Fuchsia is a flowering plant with drooping flowers of various colors. It is necessary to grow fuchsia at home, observing some rules for the care and reproduction of this plant.
Fuchsia: care and reproduction at home
At home, fuchsia is propagated in February-March using cuttings. Cuttings 5-7 centimeters long are rooted in sand or loose soil. After 20-25 days, the cuttings begin to root and can be transplanted into pots. The soil for fuchsia should consist of 2 parts of humus, 4 parts of turf and the same amount of leafy soil, as well as 1 part of sand. To get a lush bush, you need to plant several cuttings in one container.
Each spring, the plant should be transplanted into a new fertile soil.
For reproduction, you can also take the most developed leaves of the plant. They are cut off along with the stem and buried in soft soil one centimeter deep. Cover the sheet with a glass jar on top. The plant is ready to transplant when a small rosette appears at the base of the stem.
The most favorable temperature for normal growth and development of the plant is 18-25 ° C. At a higher temperature, fuchsia stops blooming, the bush begins to dry out and shed its foliage.
It is impossible for the plant to be exposed to direct sunlight, especially during the heat, such conditions can completely destroy the flower. The most suitable place for fuchsia is a window in the east or west of the house. A flowering plant cannot be moved from place to place or rearranged, otherwise it may throw off flowers and buds.
It is best to grow fuchsia in ceramic pots, as plastic containers heat up quickly, which negatively affects the condition of the root system.
Watering the flower in winter should be moderate, using soft settled water. In summer, the plant is watered abundantly when the soil begins to dry out. In the fall, they begin to reduce it, bringing it up to twice a month.
In summer, fuchsia must be sprayed twice a day – in the morning and in the evening.
In spring and autumn, weak, diseased and broken branches should be removed from fuchsia. At the same time, the plant should be pinched, this procedure promotes abundant flowering.
In spring and summer, the flower must be fed with fertilizers for indoor plants. This procedure should be carried out twice a month. In winter, fuchsia does not need feeding.
In hot, dry conditions, whitefly and red spider mites can attack fuchsia
If the leaves of fuchsia wither in wet soil, it means that the roots have rotted. Such a plant will be difficult to save, so you need to root the cutting from the top of the flower.