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Blooms dropping like bombs! new fuchsia, need help
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Posted by hailah z7 GA (My Page) on Sat, May 1, 04 at 15:03
| I bought a beautiful pink and purple double bloom hanging basket from the hardware store.
It got a bit hot in the car as I stopped off on the way back home... As I was bringing it in from the car, a few blossoms fell off.
I hung it in the shadiest corner of my top story screen porch. It looked lovely, but every day, 3-4 bloosoms would just drop off. At first it was the ones starting to wilt, but now it has escalated to fairly new blooms and even buds. I picked up after it yesterday and this morning there were 10 more blossoms littering the porch! Also, the blossoms when I got it were deep "fuchsia" pink and purple; now they are paler pink and lavendar, and the buds, which were red, are showing up white...
I started out watering it twice a week, like my other plants, but one day I noticed it looked a bit droopy and I gave it a good water. The next day it rained and was chilly (about 50 degrees) and the plant seemed perkier. Since then I've been watering every day, 2-3 cups, but the flowers continue to fall. I just looked at it to pinch off the pods (as I read here that that will help flowering) and noticed some spent little branches had dried up, some with buds had dried up too. I've still got a lot of buds left, but I'm wondering what will happen to them?
Have I gone overboard with the water, is that the problem? Should I move it to the other end where it will get more light? Did the gusts of wind that accompanied the rain a few days ago disturb it?
It hasn't gotten really hot here (north Georgia) yet, highs mostly 70's in the daytime, so I don't think it's heat.
Any help with diagnosis will be appreciated. I have been craving a fuchsia for years and now that I have a place to put one, don't want to lose it.
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Blooms dropping like bombs! new fuchsia, need help
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Oh dear Hailah,
Sounds as if your fuchsia is a bit stressed. No I don't think it's the heat either 70's is ok. Try to keep it moist but not soaking wet. During those gusts it could have got 'wind-burn', that seems the most likely cause reading your description. If any branches die-back a bit, just trim them off, if you keep it in the shade they should shoot and re flower again later - Kath:) |
RE: Blooms dropping like bombs! new fuchsia, need help
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| Thanks for the advice. I'll hold off watering and let you know how it does. It lost only 5 blossoms this morning - but it'll run out of blossoms sometime! |
RE: Blooms dropping like bombs! new fuchsia, need help
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| Well, it seems to be doing better. I hung it in the back where it gets a little bit of late afternoon sun, and I am watering just a cup a day with some plant food, when the soil is almost dry. Only 3 wilting blooms left but it's making little buds now, so we'll see! |
RE: Blooms dropping like bombs! new fuchsia, need help
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| Glad to hear it is recovering Hailhah, be careful, don't over feed, a quarter strength is ok with every watering, but no more, other wise you run the risk of burning the roots - kath:) |
RE: Blooms dropping like bombs! new fuchsia, need help
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| Sounds like it was cold and damp. Fuchsias are funny but once they get established in a good place they will do good for you. btw, they usually like morning sun. Afternoon is usually too hot for them. Jeanette |
RE: Blooms dropping like bombs! new fuchsia, need help
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I also have a new hanging fuchsia, a deep pink and white one, which is very bushy and covered with blooms and buds. But blooms are also falling off mine at the rate of about 5 or more a day. Also, the leaves look a bit puckered, not exactly wilted. I'm trying to keep it moist, not wet. It's hanging on our porch, which faces northeast, gets a good deal of morning sun. Should I feed it? Is it normal for it to drop healthy-looking blossoms? Any other ideas?
Thanks! |
RE: Blooms dropping like bombs! new fuchsia, need help
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Judy,
Where it is hanging on your porch, is it getting good air circulation? A lot of these problems are caused by not enough ventilation. You say it's a new fuchsia for you, it could be that it's just getting used to your conditions which may be different from the place where you purchased it. Yes feed it with a balanced feed NPK 20-20-20. For fuchsias dilute the feed to a quarter strength and feed every watering. - Kath:) |
RE: Blooms dropping like bombs! new fuchsia, need help
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Thanks, Kath. I was thinking my fuchsia may be adjusting. Our porch (and house) is small, but raised up a short flight of stairs. The fuchsia is hanging at the outer edge of the porch in a big open space, so I think the air circulation is decent. I'll start feeding and see how it goes.
Judy |
RE: Blooms dropping like bombs! new fuchsia, need help
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Another thought about feeding: what about time-release Osmocote 14-14-14? I use it in my window boxes with good results, and it eliminates having to feed all the time.
Judy |
RE: Blooms dropping like bombs! new fuchsia, need help
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Yes Judy,
Quite true, it starts to work once the soil warms up, approximately 12c/53f. - Kath:) |
RE: Blooms dropping like bombs! new fuchsia, need help
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| Well, I can report that she's pretty much recovered her zest for life. Moving her to the back porch where she gets late afternoon sun helped a lot. Plus watering a little morning and evening, and feeding very weak Peters special every other day. Thanks for the advice, y'all. I know the photo's a bit fuzzy but can someone tell the variety? Is it Dark Eyes, perhaps? |
Here is a link that might be useful: Hailah's fuchsia
RE: Blooms dropping like bombs! new fuchsia, need help
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| Oooh, haven't the slightest--but wow! She's lovely..=) Kathleen in TX |
RE: Blooms dropping like bombs! new fuchsia, need help
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- Posted by Jen26 USDA zone 6/MO (My Page) on
Wed, Jun 9, 04 at 23:29
| I can see why you wanted to save her -- beautiful! |
RE: Blooms dropping like bombs! new fuchsia, need help
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- Posted by hld6 z& MD (My Page) on
Wed, Jun 16, 04 at 17:48
Hi Hailah! I looked at your photo and I have the very same fuchsia that you do (that I got about a week ago). Unfortunately I also have the same problem. (dropping blossoms and faded buds). What do you think solved the problem for you, increased morning sun or reduced watering? My fuchsia is hanging from our porch (plenty of air circulation) but in a relatively shady spot (we have a lot of mature trees). I could move it to the southeast side which gets a lot of morning sun. I don't know much about fuchsia so I don't know if this is normal "fussy plant" behavior or if I'm killing it. Help!
PS: I'm zone 7 not zone "&" Dang typing! |
RE: Blooms dropping like bombs! new fuchsia, need help
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| Hailah, the fuchsia looks fabulous! Hopefully my fuchsia will revive itself. I've had similar problems (I have a separate post about it), however my fuchsia is in much worse condition. It happened almost overnight with the fuchsia, and now the leaves fell off. Anyway, I trimmed it back and have new plant food. Also, my fuchsia is much smaller. It is only about 6 inches tall and the stems haven't dropped yet. Sarah |
RE: Blooms dropping like bombs! new fuchsia, need help
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| Sorry to be so lax about checking this list - thanks for the good wishes folks. My fuchsia actually got much more fabulous - a veritable explosion of blossoms. Then almost all of them faded and plopped off. Now she's taking a rest, only a few flowers, but more buds are on the way. Hld6 and analyst, I wish you luck... don't give up! I think the thing that did it for mine was moving to a spot where she got more ligh. Also making sure she never dried out but not overwatering. And feeding a little every other day or so. Dunno why I think of this fuchsia as a female... |
Here is a link that might be useful: busting out all over
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