How to propagate fuchsias. Fuchsia cuttings

Growing and Caring For Fuchsias

Fuchsia Propagation from Cuttings

A good fuchsia will cost at least two pounds, so what if you want several plants, but the wife and kids need feeding! Simple answer - grow them yourself.

Forget growing from seeds - it really is a waste of time, take our word for it. The fuchsia nurseries don't grow plants for sale from seed, nor should you. The only sensible way to grow fuchsias is from cuttings - have a go, follow the guide below and you will succeed.

You need to start the cuttings process in early March. You need a fuchsia to take the cuttings from, and that means you need to buy this fuchsia about four weeks before hand. At this time of year, fuchsias will not be available in most general purpose garden centres, so you may need to visit a specialist nursery - have a look on the internet, the Royal Horticultural Society (www.rhs.org.uk) site is great for locating a nursery near you. The earlier you can buy the plants the more cuttings you will be able to take.

An average timetable would look something like this - it assumes you will be growing the cuttings on a windowsill, although a heated greenhouse or fluorescent light system would be the same, possibly 4 weeks earlier:

early March	Buy fuchsia, dilute feed once a week
mid-March	Take first cuttings (two or three)
late March	Take more cuttings (one or two)
6 weeks after cuttings	Pot up into 15cm (6in) pots
4 weeks after potting up	Begin to harden off plants
2 weeks later - no earlier than lateMay in your area	Plant outside in borders, tubs or hanging baskets

Let GardenAction walk you through the six step process to take fuchsia cuttings, illustrated with pictures.

STEP 1 - CHOOSE A FUCHSIA FOR CUTTINGS

Choose plants with:

good green leaves from green (not brown and woody) stems
good root system
several shoots from the lower part of the main stem

Avoid plants with:

uneven growth
aphids, white fly or rust - beware most of all of rust
incorrect pot size - roughly 40% pot, 60% visible plant
signs of lack of water

A good example for cuttings

STEP 2 - PREPARE THE COMPOST AND POTS

It's best to pot each individual cutting into it's own 7cm (2.75in) pot. Fill the pot nearly to the top with potting compost.

Place the pot in some water to ensure the compost is fully moist. You could water from the top with a watering can, but watering from the bottom ensures that all the compost is moist.

STEP 3 - SELECT A GOOD SHOOT FOR CUTTING

The top left shoot is ideal for use as a cutting - it looks healthy. The cut on the stem needs to be made above a set of leaves, leaving three sets of leaves above the cut.

The arrow in the picture shows where the cut should be made. Use a sharp knife to make the cutting - this will prevent damage to the stem which could introduce disease into the cutting or the plant itself.

CLICK HERE FOR STEPS 4 TO 6

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Name: richard
E-mail: tichenor8570@comcast.net
Date posted: November 15, 2011 - 01:23 pm
Message: i live in oregon. the weather is starting to get colder. how and when should i cut back? the fuchsia is in a large square pot. thank you

Name: jim@GardenAction
E-mail: webmaster@gardenaction.co.uk
Date posted: October 28, 2011 - 03:55 pm
Message: This can be done at any time. Prepare a hole the same size as the pot. Remove the plant, loosen the roots on the outside of the pot and place in hole. Firm soil around plant and water.

Name: Marion
E-mail: marion.whentringhame@hotmail.co.uk
Date posted: October 28, 2011 - 09:28 am
Message: I have a fuscia in a pot and want to transfer it into the garden. When can I do this please?

Name: jim@GardenAction
E-mail: webmaster@gardenaction.co.uk
Date posted: October 23, 2011 - 04:36 am
Message: Cut back each shoot by at least a third of its length. They flower on new growth.

Name: mike
E-mail: michael.dance77@virgin.net
Date posted: October 22, 2011 - 02:30 pm
Message: How much and when do you cut back fuschiain? Any advice would be appreciated thank you

Name: Carol
E-mail: boonie@talktalk.net
Date posted: October 09, 2011 - 12:24 pm
Message: I would like to move two well established Fuschias that are in my garden, when can i do this?

Name: val
E-mail: Private
Date posted: October 09, 2011 - 11:58 am
Message: I have taken a number of cuttings from a beautiful pink and red fuschia 3 weeks ago 3 - 4 to a pot. Will they survive in a kitchen window this time of year (October) when should i re-pot them and where to over-winter? Have no greenhouse.Thank you for your advice.

Name: john
E-mail: Private
Date posted: September 26, 2011 - 10:01 am
Message: When taking cuttings from fuchsia and geranium should I place the pots in seed trays in grit and water or just water and how much

Name: maureen
E-mail: maureenmoss17@hotmail.com
Date posted: August 20, 2011 - 09:06 am
Message: I bought a standard fuchsia from Norfolk 3 weeks ago, while on holiday, hundreds of flowers and buds, all have since dropped off,its in a pot in my livingroom ?

Name: Helen Davidson
E-mail: Private
Date posted: August 07, 2011 - 04:48 pm
Message: A host of hosta seed germinated by our porch, even wintered over due to heated concrete of porch. Will they ever amount to anything? Can I pot them and expect them to bloom??????
Thank you for your help.

Name: cath
E-mail: Private
Date posted: July 16, 2011 - 01:32 pm
Message: How much and when do you cut back fuschia? Any advice would be appreciated thank you

Name: Mary
E-mail: Private
Date posted: May 29, 2011 - 04:10 pm
Message: Is a bleeding heart plant the same as a fuschia plant?

Name: kathleen
E-mail: kathanddavid18@hotmail.co.uk
Date posted: November 21, 2010 - 10:59 am
Message: how do i care for my fushsias in the winter.do i cut them back

Name: Margaret
E-mail: margaretgray@live.com
Date posted: October 26, 2010 - 06:12 pm
Message: My pink and mauve fuchsia has had lots of flowers and now looks like it is frozen in time with flowers and buds. How do I care for it in the winter months?

Name: Phil Adams
E-mail: phil.adams232@btinternet.com
Date posted: October 16, 2010 - 10:16 am
Message: I bought a standard Fuchsia which has flowered well this summer. For over-wintering do I cut it back like with normal ones? If so how much do I cut it back by?

Name: mand
E-mail: mandhq-blog@yahoo.co.uk
Date posted: October 14, 2010 - 08:53 am
Message: Lynne, I'm no fuchsia expert but with most plants, lack of blooms is due to overfeeding � getting the plant a little 'hungry' tricks it into thinking it needs to work harder on the flowers. Hth :)

Name: bernadette mckay
E-mail: b.j.mckay@hotmail.com
Date posted: October 13, 2010 - 06:09 am
Message: i live in south wales uk i have 2 lovely fushias one pale yellow one red very young in good health but with the pending bad winter to come what can i do to make sure they survive

Name: paul
E-mail: Private
Date posted: October 02, 2010 - 04:49 am
Message: please can you let me know when to cut a well established plant back which is 6ft round and 6ft high, we have left it to date as there are millions of flowers which we have kept for the bees. cheers paul

Name: Richard Helms
E-mail: massagedad@frontiernet.net
Date posted: September 18, 2010 - 10:11 am
Message: I live in upper Minnesota, outside of Duluth. I would like to know what and how you would recommend taking care of the Fuchsias I now have for the winter. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Regards, Richard

Name: Amber
E-mail: mcclain0783@yahoo.com
Date posted: August 20, 2010 - 09:43 pm
Message: My question is how do I bring my Mrs. Popple back to a healthy state after it has been exposed to heat stroke. I have 3 blooms and hardle any leaves. Mrs. Popple looks very sick and I really do not want to loose this plant.