Re-Potting Fuchsia Plants For The Winter Period

Re-Potting Fuchsia Plants For The Winter Period
By Alan Cray

Fuchsias are a generally hardy species. Some are so hardy to the extent they are considered for permanent use as hedges and beddings. Though their fruit varies from unpleasant, to tasteless or jam-worthy they are primarily kept for their attractive summer and autumn blossoms, exhibiting thoughtful shades of light and deep pink.

Half-hardy and standard fuchsias are popular plants for this reason, suitable for ground planting, containers, or evening hanging baskets to make the most of their drooping flowers. However even hardy fuchsias are susceptible to frost damage, so no matter which variety of the plant you cultivate it's advisable to bring it inside for winter, certainly if you're not working with a specifically hardy variety.

First use a garden fork to pry the plant from the ground with extreme caution, damaging the roots is obviously a worrying development, and a spade is out of the question. Pot the plant as standard, most fuchsias can handle small four to six inch containers, though be sure to keep something larger around just in case.

At this point you might want to get involved in some light pruning. Standard practice is to cut the stems at about five centimetres from their base. This process will remove leaves before they have chance to fall and rot, as well as inspiring extra growth along each leaf node in the following spring. Don't feel the need to cut every node, but try to achieve an attractive even framework to maximise the look of the plant next year. Be sure to remove every leaf once you're happy with the design, however. As an additional note you should bear in mind that fuchsias propagate well from cuttings, and planting the freshly cut stems is a great way to multiply your collection. Winter isn't the absolute best time to grow from delicate cuttings, but there's nothing to lose through the attempt.

Once all the housekeeping is complete you should have a fairly barren plant waiting to be hidden away where it's less vulnerable, not to mention less of an eyesore. The best locations for winter storage will be cold, moist, though completely protected from the elements. No wind, frost and precipitation for your plants over the winter. The best places would therefore be a shed, garage or greenhouse. The latter is the clear leader here, since a little access to sunlight never hurts, even if it's far less important over the coming months. They're less common though, so a shed or garage will do absolutely fine. Be sure not to move the plant indoors, some beginners assume the warmth will be healthy, but bringing a plant out of dormancy in the middle of winter can actually be unhealthy, especially if it's then moved back to the cold.

Fuchsias are beautiful plants, and even though seeing them devoid of blossoms and leaves can be disheartening, proper pruning and potting will guarantee you see excellent growth when spring is welcomed back around.

With assistance from the online garden centre - GardenCentreOnline.co.uk, Alan Cray was able to produce this article and write confidently about the topic thanks to the knowledge backing him up.

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