Fuchsia care

22 Comments

1. Shelia D. - January 14, 2008 at 10:57 am

   I have a # 10 HB Fuchsia and it is dying on me . i water every night or every other night. The leaves are dry and falling of. What can i do to save this plant. Thank You Shelia

   It may be that you are watering it too much and at the wrong time of day. This can cause the roots to rot. Put it in a shaded spot(cooler) and water when the soil feels dry. It’s best to water in the morning so the plant will have a chance to dry out before evening. When the plant looks like its starting to grow again feed it lightly(1/2 amount) with a balanced fertilizer.

   More info on hanging basket care

   Reply
2. Jackie - January 14, 2008 at 11:02 am

   I have Fuchsia hanging plants. How do I keep birds from trying to build nests in them. I have put netting over them. and bamboo shishkabob sticks and they still insist

   Try a small shiny baloons, streamers, small windmills, or fake snakes or anything that moves in the wind may work.

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3. Jay Bessley - January 14, 2008 at 11:04 am

   Winterover Fuchsia
   Jay Bessley
   I live in Portland, OR and have a fuchsia hanging basket (called First Love, semi-double trailing corolla) that I’ve just brought inside since it’s in the mid 30’s outside most of the time. The leaves have turned mostly yellow and dropped off. I’ve placed it near a window and watered it once
   a week. Should I prune the branches now or later in the spring? The temp. inside the room is about 62 degrees or so. Or could I bring it in the garage where there is less light and the temp. about 40 degrees?
   Thank you for any advice you can give me.

   Hi Jay
   Fuchsia will yellow and drop their leaves in lower light and colder temperatures. To winterover prune the branches now down to 3 to 6″ stubs or 2/3. Store the plant in the garage or basement at 45-50F degrees for the winter. Water the container sparingly, just enough to keep the soil from drying out completely. It will remain dormant until the weather warms up. In the spring, place the plant in bright filtered light and start watering, when you see signs of new growth, repot the plant in fresh soil in the same container or a slightly larger one.

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4. babette - April 25, 2009 at 11:26 am

   can i eat the fuchsia flower or bloom in a salad. i am growing an organic garden and i would like to know. thanks babette

   HI Babette
   Apparently, fuchsia flowers are edbile. (I learned something new today.)They will make a colorful addition to your salad. Just make sure that the plant was not sprayed with any insecticides or chemicals.

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5. babette steel - June 3, 2009 at 7:21 am

   hi I was just woundering what the fuchsia fruit looks like. I had one grow to be about the size of a large pea. could you send me a picture of what one looks like please. Thanks again babette.

   HI Babette
   The fuchsia seed pod is a oval green pod about the size of a pea,it will eventually turn soft and into a dark brown color.

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6. babette - June 13, 2009 at 10:40 am

   Edible fruit
   hi again the seed pod you talked about was fine thanks. but the new thing that has grow on the vine is the shape of a purple marble. is that a fruit that i can eat thanks again babette steel

   Hi Babette
   Apparently the fruit that resembles a purple berry when ripe is edible. The tart fruit is used in making jams and jellies I have not tasted it. http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Fuchsia++species

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7. babette - June 16, 2009 at 9:23 pm

   thanks so very much on all of the advice.and answers to all of my questions it really did help me.plus the only plant that grew the purple berry fruit was the one i planted in the ground that was why i emailed you so many times. thanks again Babette from commerce Texas

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8. babette - June 17, 2009 at 3:36 pm

   Propagating from cutting
   hi its Babette again
   i forgot to tell you that i broke of one of the branches when i first got the fuchsia plant and i tried a new way of starting a new plant i cut the tip off then i spit on the cut end then i put powered root starter on it and it started a new plant. once it started to grow new leaves and even a new flower or two, i then knew it was good to go. i did not know you could start a new plant from that kind of cutting. that was new to me. Babette

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9. kelli williams - August 31, 2009 at 12:50 pm

   my fuchsias are big in the ground and very old (20yrs). the leaves have little black dots shiny silver spots & holes that look like they have been eaten, they even seem to be wilting a bit , it’s been very hot latey. they are planted in the shade.they are watered regulary. any help. thanks

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10. kel - April 12, 2010 at 4:16 pm

    Hey,
    My fuchsias are relatively new and are less than 2 feet tall. one of mine is having yellowing of the leaves around the base. Does this mean it’s sick and dying?
    thanks 🙂

    Hi Kel
    Lower yellowing leaves can indicate lack of nitrogen. Most likely your fuchsias need some fertilizer-either a 10-10-10 or 10-20-10.

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11. lin - June 21, 2010 at 5:40 am

    Soil ph
    can anyone tell me if hardy fuscias are lime hating ericaceous plants? i dont have a clue, thanks

    Hi Lin
    There are many fuchsias, mos like slightly acidic to neutral soil that ranges from 5.5-6.5 ph. They belong to the Onagraceae family and are hardy in zone 9-11 with the exception of Fuchsia magellanica (hardy fuchsia) which will tolerate temperatures as low as 10-14F.

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12. HILLARY - December 6, 2010 at 4:26 am

    I love fuschias! Years ago I was told to feed with peatgro acidic peat but when I bought some new plants a few weeks back I was told that the acidic peat was a no-no. Now feeding my “old ” ones with acid peat never killed them : they grew beautifully . Can I /should I not use acidic peat?

