I have, what are now, some very large 4 year old Fuchsia 'Washington's that I bring into my greenhouse every winter. Despite rather heavy pruning in the canopy and in the roots, they have become rather large plants with considerable stems.
Every April, they have defoliated for me for an unknown reason. I am wondering if this Fuchsia needs a period of dormancy. Not knowing the lineage of this hybrid, it's hard for me to have any clue. Do any of you out there know anything that might shed some light on whether or not my plants would benefit from some dormancy and, if so, what the nature of that dormancy might be?
Thanks!
Karl
Fuchsia 'Washington'
Karl, Searching for info on your Washington led me to find and correct some mistakes in my own data, thanks! I found two references to a fuchsias with the name Washington in them. Both were uprights. Is yours an upright or a hanger. And most of all, do you have a photo of it in bloom? Until we identify which fuchsia you have, it won't be possible to determine the heritage.
Yes, some fuchsias are decidious, at it certainly sounds like yours is one and that it recovers. And yes, the fact that they can grow such sturdy trunks is one thing I like about them. The texture of the bark is interesting. They have even been using them as bonsai. Perhaps you should consider doing two things. Make and roots some cuttings to ensure the future of your plant. Then consider using the techniques for larger bonsai specimens on your older plants. That way, you could enjoy the continued growth of the woody trunk and make certain the plant doesn't out grow it's root system.
I don't know much about decidious fuchsias, as that doesn't occur in my zone, but hummer_girl has been doing allot of research and might be able to help you out.
Karl: go to this link and tell us if this is your fuchsia
http://www.monnierscountrygardens.com/PhotoPagesT-Z/WashingtonCentennial.html
This is the only 'Washington' I could find.
Also, need to know if your greenhouse is heated during the winter. What is the lowest temp during the winter in your greenhouse.
This message was edited Sep 24, 2009 4:57 PM
FindThatFuchsia lists two, and the one at Monniers is one of them, beautiful! I wonder, are all of the orange hued fuchsia varieties with those long tubular sepals, descended from the triphyllas?
Dear Ped and Hum,
Here's a photo of what my 'Washington' looks like. I'll put in in a greenhouse w/a min. temp of 50 degrees Farenheit and a max. temp. of 85 degrees F..
Any more thoughts?
Thanks,
Karl
Hmm, that doesn't look like either Washington at all except for the form of the flower. Washington Don is scarlet and purple. Washington Centennial, the one in the photo from Monniers, is described as pink and red orange. And it's photo matches it's description.
The photo you posted is obviously from the Plant Files here and is a thumb nail in your post, so we can't click on it to see a large (and clearer) image. I would almost say it looks far more like the Duchess of Albany or the Beauty of Cliff Hall.
What is the name of the fuchsia in this photo? So I don't have to go through the entire fuchsia list looking for it ;-)
But I do certainly suspect that your fuchsia is neither one of the Washingtons.
Karl: I don’t own a greenhouse (though I really wish I did), but from roaming around the Greenhouse Forum I have learned there can be daily variations in temperature inside a greenhouse, depending on local weather conditions. Lets say your coldest winter temperatures inside the greenhouse hover in the 50s, then as spring approaches the temps start to climb and even-off in the 80s. Over-wintering fuchsias can be happy in a 50s F greenhouse, but unhappy if the temps inside get too hot and maybe the plant gets too much direct sunlight, or the roots get too hot, or the plant is losing too much moisture through the leaves. One way fuchsias let you know living conditions are not good is to drop their leaves, i.e., plant survival mode.
This is purely a guess on my part (since I‘m not walking in your shoes), but I think the fuchsias are happy until the temps inside the greenhouse get stifling, then they shed leaves to preserve energy and go into a semi-dormant state until conditions aren’t stressful. That’s when the plant factory starts up again and produces new growth. To avoid the plants going nude, you need to keep them cool, misted and shaded from the sun until it is time to acclimate them to the outdoors again.
I never knew fuchsias were so complicated until the fuchsia forum rally got underway and I started reading fuchsia gardening books. What I have learned is: fuchsia roots need to be cool, never plant a fuchsia in a white pot or a black pot; fuchsia foliage needs to be misted or lightly sprayed with water because the plant loses moisture through the leaves, especially when temperatures are high; fuchsias do not like wet feet, so sharp drainage is necessary; a large number of fuchsias need some protection from the sun.
