. In its absence, the air humidity will increase, and this will entail a series of fungal diseases.
Important: A suitable temperature in the basement or cellar should be at least +10 degrees.
We recommend watching the video about wintering fuchsia in the basement or cellar:
How winters in the apartment?
In apartment conditions, it is possible to provide a good winter for fuchsia, if you often ventilate the room. In September, the flower is transplanted into "poor soil", which contains a small amount of humus. This will slow the growth of young bushes. If the florist noticed in winter that the bushes began to sprout, then they should be immediately cut off and open the window for a long time to reduce the temperature. Wintering fuchsia in the basement is watered only 1-2 times a month, in the apartment it should be done more often.
Due to the heating, the earth lump dries faster and a lack of moisture is formed. It leads to the death of the plant, so you should remove the flower away from the batteries.
On the day when the fuchsia is brought into the apartment, the florist should open the window and put the glass unit in the minimum ventilation mode. It should always be open. Closing is possible only on very cold days.
During the rest, the flower becomes even more capricious than during the period of growth and flowering. It reacts negatively to deficiency and excessive moisture. Failure to meet proper conditions in winter, for example, an increase in humidity or temperature, leads to the appearance of insects. In such cases, they can not always help, even fungicides and insecticides can cope with pests.
What you need to know about the content on the windowsill?
As close as possible to put the pot to the glass and the room is constantly ventilated.- To avoid rotting of the root system, due to the window that is open all the time, through which cold masses rush in, the bottom is insulated with foam plastic.
- In hot apartments will require a flower fence from high temperatures. This will help plastic film, which cover fuchsia.
- Frequent and unnecessary watering is not needed.
- To protect against pests, the plant must be treated with special preparations.
- Starting from December-January, the flower is illuminated with lamps, as it lacks lighting.
As close as possible to put the pot to the glass and the room is constantly ventilated.We recommend to watch the video about wintering fuchsia in the apartment:
Do I need to trim?
Fuchsia pruning for the winter must be carried out. This is a very important stage in the cultivation of fuchsia. Do it twice a year:
- In the autumn, when the flower is transferred to the basement or apartment.
- In the spring, to form a beautiful bush.
In order not to provoke the growth of trunks and pulling the bush up, fuchsia is cut in the fall immediately after flowering. The procedure is needed for proper development in the spring.
When to clean up what month of autumn?
Fuchsia is often removed for the winter in late October. The pot is transferred from the garden or taken from the cottage for the winter to the apartment, basement, cellar. There it is until spring.
Flower care
Caring for fuchsia in the winter is not as complicated as it might seem at first glance. It does not need any dressings, all that needs to be done is to water it in time and adhere to the correct temperature regime of + 10 ... +12 degrees. It is not recommended to put the plant on the window sill, whose windows face north, because the flower will not be enough light, and it will stretch out.
Board: The right time to wake up is the beginning of March. Winter-hardy fuchsia is left in the garden, but in order to survive the winter safely, it is covered with a layer of peat or dry leaves. Excess moisture is covered with a layer of plastic film.
We talked more about the rules of growing fuchsia in the garden here, and about home plant care features read here.
Possible diseases during wintering
Most often, during the wintering process, fuchsia affects a fungal disease called rust. Ailment may occur due to poor conditions of detention. If the florist did not adhere to the recommendations, and the room was warm, humid and dark, then there is a high probability that the flower will get sick. As a prophylaxis, a 1% solution of the Bordeaux mixture is treated, but very often prevention is neglected, and when brown spots appear on the plant, growers reproach themselves. The affected plant with rust is likely to die, if it is not isolated in time, then other cultures may die with it.- When overwetting air appears gray rot. It is quite easy to identify the affected part of the flower: it is soft and watery, and there are white spots on the leaves. Cure the disease can be, cut off the damaged leaves and treated with special preparations. After that, you need to change the microclimate so that gray mold no longer appears.
Most often, during the wintering process, fuchsia affects a fungal disease called rust. Ailment may occur due to poor conditions of detention. If the florist did not adhere to the recommendations, and the room was warm, humid and dark, then there is a high probability that the flower will get sick. As a prophylaxis, a 1% solution of the Bordeaux mixture is treated, but very often prevention is neglected, and when brown spots appear on the plant, growers reproach themselves. The affected plant with rust is likely to die, if it is not isolated in time, then other cultures may die with it.Conclusion
It is easy to organize storage of fuchsia in the winter, and it is not necessary to transfer it from the garden to the basement or to the loggia. She perezimuet on the windowsill in the apartment, if occasionally water it and spray, smoothing the work of the central heating.
