Fuchsia Propagation
This
page is concerned
with what is termed the asexual propagation of fuchsias from cuttings as opposed to
sexual propagation from seed which will be dealt with in a later article.
Increasing
stock by legally taking cuttings is a lovely facet of growing almost any plant.
It
is a cheap and easy way of increasing your stock whether the cuttings
have been taken from your own stock plants or from someone else’s. Almost every serious gardener derives a great deal of pleasure
from propagating his or her own plants and almost without exception end
up taking too many cuttings. These soon become unmanageable, the surplus given away or
destroyed. In this chapter propagation will be taken to a new level whereby
even an absolute novice will be able to propagate successfully and the
expert, especially the show person, will have an even greater awareness
as to the type, size and condition of material to be propagated.
Taking the correct type of cutting can make a tremendous
difference to the size and the amount of flowers the cutting will
produce. Using the techniques I
developed I was
able to at least double, sometimes quadruple, the number of flowers
produced by cuttings using my special techniques as opposed to the
accepted norm which has been handed down since time immemorial. In
this chapter I shall be using illustrations taken using a digital
camera. Being able to
photograph and record the various aspects of gardening digitally to a
computer, compact disk or photograph has given gardening a new
dimension.
When
to start propagating?
The individual, facilities available, expertise and enthusiasm
determine when to start propagating. A
fuchsia year starts in October. At this time most of the plants are past their best and in need
of attention. Briefly prune each plant, give them the hot water
treatment to eradicate all pests and diseases, ease down on watering and
as early as possible pot each plant down into a smaller plant pot. They are then housed ready for the onset of winter.
Each of the actions described above will be subject of in-depth
chapters later on.
Start looking for cuttings about the middle of
December, soon after the shortest day.
From this moment the plants quickly sense the lengthening of each
day and the increase in light intensity.
These factors coupled with a frost-free cool temperature induce
the production of new short jointed compact growth.
The growth rate of new side shoots (cutting material) is governed
by temperature and available light. The highest possible natural light penetration must be achieved
in your greenhouse or growing area. Clean
off any dust, dirt or old shading from the glass inside and outside this
area. Using
an extra layer of polythene inside the greenhouse to conserve heat is
always a compromise.
Using too much heat in an attempt to increase growth is misguided
and will lead to unwanted elongation of the internodes length of the
side shoots, your cutting material.
It will also reduce the flowering potential of the plant. This is explained in
more detail a little further on.
One point worth remembering which will illustrate the heat/light
requirement of plants is knowledge that the only place where these two
factors are always uniquely balanced is outside, never in the confines
of a greenhouse. To plants
this is an alien environment. As light intensity increases so does the temperature and vice
versa. Plants, whatever species, are all uniquely adapted to detect
these variables and will react accordingly. If the growing area is warmer than the ambient light factor then
the plants will start to stretch increasing the inter-nodal length in
their quest to reach a higher light intensity. They probably assume they are growing under a leaf canopy or
other shade and strive to reach more light in addition to elongation, excessive heat leads to lush weak
growth that is always susceptible to attacks from insects and fungus
such as botrytis and rust. A cool, light, frost-free area is ideal for producing material
for good strong compact plants for show, display or just decoration. If
you intend propagating use only the best materials.
The
two photographs below illustrate these points. Cuttings
will be taken from both plants and compared.
Photo ‘A’ has been grown cool, 5°/10°
C. 40°/50°
F, whilst Photo ‘B’ has been grown warm, with a minimum temperature
of 12°C.
During the same period, both plants have made similar growth.
Plant
‘A’ has small compact growth where as ‘B’ has large lush growth.
Close up photographs of cuttings taken from both plants will
aptly illustrate this point.
Photograph
'A' Photograph
'B'
Taking
cuttings. Almost
everyone interested in gardening, in whatever form, has at one time or
another taken cuttings. Be
it of houseplants, shrubs from the garden, or other specific species of
plants. The
point I must stress is that the following paragraphs apply strictly to
the propagation of fuchsias although I do try to apply some of the
techniques to other species as well.
The
next set of photographs will illustrate the various types of cuttings
their benefits and drawbacks.
Tip
cutting
This
is a tip cutting which is the earliest type of cutting available on an
over wintered plant. See
photograph ‘A’ above.
