Hi,
I'm hoping to get some pointers on spring pruning. When I had hanging fuchsias (all of which succumbed to mite, long ago,) I pruned them hard each spring. Now, I'm focusing on bush fuchsias, but am unsure about pruning.
I've had one for two years & it's about 4 1/2 feet tall, but most of the growth is on top. Should I cut it down, so it grows up bushier? I also had several cuttings, that I bought last year. They didn't grow much, last summer, thanks to the deer munching on them, but I brought them inside, for the winter & they're 6 - 12 inches tall now. Again, should I prune them back, just pinch them or ???? It seems like they all loved the cooler weather & grew much more than during the warmer summer months. Of course, I will try to root cuttings of anything I prune...
Any tips would be appreciated!
Liz
Spring pruning
Wait until they show new growth. Then cut off any branches that don't show new growth and cut back to shape. Another method and sometimes because of lose to freezing, you can cut them to the ground.
I live in the same zone as lizzipa I would say it would have to depend on the variety and whether or not there was any damage due to freezing. I have several that are just now putting out new sprouts along branches that looked toasted. And like Willowwind2 mentioned, I waiting to see that new growth before deciding where to cut.
Otherwise, it is hard to say because different varieties form totally different shapes if left to themselves. It isn't necessary to pinch them for bushiness like one must do to hanging baskets so they will form more branches to hanging down and then produce flowers on the ends. If a bush is getting thin and lanky with weak looking branches, then I would prune them for sturdiness. The only bushes I really prune are the ones I am forming into hedges (F. magellanica molinae), the huge Voodoo that keeps trying to block my path, and the other F. magellanica because my teenage cat, Gary, used it as a jungle gym when he was learning climb last summer and almost destroyed the big 7 foot one!
There is a Black Prince between it and the Voodoo which I have never had to prune, it is naturally a small leaved compact bush. So it really depends :-)
Thanks for the advice. I couldn't imagine that I needed to hard prune them, since they seem quite happy, but am glad to get some validation about that. Luckily, I've had no damage from the cold. In fact, as I mentioned, it seems like they've become sturdier & grown, over the winter.
The trunk of the netalla has become quite woody & bare, with most of the growth at the top. I'm hoping that if I trim some of the greenery, it will force some new shoots along the trunk.
Pedrick, do you think that it's too soon to transfer the one year old cuttings from the pots to the dirt?
Thanks again!
Liz
lizzipa, if it was me, I'd do it now. Since we are in the same zone.
I just spent the afternoon transplanting up to larger containers. And to do that, I had to cut roots off of some to get them out of the small containers they were in. In my book, they will adjust better to the shock in this cool weather than they would on a warm sunny day. So I sometimes do as much as I can when I know it is going to be cool and overcast for a few days. It can be a risky decision at this time of year. I even moved all of my cuttings out of my minigreenhouse (just a four tiered shelf encased in clear greenhouse roofing) so they could get more light and fresh air. If there is a danger of a freeze, I have a special light material I can quickly cover everything with.
In your case though, I am worried about those pesky deer!!!
Oh, I'm done with the deer. I'll only be planting fuchsias behind the fence, from now on! Looks like a perfect day to play in the garden... Thanks for your advise!