Content
Inhabitants of the windowsill fill the interior with paints, cheer up. A striking example is indoor fuchsia, which is famous for being capricious, but caring for it is quite simple. The tropical origin of the plant has left a certain imprint on the nature of cultivation.
Wild species have a shrub habit. Evergreen perennials are included in the Fuchsia genus of the Cypress family, numbering about a hundred species. Most of the species diversity is concentrated in Central and South America. Several species are also found in New Zealand.
The hybrid fuchsia grown on windowsills has flexible shoots. The twigs are covered with oval foliage with a pointed tip and jagged edges of the plates. The leaves are opposite. The color of the leaf blades is different, depending on the variety. There are variegated (variegated) forms of the plant.
The structure of flowers sitting on long pedicels is interesting. The flower has a tubular corolla with bent lobes and a bright calyx. The calyx lobes are slightly longer than the petals; long stamens coquettishly peek out from under the skirt. The buds droop beautifully, flowering lasts a long time. The shape, color, structure of the corollas depend on the variety. The fruits of wild species are edible.
Advice
A tropical guest will look equally good in the form of a compact bush, miniature tree or ampelous plant.
The discoverer of fuchsia is the French priest Charles Plumier, who explored the territory of the West Indies in search of medicinal herbs. Earlier, the botanist had already discovered magnolia and begonia, and in 1696 he was lucky enough to discover another new species - Fuchsia. Plumier named it after one of the founders of botany, Leonard Fuchs. European breeders immediately became interested in the new plant. The first variety appeared already in 1832. After 10 years, it was possible to breed fuchsia with a snow-white cup, after another 8 years the first terry hybrid appeared.
Modern breeders continue to replenish the assortment. Plants differ in terms of flowering, color, structure of corollas, requirements for care.
Among simple (non-double) hybrids, the following are popular:
Terry and semi-double hybrid fuchsias look especially beautiful. Their skirts are made up of more petals.
Flower growers love the following terry varieties:
The racemose fuchsias have a very long tubular calyx, the flowers are collected in a racemose inflorescence. Thallia, bred in 1905, is very popular among flower growers.
Fuchsia requires certain care, on which the decorativeness of the plant will directly depend. For a comfortable stay in an apartment, the exotic will need the following conditions:
In addition, you will have to periodically inspect fuchsia for the appearance of pests and diseases, take appropriate measures to eliminate problems.
All representatives of the Fuchsia genus are very photophilous, but excessive direct illumination causes them irreparable harm in the form of sunburn. It is better if the light hits the fuchsia only in the morning. The beauty should be protected from the midday heat.
This grooming rule does not apply to all varieties. It is noted that plants with variegated foliage require more sunlight, since their plates are partially devoid of chlorophyll pigment. Chlorophyll participates in the process of photosynthesis, providing food for plants. Its lack in low light will surely affect the health of fuchsia. More solar radiation is needed for varieties with bright buds and light green foliage. The darker the colored plates, the less the need for the amount of light.
It is better to choose windows from the east, west side - they are suitable for all hybrids. On the north side, light-loving varieties may not have enough sunlight; it is easy to get burns on the south windows. Carefully consider the choice of location, the exotic does not tolerate rearrangements. If fuchsia is moved during flowering, it can show displeasure, dropping all the buds.
Advice
If there is no particular choice, on the northern windowsill, you can organize supplementary lighting with a special phytolamp. For a southerly orientation, enclose the bushes with tulle or place them on a table near the window.
Despite its tropical origin, fuchsia prefers cool rooms. The optimum temperature during the growing season and flowering period is 18-22⁰C. Exceeding this mark threatens with drying of the leaves, a complete loss of decorativeness. At home, with the onset of summer, many transfer the pots to the balcony, plant the plant in open ground. It is important to make sure that the scorching sun does not touch the sissy in the afternoon. With a decrease in the temperature background, the flower inhibits the appearance of new buds, stops development, prepares for hibernation.
For the full flowering of fuchsia, a rest period is required - an important part of care. Maintain the background temperature at 10-12⁰C. Move the pot to the insulated loggia, placing a piece of foam under the bottom. Can be placed in a cellar or basement, the presence of light during hibernation is optional. Watering is carried out 1-2 times a month.
Since an exotic guest does not tolerate overheating, the best option for planting at home for her would be planting in a ceramic pot with thick walls. Ceramic allows air to pass through, providing additional aeration of the root system.
If you don't have a ceramic pot, you can plant it in a plastic pot. Choose a container of light colors or wrap the surface with white paper. Remember that drainage holes are required for all indoor plants.
A suitable substrate for fuchsia is loose, fertile, light. There are no special requirements for the chemical composition of the soil. The optimum pH level is close to neutral, the content of vermicompost is welcome.
As a substrate, you can use:
Advice
Pour expanded clay at the bottom of the pot with a layer of at least four centimeters. The material will provide the necessary drainage and ventilation of the roots.
Fuchsia is a moisture-loving plant, but excessive moisture in the substrate leads to the development of fungal diseases. Stagnation of water, high humidity in combination with a low temperature background, which is maintained during the rest period, is especially dangerous. Therefore, the irrigation regime must be strictly observed. It is recommended that water for irrigation be pre-defended and filtered.