If taking this type of cutting, make a cut about 3mm below a pair
of leaves. This tip cutting will root quite readily when inserted into a
rooting medium but it will be slow growing and take quite a long time to
produce a reasonably sized flowering plant.
It may be a must if there are problems with your stock plant. Not a cutting I would use for a show plant.
Elongated
cutting
This
is a typical cutting taken from a plant over wintering in a warm
greenhouse. See
photograph ‘B’ above. When
viewed by a novice it appears to be ideal and easy to handle.
Excessive heat and poor light has stretched the internodal
length, the distance between successive pairs of leaves, to excess. The large leaves make it a prime target for insects.
It will not make a specimen show plant but maybe useful for
increasing stock or growing up into a standard.
This sequence will be described later.
The removal of the lower leaves for rooting is optional.
Two
and Three leaf cuttings
When
choosing cuttings for your own use, especially for show plants, a little
more care and observation is required. Before taking a cutting, examine the stock plant carefully and
select only those cuttings that have a perfect leaf formation.
Each leaf across the leaf axils must be identical both in
size, shape and colour. Any
imbalance or deformity in leaf structure will show itself later once the
plant starts to shape up and flower.
It will also be difficult to shape.
Another important factor when
looking for cutting material is illustrated by the photograph above.
Look carefully over the whole plant for three leaf cuttings. These
make excellent show plants and will carry at least a third more
flowers than the two leaf cuttings. Whilst on the
subject of three leaf cuttings it never ceases to amaze me how many
growers, especially show people, never appreciate the true potential of
these cuttings. As soon as the
cutting has rooted they pinch out the growing tip, apical meristem, to
encourage side shoots to develop. This is
fine, but what they have failed to realise is, that if they had allowed
the cutting to develop a little longer it would have grown sufficiently
for the tip to be removed and rooted. This would provide
another identical plant. Again, once this tip has rooted the
growing tip can be removed for a second time and rooted. This process of never destroying a perfect cutting is not fully realised.
All the cuttings taken from this initial cutting will be identical. In a normal year this process can be
repeated three times. The final cutting can be grown
on as a whip to produce an excellent standard which when it reaches its
optimum height the growing tip can again be taken out and rooted. The sequence can be started all over again. The
following photographs illustrate these points.
Photograph 'C'
Photograph 'D'
In
photograph 'C' the original cutting is on the left and its growing tip,
which has been removed and rooted, is on the right. In
photograph 'D' the growing tip has again been removed from the
second plant and will be rooted to make a third identical plant all
from the one original cutting. When the third cutting
has been rooted it will be grown on to form an excellent
standard whip. Whilst on the subject of three leaf cuttings these
will only be found on second year plants growing from the old leaf
axils on ripe wood.
Once a three leaf cutting has been stopped all the resultant side shoots
developing in the leaf axils will only have two pair of leaves. There are always rare exceptions to this rule, excluding triphyllas and
species of course. One of my own seedlings, 'The University
of Liverpool' is a perfect example. Size for size this fuchsia
will produce more flowers than virtually any other because of its unique
habit of producing so many three leaf branches.
Having
stressed the point regarding the selection of only the most perfect
of cuttings I shall now elaborate a little more on the subject.
In selecting material for your own use avoid taking any cutting with an
imbalance in leaf structure. The following
photographs clearly demonstrate the issue.
In the
first picture notice the difference in size of the leaves across the
pair of leaf axils 'A' and 'B'. The average grower
would not notice or would ignore the imbalance, take the cutting and
root it. What is not apparent at this stage is the
imbalance in the side shoots developing in the leaf axils.
The second picture shows the side shoot emerging from the axil of the
undersized leaf to be underdeveloped in comparison to the side shoot in
the opposite leaf axil. This imbalance will continue
through to maturity leaving that portion of the plant slightly behind in
both growth and flowering. It can also effect the leaf and
flower size which really becomes obvious as the flower buds develop. The undersize leaf and flower detract from perfection in show plants and
give the Judge the opportunity to down point an otherwise perfect
exhibit.
The
cuttings which make the finest plants are those produced on a
second/third year plant grown in cool conditions as described above. The first batch of cuttings are taken as soon as they are large enough
to handle and before the temperatures start to rise. The rise
in temperature coupled with low light conditions will quickly cause
the shoots to elongate and get too lush. The
next set of pictures show the size, shape and balance of perfect
cuttings. In several of the pictures a £2. coin is used to
show the comparisons.
