Florists do not always undertake to work with fuchsia, because they do not know how to store fuchsia in winter. They are afraid that they will not be able to cope with the storage of this magnificent plant during its rest period.
There are several ways to store fuchsia in winter, which depend on the flower variety, on the possibilities and the desire to preserve the plant.
In our time there are varieties that will be able to winter outside, and varieties that can be kept only in greenhouses. There are also sorts of fuchsias that will delight flowers all year round if they create certain conditions. Fuchsia is a very hardy plant, but it can be ruined by complete drying or very strong frosting. Nowadays there are new frost-resistant varieties of fuchsia that you can leave to spend the winter on the street, if the frost does not exceed 20 degrees. In addition, such a fuchsia better winter in the street than in a warm apartment with poor lighting.
Caring for fuchsia in frosts
When the air temperature drops to 5-7 degrees (usually it happens in early November), the plant for wintering should be transferred to a room with a similar temperature. It hibernates fuchsia in a cool room, both without light and with light. For this purpose, a basement, a heated garage, a glazed balcony, and if there is nothing like that, a window sill will do. A young plant is placed on the southern window (this is the most favorable location) closer to the glass, away from the battery. With this arrangement, fuchsia will slowly grow and not stretch. On northern windows, the plant needs to be illuminated, otherwise it will stretch and turn pale.
For proper growth, the plant should be fertilized and pricked. Although the cultivation of fuchsia is a troublesome business, the cuttings harvested in autumn, in the spring already become full-fledged young flowering bushes. On the cuttings, young green shoots should be cut off.
Usually fuchsia blossom until December, after which they completely or partially dump leaves and buds. In February, active growth and flowering of fuchsia begins. This is the best time for cuttings propagation.
If you decide to leave fuchsia winter on the street, then the first frost it should be cut, leaving shoots 5-10 cm long. If fuchsia grew in a hanging pot, then the plant should be removed and buried in the ground, covered with a thick layer of peat or dry oak leaves. To prevent moisture from getting on top of everything is covered with a plastic film. So cold-resistant varieties of fuchsia are preserved, such as Coralline, Dollar Princess, Royal Velvet, White Fairy, General Monk, Mrs. Popple, Preston Guild, Baby Blue Eyes.
The most optimal temperature for fuchsia in winter is 5-10 degrees Celsius. In such conditions, the plant becomes less demanding for sunlight, ceases its growth and passes into a state of rest. If the temperature rises, you need to increase the lighting. It will not be necessary to lighten the plant if it is kept in the south-western, south-eastern or southern window at a temperature of 15 degrees. When fuchsia is kept at higher temperatures, it needs to be lightened, otherwise the plant will be
How to keep fuchsia in winter on a balcony or glassed-in loggia?
First, we insulate and seal the windows on the loggia. Fuchsia for the winter remains in a pot or box in the form of cut off bushes or cuttings, which are rooted in the fall. Boxes are filled with sawdust or sand. Water the plant as needed or moisten the sawdust. During the winter, the young fuchsia stiffens, the strength will grow and in the spring a strong plant will grow from it. If the irrigation regime is violated, fuchsia will discard the buds. It can also happen if the fuchsia is rotated or rearranged during the flowering period.