Fuchsia Futures - Easy propagation & Care.

You may have killed them with kindness. That would be my diagnosis on the failure of your fuchsia cuttings to germinate. If you are new to plant propagation and would like a fool proof method of germinating small quantities of fuchsia plants from existing plants; then the following method may help you.

• Take your cuttings from non flowering stems 3" to 4" long and from just above a leaf joint.
• Pinch out the growing tip and shorten any large leaves by half.
• Using an opaque container i.e. a plastic beaker, to hold your cuttings.
• Place the cut stems in a little water in the container, ensuring that the leaves are clear of the water.
• Change the water every three days.
• After 10 - 14 days you will see roots forming at the base of the stem. Pot up the rooted cutting in your usual manner.

The opaque container will help to diffuse (soften) the light, place it near to a window but out of direct sunlight.

Fuchsias do grow in Spain but are best kept out of the hot summer afternoon sun. If your patio or balcony specimens have suffered from the heat a solution would be to double pot them.

Using a larger pot than you plant is growing in place any inert material such as polystyrene around the circumference of the outer pot and place your potted plant in the middle of the outer pot. You have created a thermal barrier between the roots of the Fuchsia and the outer pot which will absorb the sunshine.

Once the sun has gone down water and feed your plants. Misting the foliage with water will prevent red spider mite. Fuchsia do best if the roots are restricted if you are potting on young plants do so 1/2 a pot size at a time. I find a very dilute feed more often gives the best results.+