There
are several tools which can be used for taking cuttings, the
penknife, Stanley knife or scalpel. The penknife is advocated by
most gardening experts for use in the garden but it is of little use
when taking softwood cutting like fuchsias. The knife blade bruises
and rips the tissue on such small soft cuttings. It maybe useful for
hardwood cuttings in the garden but is of little use in the
greenhouse. The Stanley knife can be used but it is a little
too cumbersome and heavy. The ideal tool is
the scalpel with a long tapering blade. It is light, easy to
use, very sharp and the blades easily interchangeable. When using the scalpel, I have always been
in the habit of wrapping an elastoplast around the tip of my index
finger. It can save using one later to cover a nasty wound.
Propagating
is a fascinating pastime enjoyed by almost every gardener.Most literature available on propagation is very basic and nearly all
reiterate what has been written in the past e.g. ( just remove a side
shoot between two sets of leaves with a sharp knife, insert it in a
rooting medium such as peat or a mixture of other inert substances,
provide some bottom heat and your cutting will root) It may well do so
but the plant will be very mediocre and not provide the quality of plant
or profusion of flowers that a cutting which has been carefully
selected, will provide. Before taking cuttings examine the parent
plant carefully to get an overall indication what material is
available. Apply the techniques outlined above and select only the
best cuttings available. Using the scalpel,
remove the cuttings from the parent plant, then examine them
carefully, especially the underside of the leaves.
Use a magnifying glass if need be to look for insects, their eggs or
fungi spores such as rust. The propagator
provides the perfect nursery for the proliferation of insects and
various types of fungus. The
picture below is a good example. The cutting
must be destroyed as soon as possible before the pustules ripen and the
spores exhausted to atmosphere to infect the rest of the stock.
Once
all the selected cuttings have been examined place them carefully in a
saucer of tepid water about 1.cm deep for approximately four hours to
prepare them for the propagating frame. This is
essential in more ways than one. Firstly, it helps them recover
from the shock of surgery, secondly, it allows them to easily charge
themselves with water ready for insertion into the rooting medium of the
propagator. If the parent plant is suspected of having
had rust the previous season, then the water in the saucer should
contain a solution of a systemic fungicide diluted to the manufacturers
recommendations. The system I use is illustrated below. The first dish uses just water, but they are difficult to keep upright
so I now use perlite soaked with water. The cuttings stand
firm and are easier to both insert and remove. Perlite can
prove to be a little expensive, too expensive in some establishments.
Invariably, little thought is given to the preparation of cuttings. It is not generally appreciated just how much energy a cutting needs to
expend to extract sufficient moisture from a rooting medium to survive. This is very noticeable if the cutting is placed directly into the
rooting medium without being soaked.
As
soon as the air temperature rises the cutting will flag to conserve
moisture recovering only when the temperature falls. It is for
this reason that not only the old fashioned gardeners, but most of
the modern ones advocate covering the propagator with glass or
plastic. Not only does soaking the cutting before insertion
reduce the rooting time it also eliminates the need to cover the
cutting with glass. Let us examine the situation in detail. Firstly, a cutting removed
from the parent needs moisture to sustain it until such time as the
wound to the stem can callous over and roots form. If the cutting is inserted directly into a rooting medium without being
soaked it will need to be covered with glass or plastic to maintain a
high degree of humidity to prevent flagging.
This creates a problem. Within the
confines of a closed propagator the heat source will create a micro
environment, maybe 10°/15°C
above the ambient greenhouse temperature, especially during the early
part of the year. The cuttings will revel in this
environment
and
root quite readily. The first problem will be the loss of some
cuttings to botrytis. The second problem will be an
unwanted elongation of the internodal length. Cuttings that are fully
turgid, having been soaked in water as described and left uncovered,
will take a few days longer to root but will remain compact, sturdy
and losses minimal. I am sure many
growers reading this chapter will be able to identify previous mistakes
and disappointing results. The photograph below shows
my propagator at 14th. January, 2003. The air temperature is
thermostatically controlled at a minimum of 15°C
whilst the propagator is set to 20°C
+/- 2°C using four independent sets of
warming cables and thermostats. In addition, a fan is kept
running continuously to circulate air over the cuttings. (For
a more detailed explanation, see the chapter, 'Greenhouse
Management' ). This greenhouse, the
smallest of four, is used for propagating and growing on rooted
cuttings. It also houses tender house and conservatory plants during
winter months.