There are different methods for over-wintering hardy, half-hardy, and annual fuchsias. From your description, I think you have a hardy variety that would grow very large if planted in the ground, but you live in a very cold zone (3, 4 or 5?) and take the potted plant inside for the winter. Without knowing the exact variety you have, I can only give you a general idea for over-wintering, the information gleaned from my research books. When preparing fuchsias for over-wintering remember to keep fuchsias compact, which, in turn, keeps the plant strong, which, in turn, is good for plant survival.
First Method: Stop watering when the temps drop low and a predicted first frost will occur within a week. Wrap the exposed pot with an insulating blanket or several layers of bubble wrap so the root ball does not freeze. The plant needs to start to dry out. Cut back the plant by two-thirds, removing all the leaves. If the plant bleeds sap, lay the plant on its side for a few days so the cuts can heal and seeping stops, but stand erect before the frost. After the frost and all leaves have dropped, move the plant to the coolest part of your greenhouse if the general maintained temp is 50 degrees, because a dormant fuchsia likes temps in the mid-40s. Do not let the rootball completely dry out, the compost around the rootball just moist. Never water a dormant plant like you would a growing plant.
Second Method: Leave the potted plant outside through 1 or 2 light frosts to help induce dormancy (insulate the pot to protect the rootball). Remember, a hardy variety would naturally go through a winter dormancy. The frosts will kill the leaves, or you can help by cutting away leaves. Cut back the plant by one-third, removing most soft-growth. Let the soil almost dry out and try to maintain only a little moisture around the rootball throughout the winter. (The difference between method 1 and method 2, is how much new growth is cut away.)
Third Method: Trim the fuchsias to a compact form and put the plants inside the greenhouse before night time temps get too low. You do not want the plants to drop leaves because they were exposed to frost. The ideal minimum winter temperature in the greenhouse for fuchsias is 41 degrees F. Temps in the 40s keep the plants from using too much energy. You don’t want to promote new growth, even though you are keeping the fuchsia in green leaf. A fuchsia kept in green leaf should also be kept dryish through the winter, most moisture absorbed through misting of the leaves, but do not let the rootball completely dry out. Snip any leaves damaged or dying.
I am not an expert, and even though the books I have are written by experts, what works for one person may not work for another. Evaluate your circumstances and make judgments based on past experiences with your plants. And let us know what you tried and what worked so the information may help someone else.
Also, P.C. (PedricksCorner) is our resident fuchsia expert. If you have a photo of your plant (a close-up of the flower and leaves), it would help P.C. identify the plant for you.
This message was edited Sep 28, 2009 8:43 PM
Ha, ha! I would not call myself an expert! I've just been growing them for almost three decades and have allot of them. For instance, before I began trying to get our forum going, there was a great deal I did not know.
That people were growing them in areas where cold hardy fuchsias were needed. That people were growing them in areas where heat hardy fuchsias were needed.
That some fuchsias are deciduous. That some people treat them like annuals and throw them away in the winter.
And what surprised me the most, was that people are growing them indoors!!!
I don't have a greenhouse either, although I certainly wish I did, so I am going to try my hand at growing a couple of my favorites indoors this winter to see how that goes. I would have told anyone that is was just not possible, that they would definately rot.
I am hoping that someone with experience in growing fuchsias in the house, will consider starting a thread for us.
I am going to re-arrange my livingroom so I can take advantage of two windows that get full on southern facing winter sun. And I promise to take photos ;-)
PS Since in this area, the standard 1 gallon, 5 gallon, and 15 gallon cans are all black, that is what I have always used and I have never had a problem because of them being black. Even though it is true that black absorbs heat.
This message was edited Sep 28, 2009 4:45 PM
Given all this GREAT information, I think I'll opt for Method #3 in hum's last post. I suspect, from what I just read, that heat might be a contributing factor to the leaf drop. Day time temps can really soar in my greenhouse once the sun starts to be out for more than 8 hrs. a day up here. (Actually, I think we get more like 9hrs of day light at equinox, but who's counting?)
The reality of the situation is that that Fuchsia ends up looking just fine by the time it's ready to go out into the garden anyway. It's always good to put a fine point on a situation wherever possible, though.
I'll get a photo up of flower and leaves once the buggers have blooms out again (they've received a good dose of tough love already since we've had a killing frost and regular night time temps in the low forties already). They got cut back and brought into the greenhouse early this week.
Thanks again!
Karl
Thanks, Karl. I really think whatever you have been doing is fine. Just keep the fuchsias cool, misted, and filtered from the sun, and hopefully no leaves will drop next spring.
What zone are you in? We had temps drop to 49 degrees this A.M. I had to bring in some tropicals last night. But yesterday afternoon I still counted 3 hummers zooming around. I'm surprised they haven't started south, yet.