    Hi Hillary
    Fuchsias lgrow best in slightly acidic to neutral soil that ranges from 5.5-6.5 ph. I’m not familiar with peatgro acidic peat. Is this a fertilizer? or type of soil conditioner. If it is the soil conditioner, then it should be fine because peat lowers the ph and makes the soil acidic rather than alkaline. Actually, you should rely on your own experience. Since your old fuchsias are growing well, then I would use the acidic peat on my new plants.

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13. ladan - December 29, 2010 at 12:58 pm

    Fuchsia fruit/seeds
    can i plant the fruit of the Fuchsias? do i need to let them dry up or use them as soon as they fall off the plant?

    Hi Ladan
    You can separate the fleshy fruit from the seed, then dry them and plant in the spring. To separate the seed from the fruit smash the fruit and remove the seeds or rinse the pulp off. Another way, is to soak the fruit in water to let it ferment, the smash the pulp and return to clean water. The pulp and any dead seeds will float to the top and the viable (good) seed will settle on the bottom. Remove good seeds and try on paper towel.

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14. Silvia Lopez - September 10, 2011 at 7:58 pm

    I m surprise this morning watching the fruits in my small pots fuchsias!
    I want to keep them all year around following the advises you write here.
    Thanks & Blessings all of you!

    Reply
15. Annemarie Brenner - April 23, 2012 at 10:46 am

    Leaf spot disease
    I have one fuchsia which is in the ground and another one in a big pot on a balcony. Both are tall and have woodsy branches and have many blooms. I had them for several years and they are always outside in No. Calif. I cut them back every year, but this is the second year that their leaves get black spots and then the leaves turn yellow and drop off. How can I stop this?

    Hi Annemarie
    Your fuchsia plant may have some type of fungal or a bacterial leaf spot disease that keeps wintering over in the soil. Sanitation practices are important and will help reduce the spread of the disease. Make sure you clean out any diseased leaves.
    Avoid excessive moisture on the leaves and use a preventative fungicide treatment. A copper-based spray may help on the bacterial disease. http://rayshorticulture.blogspot.com/2009/05/bacterial-leaf-spot-on-fuchsia.html

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16. Lauren - May 20, 2012 at 3:00 pm

    Droopy Fucshia
    My fushia i have had about 3weeks. And its started to droop and get “soggy” . I water it evening and it was doin well until recently. Its been hot the past couple days high 80s. I dont know what to do…any suggestions??

    Hi Lauren
    It may be that you are watering your fucshia too much and at the wrong time of day. This can cause the roots to rot. It’s best to water in the morning so the plant will have a chance to dry out before evening. Put it in a shaded spot (cooler) and water when the soil feels dry. Keep in mind if the soil is wet and the plant is wilted then there is a root problem.

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17. Janet Hurd - April 29, 2013 at 5:09 am

    I bought a Fuchsia, brought it home. Repotted it and it was doing good.
    A week later it started looking wilted. So I watered it and hope it will perk up . I have it in a place that gets morning sun. Will it die? Jan

    Hi jan
    Hopefully it won’t die. Warm/hot temperatures can cause Fuchsia to wilt. They like cool days and cool nights and a cooling misting will help. It may also be “adjusting” to being repotted. Be careful not to overwater as they like evenly moist soil but not wet soil. Too much water will damage the roots. Water thouroughly when the pot is light and then let it dry a bit before watering again. You may have to water more often on hot summer days. The morning sun if fine but since it is wilting, I would move it to the shade for a few days until it recovers.

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18. Linda - July 8, 2014 at 11:48 pm

    Hi,
    1)How long does it take a fuchsia bud(from the very first day) to bloom?

    2)Is 32ºC and full shade an appropriate condition for pink-purple fuchsia(just like in your picture) to grow and blossom?

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19. Linda - July 13, 2014 at 3:03 am

    Hi, could you please help me with this issue?
    I have a fuchsia just like the picture in this site.
    The problem is that, despite having many buds and looking healthy, none of the buds (except one!) has gone pink after passing almost 2 weeks from their very first day!

    One of these green buds is as big as a pea but it doesn’t look like it’s going to open!

    I have fertilized(20%_20%_20%) it every 2 weeks, water it every morning, it’s potted in a container behind a window with a transparent curtain (it’s like it’s receiving filtered sun light all day long), I have set the temperature for 25ºc.

    I don’t have any idea for helping it!! 🙁
    Could you please solve this problem too*!?!
    (* you previously helped me out with my mandevilla, it’s looking promising today!, thanks for that! )

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20. Juliette - July 15, 2014 at 12:58 pm

    Hi 🙂 for everyday fertilizing a fuchsia, how much soluble fertilizer , with which strength is appropriate to be used?
    (I’ve figured out that my fuchsia is grown better when being fertilized everyday!)

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21. Leslie - April 30, 2015 at 8:19 am

    Good morning. I just purchase a double flowered fuchsia about a month ago. From what I’ve read, they need early morning sun. I have mine In light shade hanging on my deck. Is this OK? It seems to be doing fine and I do have new buds forming. I take It In when It gets chilly out and put It back outside when It warms up a bit. Am I doing things right and what do I do when the hot temps show up? Thank you.

    Hi Leslie
    Fuchsia like morning sun and afternoon shade. It sounds like it’s in a good spot. When the hot weather sets in, continue to keep it in the shade and make sure the soil doesn’t dry out. Keep it moist but not too wet. Feed it every two weeks with a 1/2 dose of a balanced fertilizer 10/10/10 to keep it growing and blooming.

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22. Sally - July 28, 2017 at 7:08 am

    The white part of my fuschia blossoms are blooming brown. What can I do?

    Reply