Once
the selected cuttings have been inserted into a rooting medium, I use
finely riddled potting compost with about 10% perlite added to aid
aeration, they are then placed on a warm bench or in a propagating
frame. They must be inspected at regular
intervals to remove any that have succumbed to botrytis.
Inspect the leaves carefully and look for signs of discolouration. Any showing signs of yellow blotches must be examined for rust. Carefully lift the leaf with a pair of tweezers and look underneath.
If orange pustules are present remove and destroy the cutting. I
am presently conducting controlled tests using various fungicides on
fuchsias and other species with promising results. These
will be published later.
Watch
the cuttings carefully for signs that they have rooted which is
indicated in two ways. Firstly, the
change in colour of the growing tip, the apical meristem, which
takes on a lighter appearance than the rest of the cutting and secondly,
roots start to appear through the drain holes in bottom of the trays. If these are not visible, test one or two cuttings by gently taking hold
of the stem and apply light pressure. It they move leave them a
little longer. It is very important indeed not to leave the cuttings too
long in the propagator after they have rooted. This will
induce elongation and lush growth. As soon as
practicable move the rooted cutting to a light airy position. They will benefit tremendously from a constant circulation of air but
not a cold draft.
To
elaborate a little further on the benefits and drawbacks of taking
different types of cuttings, the rooting medium has been washed away
from the two cuttings illustrated below to show the development of the
root systems.
The
first picture shows a close up of the bottom of a tip cutting where the
wound has healed and calloused over to form the root system. This is where the rooting hormones are most active.
Appreciate that the distance from the first pair of leaves, just visible
in the picture, to the roots is only 4mm. This is the type of root
system that will form on a tiny tip cutting where only the bottom of the
stem and one pair of leaf axils have been inserted into the rooting
medium. This cutting will develop into a plant
but will take a long time. Compare this cutting with the one
on the right. This was a compact short jointed cutting,
illustrated above, where the lower leaves had been removed.
Three pair of leaf nodes were inserted into the rooting medium.
If you examine this cutting carefully you will clearly see three
distinct sets of roots. A set at each node.
These will ensure this cutting gets away to a good start. Probably, what is not appreciated at this time is that from each of
these leaf nodes, in addition to providing extra roots, they will also
produce four extra side shoots. These will appear from
below soil level once the cutting has been potted up and becomes
established. These extra side shoots will, in the first
year, quadruple the amount of flowers in comparison to those produced by
the tip cutting on the left. In addition, had it been a three leaf
cutting then it would have sextupled the amount of flowers. For
obvious reasons, this is the type of cutting that provided all my
show plants. The excellent framework these type of
cutting produce make them especially valuable as second and third year
show plants. Whether you exhibit your plants or
not, the extra flowers produced are well worth being selective when
propagating. As a point of interest, I never divulged my
techniques whilst actively engaged in exhibiting. My competitors could never understand how I was able to produce such
compact floriferous plants. The secret is now out!
Whilst
on the subject of propagating, I always carry on a test programme,
testing all manner of things, from plant foods, insecticides,
fungicides, to light and its effect on cuttings etc.The testing
of these items will be explained later, but relevant at this time is the
use of rooting aids. All the literature I
read and nearly all the specialist speakers I listened to, advocated the
use of rooting aids which I faithfully used. In an
effort to understand more fully the benefit of using these aids, I
decided to run a test programme to test their effectiveness on fuchsias.
See photo below.
In
testing composts, soluble feeds, insecticides etc., control samples and
written records must be kept. In addition, I keep a
photographic record, which form the basis of my lecture aids.
I ran a test programme using several rooting aids, Seradix, Baby Bio
Roota, Doff and Boots own. All were tested using cuttings
from the same plant. Each rooting aid, used as directed by the
manufacturer, was tested on sets of three cuttings. Three
using Seradix, three using Doff and so on. All were rooted
together in the same container along with three control samples. The
photo above shows the results. The cutting on the extreme left was
one of the control samples rooted without a root aid. After
repeating this test many times, I found that cuttings rooted without
any chemicals whatsoever were just as successful as those treated.
