Fuchsia is well known even to budding flower growers. Beautiful bells of a plant attract the attention of even those people who are indifferent to flowers. Culture is striking in a variety of forms and types. Hybrid fuchsia is a welcome plant for any grower. It is about her that will be discussed in our article.
Historical excursion
Florists have been growing fuchsia for over 300 centuries. On our continent, culture appeared in 1696. Char Plumier brought her from distant wanderings. It is worth noting that the traveler introduced more than 200 different plants. However, it was fuchsia that fascinated Europeans. The plant got its name in honor of the famous botanist Fuchs. Beautiful fuchsia very quickly became a popular flower in France. And in the eighteenth century there was a new surge in fashion for culture. During this period, flower growers began to create new varieties of hybrid fuchsia.
The birthplace of culture is Central and South America, as well as New Zealand. About 100 species grow in the wild. Beautiful flowers growing on the slopes of the Andes pollinate hummingbirds. And in the northwestern lands of Europe, bumblebees are engaged in pollination. However, insects do not have such a long proboscis as hummingbirds, so they make a hole on the side of the flower to extract nectar.
Growers-breeders have created many types of hybrid fuchsia. Currently, there are more than 20 thousand. In home floriculture, hybrid fuchsia is usually used, different forms of which differ in the degree of terry, color and shape of the flower. Collectors created varieties with a double color, which immediately found their fans.
Most often on sale you can find fuchsia graceful, three-leafed, shiny, hybrid and others.
Fuchsia hybrid: description
Ornamental shrubs are representatives of the cypress family. The plant has a branched stem and beautiful flowers of different colors. Graceful fuchsia is an ideal crop for home growing. It is planted in greenhouses, on windows, in containers and in beds.
In warmer regions, the plant is grown in beds, where they grow in the form of large shrubs. They are even used as a hedge. In a cold climate, fuchsias die in the winter. But in the spring new sprouts appear from the base of the bush. When grown in soil, the culture must be protected from frost. Flowers on the same bush, grown during the summer, usually have different shades. Some types of hybrid fuchsia (photo is given in the article) look good in hanging cache-pots. In height, they reach 90 centimeters.
The leaves of the culture are small and oval. The length of the flowers reaches 4-8 centimeters, their color is very diverse.
Fuchsia is an unpretentious crop, the cultivation of which even a beginner grower will cope with.
Types of Fuchsia
The following types of hybrid fuchsia are currently the most common:
- Brilliant fuchsia is a popular plant that blooms from June to August. This variety is one of the original forms.
- Bolivian - an evergreen shrub with large dark red flowers. The plant blooms from March to April. Highly decorative form is good for landscaping at home. This type of plant was grown by the Incas for the sake of berries that have a narcotic effect.
- Magellan is an evergreen shrub abundantly blooming with bell-shaped flowers. The plant is used for vertical gardening.
Popular varieties
In the arsenal of modern gardeners there are many varieties of hybrid fuchsia. Among them, the most popular are Aladna's Sanders, Alfred Fuhrmann, Alison Woods, Art Deco.
Conditions of detention
Hybrid fuchsia (photo is given in the article) was obtained by crossing several types of fuchsias. Culture has flexible branches. Young shoots are often painted in reddish tones. With age, the twigs become light brown.
In order for the plant to please with abundant flowering, it is necessary to ensure proper care. Despite all the unpretentiousness of the culture, you need to know some nuances regarding the conditions of hybrid fuchsia. Home care for the plant is not difficult. The culture must be placed on the western or eastern window. It is necessary to arrange the plant so that direct sunlight does not fall on it. Although breeders are currently breeding new varieties that will be resistant to bright lighting. So you can count on the fact that soon new forms will appear on sale.
If you intend to put fuchsia on the south window, you need to take care of its shading in advance. The culture is good for room decor with artificial lighting.
Watering and temperature conditions
During the period of active vegetation, fuchsia needs active watering. The plant loves clean, moist air. Therefore, the culture gratefully responds to regular spraying with standing water. Fuchsia does not like high temperatures, they prefer cool year-round maintenance.
With the advent of the warm season, plants begin to poorly tolerate room temperature. For a culture, a temperature above + 22 degrees can be fatal. Therefore, after the end of the period of frost, the pot with fuchsia should be taken out to a ventilated balcony or loggia. In the fresh air, the plant continues to bloom actively. However, culture does not like drafts.
Breeding
The photo of hybrid fuchsia flowers allows you to appreciate the beauty of the culture. Usually flower growers grow it as a perennial. But sometimes after some time you have to update the bushes, because it is not always possible to create optimal conditions. The plant tends to drop foliage. In this case, the branches of the bushes remain without greenery. At the same time, the decorativeness of the plant suffers. In addition, this adversely affects fuchsia itself.
There are two ways to propagate the culture: seeds and cuttings. The first method is rarely used. Firstly, it is more complex, and secondly, a new plant obtained from seeds differs in its characteristics from hybrid fuchsia of the mother bush.
