Fuchsia - Stunted growth - Root rot ?

Hi All,

Newbie to the forum and looking for a little advice on my overwintered greenhouse fuchsias please.

This winter (in West Yorkshire) was quiet mild and the greenhouse kept frost free but all the fuchsias on my west facing shelf seem to have suffered the same fate, basically very stunted new growth and the leaves looking reddish in places, though despite this they are pushing out a few flowers.
Most of them were new plants last spring but a couple are two year olds.

I thought vine weevil might have been the cause but no trace of the grubs or eggs.

They seem to be showing typical signs of root rot above the compost, but the two I took out of their pots, the root system did seem reasonably intact and strong around the stem, though perhaps not as much strong healthy white roots around the edge of the root ball as I would have expected for 1 -2 year old plants.

I though I was keeping them on the dry side and watering lightly though wonder if I did overwater them ?

Do they look like root rot stunted growth and if so is it worth letting them grow on, will they ever recover properly or is it best to replace with fresh stock ?

I have taken some cuttings of the ones I really want and think they are taking, though wonder if they will develop properly or is the disease likely to be present even in these tip cuttings ?

A couple of large 12" potted Thaila and Celia Smedly down on the floor survived ok and in leaf all winter, now in full bloom outside.

Thanks

 

I can't help you with this but @Anthony Rogers is our Fuschia expert and hopefully will be along shortly to give you advice.

 

Hi Ricky

I don't understand what you mean by root rot. To me root rot means the roots have rotted away but you say yours still have roots attached.

The most common cause of a reddish colouration in Fuchsias is if they have had a change of conditions eg they've been moved to a cooler/colder situation. Usually once they get used to their new home they pick up again.

One question I'd like to ask is did you re-pot them in the Spring. By reporting I mean taking them out of their pots, giving them a slight root prune and then putting them back into the same pot or even one a size smaller. This would then encourage the plants to send out fresh white fibrous roots.

How long is it since they were potted on or fed ? New compost only has enough nutrients for around 6 weeks or so, so they could want feeding. Fuchsias are hungry plants. A tomato food would be good for the next 3 months or so.

Personally, looking at your photos I can't see owt wrong with them.

What do you mean as stunted growth? Don't forget all new growth is smaller than normal, and as the plants grow they'll look more normal.

All in all, from your photos they look fine to me.

Please let us know how they are in a couple of weeks time, with a few photos of course

 

In addition to what Anthony has said, I think they would benefit from being outside now. Mine were languishing a bit in the greenhouse, but have picked up quite a bit, now they're outside.

 

Hi,

Thanks for the replies.

The plants were repotted into larger pots , 5" and 6", last spring and they grew very well, though this spring I just gave them a clean up of the branches and compost surface.
Did not know they should be root trimmed each year, and although I have started reading up on them lately, its not a point I had come across.

The two I took out of the pots were certainly not root bound at all.

I had given them a light feeding of liquid growmore about 4 weeks ago, but cannot say they responded much.
The previous year, and 2 years for some of them, they were typically 3 times bigger by now; they currently just seem to have such small leaves and short new stems by comparison.

Think I will try taking a couple out and giving them a slight root prune or if needed perhaps a smaller pot and this time, if correct ..? , repot them with a top up mix of JI no3, peat compost, grit and vermiculite that I have read about ? instead of just the basic Erin peat compost, followed by the tom feed.

Will be interesting to see how they respond and will post a pic of their progress , though I do have some in lovely full blooms like Celia, just started from a cutting 2 years ago.

thanks again.

 

Hi Ricky,

I wouldn't advise doing any root pruning now as they're in active growth.

You say that they're not pot bound at all, this is fine as long as they're not in a large pot with a lot of compost not being used as this means the compost just goes stale.

The best way to pot on Fuchsias is to start with the smallest one the plant will fit in and then pot on one size at a time, ie start with a 3" then go to a 4" then a 5" and so on. This way you get a good tight root ball with the roots using every bit of spare growing medium available.

I don't advise on growing mediums as I feel it's down to what the grower uses and has proved satisfactory in their own experience.

I never compare growth to previous years as there are so many factors involved eg Winter/Spring temperatures , the time they were put to rest, the amount of Spring sunshine . There really are a lot of factors involved.

I would start with the tomato feed asap. What I do is little and often, so perhaps quarter recommended strength twice a week.

 

Will do,

Thanks again.

 

Might be a crazy Idea, but I'd take off all the flowers, do a slight trim back.
Sick plants tend to flower prematurely, once they do, they forget about vegetative growth.

Did similar on a thalia a few weeks ago and its coming back stronger now.
Just an idea.

 

Not a bad idea. It means flowering will be delayed, but plenty of time yet, plus the benefit of more side-shoots.

 

Fair point, will try disbudding one plant and see how its compares to the others over the next few weeks.