In addition, I tested these aids on hard wood cuttings with
virtually the same results.
Now, I never use a rooting aid on fuchsias or on any other plant that I
propagate. This is not to say that they are not effective on
other species, just that they are of no benefit to me.
If you use any of these chemicals, achieve success and have confidence
in them, then continue to use them. In testing any
product or method always use control samples and keep records otherwise
your findings have no credence and your efforts wasted.
Whilst
on the subject of propagation I feel it worth while discussing the
purchase of new fuchsia varieties. Many new
varieties come onto the market each year and enthusiasts like to buy
them, whether as a collector, for show or exhibition. I am
at a loss to know why some nurserymen charge extra for a new variety. The only possible reason would be the payment of Royalties.
How many actually have to pay this levy is debatable. However, having bought your new variety, whatever the cost, the
likelihood of losing it within the first few weeks are very high.
It is both annoying and expensive if you have to replace it. When
a new fuchsia or other plant is purchased follow a strict
procedure to safeguard your investment. On arrival pot
it up and leave it for a while to recover. Once established
try to propagate as many cuttings as possible. If the
initial plant fails you will have of stock for the following year. The photographs below illustrate the sequence to follow. It
is paramount when buying a new variety to ensure that the
growing tip is intact. If it has been removed by the
nurseryman, then reject it. When buying a plant you want the
whole plant including the growing tip. If ordering by
post, insist that the plants are 'unstopped'. Once the plant has grown sufficiently, illustrated by the first
photograph, remove the top portion. This can now be sub
divided to provide at least three extra cuttings. Remove the tip leaving the lower pair of leaves intact. Carefully
divide this pair of leaves into two extra cuttings using a scalpel
or sharp blade. Cut down the centre of the stem as illustrated
below. Root all the cuttings as normal. You should
now have four for the price of one. If the
new variety is to your liking you will have ample stock for the
following year, if not, it is just as easy to discard four plants as
one.
Before
moving on to the next stage there is one point I would like to stress
which concerns the quality of your plants for the future. This
will be especially interesting for the show person striving for
success on the show bench. In order to
explain I need to digress slightly. When showing at national
level, my fellow competitors constantly remarked on the size, quality
and flouriferousness of my show plants. I did nothing to
enlighten them. The reason for the quality was very simple,
'constant reselection'. Each year I would take
upwards of maybe 20/30 cuttings of each of my selected show cultivars,
Ting a Ling, Lady Isobel Barnett, Joy Patmore and Heidi Ann and many
others. These would be grown on throughout the year
and the best exhibited. At the end of the season, I
would select only two of each variety to propagate for by next seasons
cuttings. The other plants which did not perform so well,
for whatever reason, would be discarded. I would only
select the best cuttings from these plants for my own stock.
Reselection, repeated year after year, culminated in me having my own
unique specimens of each show cultivar. Each year the
quality improved, making show plants relatively easy to produce. I'm sure if you look at some of the photographs of my show plants, all
grown in six inch pots, you will appreciate how meticulous reselection
can improve the quality of your plants and indeed your enjoyment.
Initially, it all starts here, the careful selection of cutting
material. Remember this motto. 'Select the best reject the
rest'.
After
fourteen to twenty one days, the cuttings in the propagating frame
should be well rooted. This, as you are now aware, is
indicated by the colour change in the growing tip. The photographs below illustrate this
point, also the lovely sheen on the leaves, which is a sign of good
health. The sight of a batch of cuttings such as
these excites the imagination and whets the appetite.
It is
now time to remove the cuttings from the propagator and place them on a
shelf or bench as near to the light as possible. If the cuttings have not been covered during propagation then they will
not need acclimatising, but will soon need extra nourishment.
This is provided by potting them up in fresh compost. For many
years I followed advice given by the experts.
Once the cuttings were ready for potting up I diligently followed their
advice, potting the cuttings into 2.5 inches or 6cm pots using
fresh riddled compost. They were then watered in, so simple. This advice worked fine later in the season, April and May, but during
the earlier months I found that losses to botrytis were running at
nearly 20%.This was unacceptable so I decided to carry out
some controlled testing. During testing the problems quickly
became apparent. Firstly, potting freshly rooted cuttings
into pots was not the answer, the shock was too great.
