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Feeding Fuchsias

The most essential thing to remember with fuchsias growing in a container is that they totally rely on you for their food and drink.

Whichever trade name of plant food you select, it is most important to remember that a little sustenance given to fuchsias often is far better than a major banquet now and then. There are numerous varieties of plant food available on the market and some are even specially formulated for fuchsias.

The recommended rate of feed is to dilute it to about half the strength suggested by the manufacturers and applied each time the plants require watering. This will give them plenty of opportunity to absorb the nutrients that are available and there is little or no chance of killing them with kindness.

When plants first begin to ‘come to life’ after being dormant during the winter, they will probably need a high nitrogen feed (25:15:15). This is to encourage the top part of the plants to grow. Whatever you do, don’t over do it. By applying this type of feed for too long will encourage a mass of lush green top growth which will then cause the stems to become too weak to support the eventual blooms.

For this reason it will be necessary to change to a more balanced feed (20:20:20).

Later in the season it may be necessary to use a high potash fertilizer (15:15:30) to promote a high yield of blooms.

All the above plant foods contain trace elements that are essential for healthy fuchsias.

NOTE: Young plants that are still being potted on do not need feeding until they have been in their final pot size for 3–4 weeks.

The series of numbers quoted on packets of fertilizers (e.g. 20:20:20) are the proportions of NPK

N = Nitrogen P = Phosphate K = Potash

Nitrogen is required to promote the top growth of the plant.

Phosphate is essential for the development of the root system.

Potash is applied to encourage the fuchsia plant to produce a multitude of blooms.

Watering

The inexperienced grower may also find when to water their plants a slight problem. It can vary perhaps from fortnightly during the colder months to the other extreme of three or four times a day during a heat wave, and of course, all the variations in between. If plants are handled regularly it will soon become apparent when water is needed. Plants that have just recently been potted–on into larger pots will require much less water than pots that are absolutely full of roots. Never let plants stand with their feet in water. Saucers may be used to enable the process of watering from the base, but empty the excess after about 15 minutes.

Be In Complete Control Of Your Plants

What the previous subjects on feeding and watering require is this;

Be in control at all stages of growth from cuttings to when the plants attain full glory.

It also means that handling your plants at every opportunity will be of great benefit in order to ensure any problems can be spotted and immediately rectified.