Advice please?

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Author Message   Deanneart  My Favorite Photo My Weather My Garden Posted on Friday, October 06, 2006 - 07:00 am EST :    Hi all you fuchsia experts. I'd like to get your input on overwintering the trailing varieties like Dark Eyes and Swingtime. I've had very good success with getting the upright varieties to come through the winter in good shape but have had inconsistent success with the trailers. Is that normal and is there anything special I could be doing to keep them happier through the winter? Thanks for any input you can give me. Deanne New Hampshire Zone 5   Plantynut  My Favorite Photo My Garden Journal My Weather My Garden My Time Posted on Friday, October 06, 2006 - 08:34 pm EST :    Oh very good and timely question Deanne since I just found mine in bloom for the first time. I'd love to try and keep it. Plantynut - New York, Zone "7"   Fbonsailady  My Favorite Photo My Garden Journal My Weather My Garden My Time Posted on Saturday, October 07, 2006 - 01:19 pm EST :    Oh dear Deanne, now we can't have you being unsuccessful after all your loving care that you have given to your fuchsias I can't understand this exactly, reason being I treat my upright and trailing ones exactly the same through the winter months. Admittedly some of the 'trailers' do seem to initially take longer to 'get-going' compared to the uprights. Do you pinch out the growing tips after two pairs of leaves have formed? After the summer are you giving them new soil before the winter or are you waiting until the Spring? - Kath That's a beauty Arlene - Kath Kath Zone 8b UK   Deanneart  My Favorite Photo My Weather My Garden Posted on Saturday, October 07, 2006 - 06:07 pm EST :    Kath, thanks so much for getting back to me about this. I've decided to re-pot with new soil now in the fall because the last two years the plants I did in the fall have done the best overall. Yes I do pinch out all growing tips. I've found that the trailers really do take longer to get going in the spring and I thought it was something I was doing wrong. I'm glad to hear that is normal. I am treating them all the same but if they are slower to get going I should really be watering them less??? I think, perhaps I've been overwatering them in the spring? I'll pay a bit more attention to my culture when they start breaking dormancy in the spring next year. Again, thanks for your input! Arlene here is a link for wintering information from Kath's site http://www.bonsaigarden.net/ftwinter.asp Deanne New Hampshire Zone 5   Fbonsailady  My Favorite Photo My Garden Journal My Weather My Garden My Time Posted on Sunday, October 08, 2006 - 03:48 am EST :    You're welcome Deanne. Throughout the late autumn/winter months, especially late autumn when you have removed all foliage and flowers and refreshed the soil, they really just need enough water to give the roots enough moisture to stay alive, less foliage and flowers = less water . If possible, it's better to water from the bottom (plastic saucer or similar container underneath the pot) this way the top half of the soil keeps comparitively dry = less risk of fungus diseases and rotting away of stems. It is much easier to re-fresh the soil now, then there is less risk of breaking new stems and growth off which has been produced during the winter months and of course also less disturbance of new root growth, BUT then one must be extra careful not to over water. Of course this method is only if you are keeping the fuchsias 'in-the-green' throughout the winter months = a little warmth and light. The other method of storing them in a frost-free, dark situation, then leave the re-potting and new soil until the Spring. Have a good Sunday - Kath Kath Zone 8b UK   Deanneart  My Favorite Photo My Weather My Garden Posted on Sunday, October 08, 2006 - 09:48 am EST :    Kath, What I've done the last couple years is repot them with fresh soil into fairly small pots, lightly watered them in then I keep them in the garage for a couple months. After the initial watering in I barely water. There is no direct light in there and as the season gets colder and darker they seem to naturally go into dormancy. Just before the garage temps will go below freezing sometime mid-December usually, I bring the fuchsias down to the dark cool basement for the rest of the winter. The couple months in the garage seems to allow them to get some new roots established before I put them in the dark and when they break dormancy in the spring they 'leap' into life. The only plants I've lost are the ones I leave to repot in the spring time and as I've said, I believe I've over watered them. Another question for you, I have a ' Golden Marenka' that has enormous stems where the plant is at the soil level. Like small trunks. Some are probably about the thickness of my thumbs. I've never had a new plant with woody growth this thick. I haven't taken it out of its pot yet but I'm assuming it has tap roots about as thick. Should I cut those out? Will that heavy, woody growth produce good new green growth in the spring or should I just take cuttings and start over with this variety? Also the 'Billy Greene ' has produced some very heavy trunks. I'm just wondering how this will do with making new growth in the spring? As always I truly appreciate your generous sharing of information. I wouldn't have been able to grow these beautiful plants without your expert guidance. Deanne New Hampshire Zone 5   Fbonsailady  My Favorite Photo My Garden Journal My Weather My Garden My Time Posted on Sunday, October 08, 2006 - 10:22 am EST :    Yes I understand Deanne, you don't keep them in the 'green' but don't let them completely go semi-dormant. That's ok too , everyone's situation is different, in regards to how they try to over winter and one can divert a bit from the two basic methods. In respect of Golden Marinka, yes when you re-pot take out those tap roots and leave as many of the other fine roots as possible. Basically tap-roots grow really only to 'anchor' a plant when it's growing in open ground, they give no nutrients to the plant itself, and 'yes' it will shoot new growth from those thick stems you mention. Yes treat 'Billy Greene' the same, no problem either. I don't know whether I've mentioned this before but as a general rule it is better not to water any plants which you intend to cut hard back, for at least 3 days prior to pruning. This way, you won't loose so much sap from the cut-stems which also decreases the risk of die-back. Kath Kath Zone 8b UK

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