Once watered, the temperature of the compost within the pot would
fall rapidly to the lowest overnight temperature. It
would remain at this level during daytime even when the greenhouse
temperature increased. Wet cold compost and poor air
circulation is a scenario for botrytis and losses will occur. Whilst conducting these controls I discovered that not only could I
eliminate losses through botrytis, I could increase the quality of my
plants to such an extent that it would allow me to almost double the
size of the plant and the number of flowers. This allowed me to grow specimen
plants in a pot size smaller than previously. For
example, the size of plant I had previously produced in a six inch pot I
was now able to produce in a five inch pot.The sequence I now
use is as follows:
Once the cuttings
have acclimatised to their growing
environment it is time to start boxing them up as opposed to potting
them individually. The medium
in which the cuttings were rooted will be almost inert. Leave using small pots until later in the season and use seed
trays, large 36cm X 22cm or small 22cm X 18cm. depending on the number
of cuttings to be boxed up.Prepare
the seed trays by filling them with fresh soil-less potting compost that
is damp but not wet and add a liberal amount of perlite, shap granite or
sharp sand to aid root deflection. It should feel a little
on the gritty side, difficult to compact. There is a very good
reason for this which will be explained a little later. Into the small seed trays
plant six cuttings, into the large twelve cutting.
Space evenly and gently firm them in.
Do
not water them at this time and depending upon
temperature and humidity, leave them as long as possible before
watering. Watch them carefully and once the
leaves start to lose their lustre it is time to water. The reason for this delay is important.If
the cuttings are watered immediately the roots will remain quite
happily in the root ball. They will not send roots into the
fresh compost where the nutrients are. On the other hand, if
left as long as possible before watering, the cuttings will quickly send
out roots into the new compost in search of water and will establish
themselves very quickly. The gritty compost
described above helps deflect the roots making them work through the
compost instead of going straight out to the side of the tray.
When required, water only with warm water and never use water that has
been kept in the greenhouse for any length of time. The
temperature will have fallen to the lowest temperature overnight and
will be too low to use on new cutting.
Once
the cuttings are established and showing obvious signs of new growth
pinch out the growing tips to encourage side shoots to
develop.
Keep
pinching the side shoots at every two pair of leaves.
They must be kept in full light and the boxes turned regularly to ensure
even growth. In this situation, the roots
have an unrestricted root run, the compost will not stay too wet or dry
out compared with cuttings potted into small individual
pots. The compost warms up quickly during the
day and holds its temperature longer encouraging the cuttings to
grow. Avoid low light and high temperature
levels.
In
order to gain the maximum benefit using this method leave the cuttings
in the trays as long as possible. The criteria
for moving the cuttings and potting them up is when they have grown to
a size where they are starting to compete for light. [See photo
above] This is when they must be potted up otherwise
unwanted elongation of the internodal length will occur spoiling their compact
shape.Once you have decide to pot up the cuttings, ease off on watering
to allow the compost to become just damp to make splitting easier.
This is where using a gritty compost comes into its own.
Knock the tray repeatedly to loosen the compost and roots from the side
of the tray then tip them out onto the potting
bench. Split the cuttings and gently shake off
as much compost from the roots as reasonably
possible.
This
compost will now be almost inert, devoid of nutrition and of little use to
the plant. Depending on the size of the root ball which can
be gently trimmed, pot the cutting into a 9cm. pot using an enriched potting
compost. [See composts and Nutrients] Once
potted refrain from watering
immediately. Try to allow at least 24 hours for the compost
to settle and gas then water gently with warm water to settle
the compost.
Using
this method for growing on cuttings is far superior to potting freshly
rooted cuttings into small pots. For example, if a fresh
cutting were to be potted up into say a 6.5cm. pot it would require
potting up again within a few weeks into a 9cm pot and by the time the
cuttings in the trays are ready to be potted those already in 9cm pots
would be root-bound. This means boxed cuttings, when potted
would, size for size be growing in a pot one size smaller than fresh
cuttings potted up immediately after rooting. The other
advantages have been mention previously.
Above is
an example of freshly potted cuttings grown in trays. They have already been stopped three times and
grown in light airy conditions. The defoliated
9cm. - 3.5 inch plant shows the type of framework developed using the methods
outlined above.