Therefore, it is customary to propagate the culture with grassy cuttings. The procedure is carried out in late March or early April. For this, apical cuttings (7-10 cm long) are used, the surface of which has not yet been roughened. To root, shoots are placed in a container of water or in moist soil with a neutral pH level. Top stalks are covered with a glass jar.
Gardeners note that it takes about two weeks to root. The success of reproduction can be judged by the green leaves growing on the top of the head. Subsequently, rooted plants are planted one at a time in separate larger pots. Experienced experts recommend using peat cups for rooting, since with a further transplant, the root system of the fuchsia hybrid will not be injured.
The nuances of care
To give a beautiful shape and stimulate flowering, fuchsia must be regularly cut and pinched. The crop tolerates pruning very easily, so very often it is formed into a standard plant. For this, foliage and shoots are regularly removed on the lower part of the stem. However, the formation process is quite long. It usually takes a couple of years.
If necessary, the bushes can be replanted. To do this, use soil consisting of sand, peat, leafy soil and humus, taken in a ratio of 0.5: 1: 1: 1.
Possible problems
Fuchsia does not like too bright lighting. But the lack of light also negatively affects them. Poor lighting and elevated air temperatures lead to premature fall of flowers, buds and leaves. Yellow spots may appear on the plant.
The appearance of yellow spots on the foliage may be due to excessive water hardness or to fluctuations in the moisture level in the soil. Do not allow the overdrying of an earthen coma with subsequent overmoistening.
We mentioned that culture accepts spraying well. However, water procedures can not be carried out during bright lighting in the absence of shading. Drops of water can cause burns on the foliage.
Adult plants often turn yellow due to insufficient levels of magnesium or iron in the soil. Therefore, periodically, the soil in pots must be updated. In addition, it is necessary to carry out regular plant nutrition. For this, it is recommended to use aqueous solutions of complex fertilizers containing the necessary trace elements.
Very often, housewives throw out acquired plants, as they drop leaves. If such a nuisance happened to your bush, do not be upset. It must be placed in a cool place until young leaves grow on the plant.
Feeding
Fertilizing is a prerequisite for the care of fuchsia. An insufficient amount of microelements leads to weak flowering or its absence. An excess of fertilizers has the same detrimental effect as their lack. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out top dressing on a schedule - twice a month. To do this, use balanced fertilizers. Complex fodder for pelargonium is suitable for fuchsia. In winter, it is better to abandon fertilizers.
Transfer
Fuchsia is undemanding for a transplant. Replacing the soil and pot is necessary only if the container has become cramped and the roots are visible from the drainage hole. For planting, you can use any pot. A prerequisite for transplantation is the presence of a drainage layer, which will save the roots of hybrid fuchsia from an oversupply of flags. Soil for the plant can be purchased at a specialized store. If you want to make a substrate yourself, then you need peat, humus and compost (in equal parts). You can also add two parts of sand to the mixture.
Growers for plentiful flowering recommend adding horn or bone flour when planting (in the ratio of table. Spoon of flour per liter of soil).
Diseases and Pests
Despite all the unpretentiousness of the plant, it is susceptible to some ailments. Their appearance is associated with violation of the conditions of detention. If the room is too hot and dry, the chances of pests such as spider mites, whiteflies and greenhouse aphids are high. In order to reduce the likelihood of insects, it is necessary to increase the level of humidity.
If you notice pests on your plant, it must be treated with chemicals. But you need to do this in a non-residential premises. In summer, processing can be carried out in fresh air in calm weather.
Greenhouse aphids are small insects of a pale pink or black color. Pests settle on young leaves, sucking juice from them. The easiest way to combat aphids is to treat the bush with a soap and water solution. In addition, you can use Actellic.
Whitefly is a pale yellow insect that causes serious damage to the plant. Not only adults are dangerous, but also larvae. Insects breed incredibly fast. At the first signs of pests, the bushes must be treated with Fitoverm, Actellik or Verticillin.
When a net of the thinnest cobwebs appears on the plant, we can talk about a spider mite. To combat insects, you need to treat fuchsia with a hot soapy solution. In the fight against spider mites, Neoron has proven itself well.
Experienced growers recommend monthly preventive measures. To do this, the soil is shed with a solution of Confidor or Actara.
Compliance with the optimal conditions of detention avoids the appearance of ailments and pests. In the damaged areas of the plant, there is a high probability of the appearance of gray rot, which subsequently spreads to healthy shoots and leaves. Sick bushes are treated with Bordeaux fluid, and the affected foliage and shoots are destroyed so that the spores do not spread further.
Instead of an afterword
Fuchsia is a wonderful home plant that pleases housewives with abundant flowering. Unpretentious culture is easy to care for. Compliance with the simplest rules of keeping will allow you to enjoy flowering for a long time. Among the variety of species and varieties of fuchsia, you can find stunningly beautiful plants that have different flowering periods, which will allow you to create a real garden in the apartment, pleasing with bright colors.