Q. I have several lovely Fuchsias hanging on my back porch. Should I clip off the old flowers along with the little green bud above it or leave them? Also, how do I get them to flower more often?
A. Fuchsias are just gorgeous at this time of the year. I particularly enjoy the trailing varieties like you have. Fuchsias are not that difficult to keep compact and loaded with flowers right on through the fall. It starts in the spring around St Patrick’s Day with a severe pruning. The long and now leggy branches from the previous year should be cut back to the edge of the container while reducing the height by a third. In many cases, you’ll be removing fifty-percent or more of the previous year’s growth and this would be normal. The new growth should begin on short, stubby old growth; otherwise, the plants will have a shaggy growth habit the rest of the year and never truly be full like they are now. In addition, Fuchsias bloom only on the current year’s growth, never on the previous years or old wood. To increase the flush of flowers, you need to pinch back the new growth during the growing season and remove the old and faded flowers regularly. This is called “Deadheading.” If left alone, the old Fuchsia flowers do drop off but not before, they form a seedpod. The seedpod is the round, green structure that forms at the end or top of the flower just before the flower petals. Some folks refer to it as a berry as it remains after the old flowers drop off while others think of it is a new flower bud. Unless you’re a hybridizer, the formation of the seedpod(s) is a lot of wasted energy that the plant can then use to produce new flowers. The old flowers can be cut or pinched off. I’m not that particular what you use, it could be a pair of scissors, hand shears or just your fingers. The seedpods do pull off easily. By continually deadheading your Fuchsia plants during its growing season, you can maintain a high volume of blooming flowers and reducing the amount of the seedpods. The other advantage is you minimize the mess from the fallen flower parts under the plants that has to be cleaned up. Fuchsias should be fed regularly to encourage the new growth. A monthly feeding from March through October is recommended. Old school gardeners would use Fish Emulsion through July and then switch to 0-10-10 for the balance of the year. Today, you can use Miracle Gro, Dr Earth, Osmocote and others. The nitrogen in these fertilizers promotes the lush green foliage. By July, the plants should have enough size so you should lower the nitrogen and increase the phosphorus and potassium for flower production. Liquinox Bloom, O-10-10 or similar fertilizer is suggested for the balance of the year. In summary, feed often and remove the old flowers along with the seedpods is how you keep your Fuchsia blooming.
Buzz Bertolero is Executive Vice President of Navlet’s Garden Centers and a California Certified Nursery Professional. His web address is www.dirtgardener.com and you can send questions by email at dirtgarden@aol.com or to 360 Civic Drive Ste. ‘D’, Pleasant Hill, Calif. 94523 and on Facebook at Facebook/. com/Buzz-Bertolero
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