THE
IMPORTANCE OF CORRECT WATERING
In my humble opinion correct watering is the most important part of
growing fuchsia's. A well known old fuchsia grower once said to me that
the secret of growing good healthy fuchsia's was 90% correct watering
and 10% skill.
Fuchsia's are like human beings, that is they can go a long time without
food but only a short time without water. Water is contained in all
parts of a fuchsia. Young shoots and root tips are 90% water while the
main stem and branches are up to 50% water.
All the living processes in Fuchsia's take place in water e.g. sugars
are built from Carbon Dioxide and water. And minerals and nutrients are
carried from the growing medium through the roots to leaves in a flow of
water. In spring the sugars and amino acids are carried by water to the
new growth. The process by which water flows is called transpiration.
The energy for transpiration is provided by the sun, about 50% of solar
energy landing on the foliage is used for transpiration. Evaporation of
water through small leaf openings, the openings are called stomata,
causes more water to rise from the roots. Carbon Dioxide is absorbed
into the leaves via the same openings. It takes 55 grams of water to
produce 100 grams of plant fibre but in the time it takes to increase
its weight by 100 grams about 100,000 grams of water is used due to
transpiration or evaporation through the leaves. For photosynthesis to
take place transpiration must bring water from the growing medium to the
leaves. Carbon Dioxide must be dissolved in water to enter through the
cell walls. The surface of the chlorophyll containing cells must be kept
moist at all times. After reading this paragraph I hope you will more
appreciate the importance of water in the growing cycle of the Fuchsia.
The Fuchsia's have a water regulation system that permits a plant to
shut off the stomata and thus prevent loss of water. At the same time
the stomata have to be open to admit Carbon Dioxide for photosynthesis
therefore the plant has to balance between loss of water and
assimilation of Carbon Dioxide. The stomata are open in the early
morning, at about midday they begin to close and just before sunset they
are closed. During very hot days, temperatures of 80f and higher, the
stomata are open for only a short time in the early morning and then
closed for the rest of the day. Likewise the same things happen if the
plant is short of water the stomata will open for only a short while to
conserve water. Under these conditions the plant processes of
transpiration and photosynthesis stop and the leaves are no longer being
cooled by evaporation and so the plant wilts. The first thing we think
about doing when we find a plant like this is to water it this can cause
us to over-water the plant and kill it because as explained earlier the
stomata being closed the plant cannot draw water up to the leaves easily
or if at all. The best thing to do to a wilted plant in summer is to
mist the leaves to cool them and this should be repeated several times
and should be done on hot days to prevent wilting also. Regular misting
in hot weather also helps to keep the stomata open longer and thus give
more growth. It should now be obvious to all reading the above the
importance of watering first thing in the morning over watering later in
the day, indeed if you water at night you can do more harm than good
because the stomata are closed and thus the roots are lying in water all
night and can rot.
I was confused how my plants did not grow as fast or strongly as a
friends who lived not far from me and tried to copy his methods with no
more success. However when I copied his growing conditions and studied
the above information the answer came to me. He grew his plants on a bed
of sand which was in a cover of polythene so that he could keep it moist
and the water level just below the surface of the sand. My plants were
on a wooden bench in a dry greenhouse, but my plants had plenty of
water. The reason his grew better was the
humidity caused by the water in the sand was keeping the stomata on his
plants open longer and thus the living processes were working
better than mine where the stomata were closing earlier. Small gravel
chips can be used in place of sand and work just as well. This year I
did an experiment and grew half on sand and half on the dry bench and
the result was spectacular. The plants grown on the sand grew far
quicker and better than the ones on the bench. There is a gentleman who
lives in the South of Scotland who regularly floods his greenhouse floor
and when you open the door to walk in it is like walking into a sauna
but the growth he gets is amazing. The importance of a moist atmosphere
cannot be discounted if you want the best out of your plants.
When my cuttings are young and just potted up I only moisten them.
I lost a lot of cuttings due to them lying in wet growing medium and the
small plant and roots being unable to take up the water it was given and
thus the roots have rotted. However later in the season when the plants
have good established root systems I plunge them into a bucket of water,
which contains a weak feed, and wait till all the bubbles have stopped
before replacing back on the sand bench. The same applies to plants in
the garden and you should ensure that in dry weather you water them in
the morning and if possible a regular spray in hot dry weather.
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