DORMANT PLANTS

To over winter fuchsias with this method they must first be allowed to defoliate (loose all their leaves) or have all the leaves taken off them by hand. This defoliation can be assisted by leaving the plants outside in a light airy position in mid to late September when the temperature is cooling. This will help the ripening of the wood and cause the sap moving up in the plants branches to slow down.

Be very careful of the early frosts that we sometimes have in late October or early November, at this time of year, they can do untold damage. Certain types of fuchsias particularly the Triphylla and some of the tender species cannot stand any frost at all and must be protected at all costs or you will lose them.

Where large plants or many small plants have to be stored or wherever space is limited and the grower so desires, the plants can be pruned back by one third. This is preferably done when the sap has slowed down after defoliation to help prevent botrytis and the inevitable die-back in the branches that this causes. The pruning cuts should be sealed with a proprietary wound sealing compound or P.V.A. glue, as always the cuts should be above a node.

If space is available pruning can be delayed until the early spring when the plants start back into growth. The advantage of this method is that the risk of disease is virtually eliminated, if the correct storage and winter care are adhered to.

The only disadvantage is that if left too late in the spring the sap flow will have increased and botrytis and mildew could become a problem if the wounds are allowed to bleed without sealing.

A FROST FREE shed, garage or green house are ideal places for storing fuchsia's over winter using this method.

Once the plants are defoliated they can be placed under the staging or in boxes, watered lightly, covered with peat, hessian sacking, bubble wrap or even wrapped in newspapers to protect the plant.

Whilst over wintering, it is of the utmost importance that the plants are not allowed to become too dry, many fuchsias are lost over winter because their owners tend to forget about them, they then bring them out of their ‘hibernation’ in spring and find that they are dust dry, if this ‘dehydration’ occurs the plants will die.

With this method you must also ensure that the temperature is kept below 40°C or the plants will start into premature growth, this is something that must be avoided until you have sufficient heat and light available to commence the growing operations or your plants will become 'leggy' and drawn. New soft elongated shoots are also more susceptible to damage from temperature fluctuations.

In spring the plants are brought out of their winter storage and placed on the staging or a table, you must still be aware of the cold nights in spring.

It is advisable to keep a careful watch on the weather forecast and if frost or low temperatures are forecast cover the plants with something like horticultural fleece.

The manufactures claim that this offers up to 6o of protection or even net curtains and sheets of newspapers, anything to offer a bit of protection for any new shoots against the frost.

The plants will need to be lightly watered when they are starting back into growth and it is a good idea when the weather is not too inclement or you have good protection for the plants to give them a light spray early in the day with tepid water to encourage the dormant buds back into life.

I find that when spraying using a high nitrogen feed at a very week dilution rate helps.

Any new growth can either be used as cutting material or the plant can be trimmed back to the first bud on the branch and stopped for shape. Stopping, shaping and general cultivation of the plants should then be carried out as normal.
A BIENNIAL SYSTEM

When over wintering plants using the biennial method the aim is to keep the plants in green leaf and growing very slowly. To do this you must ensure that the temperature is never allowed to drop to such an extent that the plants shed their leaves or too high that the plants become ‘leggy’ as they look for the light.

The temperature that I maintain in my heated greenhouse is 42oC which provides a 10o ‘lift’ above freezing point. This temperature allows my plants to maintain their leaves and gives them a very good start in the spring when the temperature outside the greenhouse rises and the plants start back into growth.

Watering is kept to a minimum with the compost being kept just moist, once again it is a matter of achieving a balance between heat and light.

Stopping of the plants continues throughout this period albeit somewhat reduced. In the spring you can rejuvenate your plants by changing some of the old compost in the pot with new compost. This is done by teasing out some of the old compost (an old kitchen fork is good for this although I use a fork especially made for this purpose when growing Bonsai plants). Be careful when you remove the composts as you want to do as little damage as possible to the roots system, hence the use of a fork.

The plant can be placed into a slightly smaller pot with the compost then dribbled back into the pot, tap the pot frequently to ensure that all the roots are in contact with the compost. After this operation the plant should be watered and put into a shady position out of any direct sunshine.

Once the plant is settled into its new pot it will start growing apace and within three or four weeks the plant will need ‘potting on’ as described previously and don’t forget the stopping and shaping.

I over winter my standard fuchsias in green leaf but I always provide added protection to the stems by using polypropylene pipe lagging material cut to the length of the stem and slipped over.

OVER WINTERING PLANTS IN THE GARDEN

The winters have changed somewhat in the past twenty or so years and whereas at one time very few plants would survive the vagaries of the weather, now many not only survive but thrive on these conditions and the extra root space afforded to them in the open ground.

The plants should be trimmed back by approximately a third before the onset of any bad weather and hard frosts. This will help in preventing the plants ‘rocking’ and becoming loose in the ground in high winds.

Even so plants in the garden including the so called garden hardies will benefit from some form of protection over the winter months. This can be provided anything that will cover the crown of the plant e.g. peat, sand, straw, you can also use horticultural fleece wrapped around the plant.

In early spring when you can see the new shoots emerging low down in the plants framework you can cut back to two or three buds. You may still need to cover the plants or provide some form of protection until the weather has improved.

BURYING PLANTS

It is even possible to bury your plants in a trench in the garden which must be deep enough to allow at least 6 inches of soil above the plants, although this is not a method I have used..