The vigour of youth?

Both of the above plants are Fuschia triphylla 'Koralle'and both were grown from plugs. The one on the right was last year's. It grew into a three foot bush in one year with brilliant orange flowers over a very long period. It was quite spectacular. So I carefully overwintered it under glass, hoping for an even bigger and better repeat this year. The plant on the left was a similar plug bought earlier this year.

Question - why has last year's done nothing (it has been fed and watered regularly)? Other overwintered Fuschias have grown on. Is it somethink I have done, or the nursery men did, or the variety or is it simply the vigour of youth? I have noticed that it is not that unusual for some plants to do brilliantly in their first year and then to never repeat the performance.

Does anyone else have experience of plants doing less well in later years?

 

Peter what I do I take cuttings in autumn give them a little heat until I know they are rooted then overwinter these they are soon away in spring.Maybe the old one should have been cut further back in autumn allowing new growth before winter it seems to be struggling to get sap through the old wood.

 

Walnut - I think you are right. The more I read The more I get the impression that for many things the first year of flowering is the best. Actually there is an explanation for the above Fuschia. Having taken the photo and made the post, I repotted the old Fuschia. Most of its roots were mushy and rotten. Exactly why I don't know - as I overwintered several other Fuschias at the same time that are OK.

But of all Fuschias Koralle grows at an amazing rate. - lovely plant.

 

Peter, I kept Koralle and Thalia stock plants over winter at 10/13c, by feb they were producing new leaf growth and took cuttings from them early march. I admit not everyone can keep them at these temperatures but it does get them going earlier. I still lose some to vine weevil grubs.

 

Peter - I keep both Thalia and Coralee over winter (garden in summer, greenhouse in winter). I kept the original Thalia plant for about 5 years, and whilst it was slow to start compared with the cuttings, it did well for a couple of years before it flagged.

The autumn cuttings do well the following year, but with both I reckon, they do better with a couple of years.

 

Peter - if you are wanting to re-syart last year's plants in this way it is best to take them out of their pots and trim the roots before re-potting in the smallest size pot you can cram them into in some fresh compost with sand. This is the only way that I have succeeded with

 

Thanks for your comments Strongy and Fran. Given that I managed to keep most Fuchsias going over winter, I think there was a particular problem with my Koralle. I will try again this winter. Is Thalia as fast growing as Koralle? And is that a feature of triphyllas?

Chobart - I have never heard of that before. Is it a recognised method? And is there an explanation as why it should work? Or is this your own discovered method?

Walnut - I have just re-read your comment and realised its significance. I never cut things back in autumn - mainly to give protection to perennials overwintering outside. Would cutting this back have helped? I know cutting perennials back can stimulate new growth from the base - but I don't see a Fuchsia doing that. Would new growth up top have helped?

[ 18. June 2007, 11:40 PM: Message edited by: PeterS ]

 

Hi Peter I was refering to your Fuchsias you overwinter inside I usually keep my g/house at 50f so if my fuchsias are in there they never stop growing so cutting them back in autumn gives me fresh growth that races away in spring.You are right that cuttings will often overtake the parent plants you have taken them off they do seem to have more vigour the reason is they are stimulated by more growth hormones,this is governed by the seasons, thats why we have plants that have optimum times for taking cuttings.

 

I find that the glass house overwintered tryphillas are slow in comparison with the plugs bought in the spring. But they do catch up.

My overwintered Thalia and Coralee are just coming into bud but their height and vigour is not as much as plug plants bought in Feb/March.

 

Hello Peter - it was a method reccomended to me by a keen fuschia grower and it appears to work well for me. If I leave them alone they never seem to respond very well apart that is from 'Annabelle' which never lets me down.

 

Thanks Fran- I automatically assumed that a second year plant would grow faster than a plug.

And thanks Chobart. I will have to try that method.