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hailah_gw

Blooms dropping like bombs! new fuchsia, need help

hailah
19 years ago

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.

Comments (21)

  • fuchsiabonsailady
    19 years ago

    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:)

  • hailah
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    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!

  • hailah
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    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!

  • fuchsiabonsailady
    19 years ago

    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:)

  • jnette
    19 years ago

    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

  • stonejm
    19 years ago

    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!

  • fuchsiabonsailady
    19 years ago

    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:)

  • stonejm
    19 years ago

    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

  • stonejm
    19 years ago

    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

  • fuchsiabonsailady
    19 years ago

    Yes Judy,
    Quite true, it starts to work once the soil warms up, approximately 12c/53f. - Kath:)

  • mkjones
    19 years ago

    Oooh, haven't the slightest--but wow! She's lovely..=)

    Kathleen in TX

  • Jen26
    19 years ago

    I can see why you wanted to save her -- beautiful!

  • hld6
    19 years ago

    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!

  • the_analyst
    19 years ago

    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

  • hailah
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    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:

  • bstnh1
    11 years ago

    Overwatering will cause the plant to wilt and drop buds and flowers. Once overwatered, it's nearly impossible to bring the plant back. A heavy soil that holds a lot of water will doom them every time.

  • Tambro05
    11 years ago

    Hi Hailah, I noticed in your photo link that the 'tray' is still attached to the bottom of your pot. You should always remove the tray as it holds in too much water for your fuchsia, which allows for it to drown from overwatering (thanks bstnh1). Oh, it sure looked like it was Dark Eyes.
    I realize this is an old post, but hope the information will help out any new people with the same problems.

    Tammy

  • jennyfern
    10 years ago

    I am having the same problem!

    It's a dark eyes variety and now, the colors are faded. I have had it for about 6 weeks and just in the past 3 weeks, the magenta red is now a muted pink and the deep purple has turned a lilac in color. It drives me nuts! I've tried feeding it 1/4 strength feed for rhododendrons/camellias because I can't find npk 20-20-20 feed anywhere. I am watering 1 cup every 2-3 days after checking the soil for moisture, and still...the buds just keep dropping. The leaves look fine. Also, the buds are much smaller now and they're blooming smaller.

    The other interesting thing is that my other fuchsia, a ballet girl, couldn't be healthier. She looks incredibly similar in type and flowering type as my dark eyes. She's blooming and attracting MANY hummingbirds. I know they're different plants and they respond differently, but I just don't get it.

    I have the ballet girl sitting on my patio and I'm moving the dark eyes over there since before, she hung outside my front door for the filtered light and shade. I am wondering if maybe she doesn't like that so I will put her in the same environment as the other plant. Also, she sat next to a fluorescent light that was kept on for a couple of evenings a week. Do they get bothered by this? I am new to gardening so I'm not quite experienced.

    I don't know what else to do! I talked to gardener at a local organic shop and she told me to repot it. I find that difficult to do just with how bushy the plant is.

  • merseygal
    10 years ago

    Hi all
    I'm hoping someone can help, I bought a shrub at the end of May from a florist, I'm not sure of the name as it didn't have a tag, think it may be a "mrs popple", I planted it in the garden & it seemed to be doing really well, lots of buds, then flowers, I looked at it yesterday & a the flowers look withered, there are no new buds either, I pinched some of the lower tips as it was getting quite lengthy, but I don't know what's wrong. It should still be flowering, could I have overwatered it??
    Here's a pic of before of it in bloom & ill post another of now, I've lost a lot of flowers!! New to gardening so don't know what I've done wrong!

  • merseygal
    10 years ago

    Here is what they look like close up, hardly any left now :-(

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