Watering the flower during active growing season is necessary abundantly, but infrequently. Care consists in observing such a time between waterings so that the top layer of the soil is completely dry. Spraying in the morning or in the evening, turning on a humidifier will have a beneficial effect on the health of the flower. It is possible to ensure sufficient humidity even without a special device. To do this, place small containers filled with water around the pot. It is also helpful to place the pot in a tray filled with damp moss or pebbles.
During the active growing season and flowering, fuchsia greatly depletes soil resources, so they should be periodically replenished. Growing a plant at home without fertilizer is impossible. The flower is fertilized twice a month using ready-made mineral complexes for flowering plants. Top dressing is applied from March to September.
The chemical composition of fertilizers plays an important role. If we are talking about a young plant, which was not so long ago rooted, flower growers recommend waiting a month after planting, and then feeding the young growth with nitrogen fertilizer. Nitrogen has a beneficial effect on the growth of green mass. More leaves - more nutrition through photosynthesis. Lush flowering of adult fuchsias will provide potash dressings with a small proportion of phosphorus. These can be purchased at any flower shop.
Advice
Avoid spilling fertilizer on the foliage. Remember that any fertilizer is applied after slightly moistening the substrate.
Experienced flower growers recommend replanting exotics annually. Manipulations are carried out after the plant wakes up from winter sleep. During the growing season, under favorable conditions for growth, the root system of the plant is able to occupy the entire allocated space. Even with fertilization, the soil in the pot is quickly depleted.
Fuchsia is transplanted according to the following rules.
Compliance with the described recommendations allows you to hammer abundant flowering.
Proper care for fuchsia at home is impossible without regular pruning. Removing excess growth has a beneficial effect on the health of the plant, allows you to make the bush neat.
Pruning is subdivided into shaping and sanitizing. With the help of the first, they regulate the number of shoots, give the desired shape, the second serves to heal the bush.
Pruning is carried out according to the following rules.
Advice
To make the bushes fluffy, pinch the tops of the young shoots. It is better to pinch no more than twice in the spring, otherwise the budding period will be delayed.
You can get new copies of room fuchsia at home in the following ways:
Let's take a closer look at each method.
Generative reproduction is of interest only to breeding enthusiasts. This exciting activity can start a new plant hybrid, but at least two varieties are needed to complete the task. Fuchsias are pollinated with their own pollen, insects. It is the home breeder's job to eliminate self-pollination. Until the flower has fully opened, the anthers (tips of the stamens) are cut off from it. Then another variety of pollen is applied to the pistil, the pollinated flower is covered with a fabric cover.
Seedlings are grown according to the following algorithm.
Juveniles can be planted more densely by placing several shoots in one container.
The most common way to propagate fuchsia is by cuttings. It is better to time the procedure for spring pruning, since the removed branches will be an excellent planting material. You will need the tops of young shoots with 3 internodes (three pairs of leaves). Make sure there are no buds on the branches.
Cuttings can be rooted using:
The first method is ideal for novice florists: the process of development of the root system is clearly visible in the water. The bottom pair of leaves is removed from the cutting and placed in a glass of water. When the roots develop, young shoots are planted in a permanent place, looked after as an adult plant.
Advice
To avoid decay of the cutting, dissolve the crushed activated charcoal tablet in water.
For rooting in the substrate, after removing the lower leaves, the cut is dipped in a root formation stimulator - "Kornevin". Plant the stalk in moist soil, cover the container with a transparent cover (film, glass, plastic cup) or place it in a mini-greenhouse. The rooting rate depends on the variety, the process takes about 20-25 days. When new leaves appear on the cutting, it must be transplanted into a flower pot. A very beautiful composition is obtained by planting cuttings of different varieties in one pot.
Propagation by leaf cuttings is carried out by analogy with the process of cuttings. Instead of the crown of the shoot, a well-developed leaf is planted, cut off with the stalk. The petiole is buried 1 cm, providing a greenhouse microclimate. If the recommendations are followed, a tiny rosette will develop at the base of the petiole. When she grows up, separate from the mother liquor, plant the young individual in a permanent place.
Fuchsia has excellent immunity, it rarely gets sick. A change in the color of the leaf plates or the appearance of characteristic orange spots on the bottom of the leaf should alert the grower. Such signs are inherent in rust - a dangerous fungal disease. Remove affected leaves, treat with fungicide. Suitable drugs "Topaz", "Fitosporin", "Vectra". They need to be sprayed three times with an interval of 7-10 days.
Of the pests, spider mites, whiteflies, and aphids can settle on fuchsia. Insects make punctures in plant tissues, suck out juices. The puncture site turns yellow, the leaves gradually die off. Aphids and whiteflies can be seen with the naked eye, and a tick is detected by thin silvery spider webs. Plant parasites are exterminated with drugs "Aktara", "Inta-Vir", "Aktellik", "Karate".
Subject to the described recommendations, fuchsia will annually please with good health, bloom profusely. From spring to autumn, a colorful round dance of little ballerinas will circle on your windowsill.
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