PostPlug Fuchsias and Geraniums

Hi,

Sorry for keeping posting.

If I take delivery of postplug fuchsias & geraniums in June/July, how best would I pot them up in-order to keep them for next year, as they would be too late for this year. Just planning ahead lol.

 

Do you have a frost free greenhouse?

 

Hi @pete , I do have a greenhouse, but I don't heat it. However, I've a large box bay window in my computer room if that's any help.

 

Well, to me, most house conditions don't really suit either over winter, they should survive though.

Just wondering, why buy now, if they are for next year?

 

Hi,

Think this time of year the so called 'plug' plants will be quiet big and would say they will still have time to grow into decent sized plants and flower by September onwards.

By the end of the season would expect they will be in 4" or 5" pots, how many plants will you have ?

Perhaps too many for the window cill ? so in a greenhouse might be a better option and making a simple bubble wrap cover for the bench to protect them from any hard frosts.

In September , take some cuttings and keep them on the window cill as insurance.

If you can get electric into the greenhouse for a fan heater set on frost free, find our Fuchsias and Geraniums survive well at 4c minimum.

 

@pete I ordered them at the end of last month, but I've received an email from a well known company saying my order has been put back due to the back log. (I don't know why/how). Thus the reasoning planning for next year.

@ricky101 In total 50 plants. My cil is about 1.7m x 0.6m, so quite big

 

A Tip or two.
An unheated GH is OK. I visited the GH of Mrs. Wood years ago. She was the lady, I believe the wife of a vicar from East London. It was from their GH (unheated) that the fuchsia, 'Margaret/ was bred. The GH was huge and looked as if it had sunk into the ground, as the roof was resting on the ground and the walk way was dug into the ground. So the plants basically were standing on soil. Sheets of newspaper would cover the plants on frosty wintery nights.

Fuchsias go into a dormant state for the winter, but they must not be allowed to dry out. Usually plants will be cut back by about a third and whispey shoots removed. An old and still used practice is to dig a trench in the garden, lay some straw or bracken down. Then lay the plants either potted or bare root, and cover with compost. Come April they can be lifted, and new shoots may well have already formed, these can be pinched off, as due to having grown in the dark, they will weak.

Fuchsias are really easy to propagate in the usual way, also a normal cutting can be cut down the middle, giving you one leaf either side of the now halved stem. If you desire to grow standards. Choose a cutting that has three terminal leaves. It is possible and fuchsias are tolerant here, to take cutting almost anytime. However the later in the seaon they strike, will mean that they will need to be kept growing through the winter.

Geraniums can be allowed to almost dry right out. They are easy to take cuttings from and although it looks good having lots of single cuttings each in it's own pot. Inserting cuttings around the rim of the pot is more beneficial.

 

Hi @Mike Allen , Thanks for your reply. I've heard of the trench, but I don't have the space to try. I've a fuchsia that's about 18 years old and I keep it in my garage over winter, water it once in that period and it's always ok. I'm never lucky with fuchsia or geranium cuttings, about 80% die no matter how I do it.