That was a very useful video. My grandmother always grew prizewinning fuchsias and now I am about to retire I want to have a go at growing some too, but I never knew how my grandmother did it. I didn't have the chance to learn from her before she passed.
Each of those pruned portions of the fuchsias can be use for starting a new plant. I do some pruning near the end of the blooming season to produce new plants. I take cuttings of the long stems, remove most of the leaves and put 5 to 7 of them into a gallon pots with soil. Most of the cuttings root and become new plants in the spring. It just takes a few minutes of work and the rest is waiting for nature to take it's course. It's a great way to share or one could even create a small side business. I'm in USDA zone 8a - Winter cold 10 to 15, record cold -8 F.
You are right about that Kenneth! The big fuchsia in the video is not in production anymore so I too have made new plants from cuttings ...well "I" don't ....nature does. Thanks for watching and commenting. -mary
Thank you so much for commenting Mindy. You made my day! Remember, you can watch my videos on The Gardening Tutor Vimeo Channel Ad-Free: vimeo.com/channels/thegardeningtutor -mary
Thank you so so so so so much. I have a Angel earing plant and I pruned it in november cuz started getting cold here. And I was scared cuz their is no good videos or tutors on how to prune it. And this has helped so much so now I can prune it better ugh. Your a life saver
I see that I missed this comment. Thank you so much for watching and commenting. I would love to hear how your fuchsia does in spring! You can do it! -mary p.s. Remember, you can watch my videos without ads on my The Gardening Tutor Vimeo channel: vimeo.com/549691245
Hi Mary, the pruning that you suggested worked very well thank you! My fuchsias were really beautiful - full and plump. But the bushes grew very tall. Is there a way to prune them that can encourage them to grow wider rather than so tall?
Pinching early and often would help with the size, making them fuller and shorter. Thank you for letting me know how your pruning went! Sometimes my fuchsias get taller then I'd like even with early pinching and I just shorten the tall stems here and there and the plant still looks great. This may sacrifice a few flowers but I don't notice it lacking blooms. Avoid cutting too far down an already tall stem though because you might not get any blooms to form. Go easy at first until you see how your fuchsia reacts. -mary
Hi Diane, I understand. When you've never pruned fuchsias hard at this time of year it can be scary to do it. If fuchsias are left to do what they want they become very leggy and have weak new stems though. When you prune them make sure to leave3 sets of nodes or so on each stem. The plant will just sit there for weeks and you may think it was the wrong thing to do....and then....poof they start pushing new growth. Pinch the new growth tips out every time it pushes about 3 inches and you will have a fuller plant with more flowers. I usually pinch about 3 separate times and then let it fill in. Hope this helps. Let us know how it goes! -mary p.s. if you want to experiment prune half the plant and leave half the plant and see which form you end up liking the best. :)
Hi Mary, I’m new to gardening and have recently moved into a property with many fuchsias snd was wondering how to prune them. Your video is excellent, thank you Mary. The fuchsias in this garden haven’t been pruned for a long time so they have thick woody stems so I’m assuming I just cut them right back to the 6 inches you suggest and hopefully they’ll flourish. Is that correct Mary? Regards, Kathryn in Australia.
Hellooo Kathryn in Australia!.Welcome to Gardening! How magical is this that we can write to each other, ha. You are in deep winter now in Australia, right? You'll need to be careful about pruning super old stems down as far as I pruned my younger stemmed fuchsias in the video (my plants are old but have been pruned hard every year so all have new stems from close to the ground) because the really old stems may not produce new growth. You could experiment by pruning a few on each plant first. If it's not winter there and your fuchsias have already pushed growth it's not the best time to prune hard anyway. You could still experiment with pruning just a few hard though to see what happens. Also, if each fuchsia has lots of crossing stems or dead stems you can prune those out to clean up the whole appearance of the plant. If they have pushed growth, you could prune down to the closest to the ground new stem. I hope that makes sense. I wish I was there to work with you. Let me know if you need more clarification. Please, let me know what the season is there and if they have already pushed new growth. -mary
Dear Mary, thanks for your helpful reply. Yes it is the middle of winter here. My fuchsias have definitely finished their growth and so I think they’re ready to be pruned. I’ll prune some the old stems back hard and see what happens. I’ll let you know if they get new growth when the spring comes in September. Kind regards, Kathryn
Thank you and thanks for watching. If left unpruned the stems may become stretched (lanky). I would prune it but I wish I had a photo of yours so I could see what you see. You can message me on The Gardening Tutor Facebook page: facebook.com/thegardeningtutor/ -mary P.S. Welcome to gardening!! :)
Hi Mary, Is it possible to grow hardy fuchsias in the Boston area? Zone 6a? I have heard their hardiness depends on how deep you plant them. Some people basically drop the plant in a deep hole for planting to create a super deep root system. Any idea whether that would work in Zone 6a? (I have some Delta's Sarah.)
Thanks so much, Mary! Great video. Do you follow the same process with California fuchsias? I have several and I don't see any videos related specifically to those. thanks!
Hi Jan, you are so welcome. You are talking about Zauschnerria, yes? I shear the whole plant down to 1 or 2 inches in winter here in Sonoma County. Once it starts to grow in and is about a foot tall or so you can also do pinching or a light shearing of the tips (taking about an inch or two off) to encourage the plant to be bushier. Thank you for watching and commenting! -mary
Great guide esp that heading vs thinning cuts explanation, thats useful for almost every plant!
That was a very useful video. My grandmother always grew prizewinning fuchsias and now I am about to retire I want to have a go at growing some too, but I never knew how my grandmother did it. I didn't have the chance to learn from her before she passed.
Each of those pruned portions of the fuchsias can be use for starting a new plant. I do some pruning near the end of the blooming season to produce new plants. I take cuttings of the long stems, remove most of the leaves and put 5 to 7 of them into a gallon pots with soil. Most of the cuttings root and become new plants in the spring. It just takes a few minutes of work and the rest is waiting for nature to take it's course. It's a great way to share or one could even create a small side business. I'm in USDA zone 8a - Winter cold 10 to 15, record cold -8 F.
You are right about that Kenneth! The big fuchsia in the video is not in production anymore so I too have made new plants from cuttings ...well "I" don't ....nature does. Thanks for watching and commenting. -mary
Excellent clear advice, many thanks ( pedro uk )
Thank you so much for commenting and taking time to watch. It made my day to see your message from the UK. -mary
You are an excellent teacher.
Awww, you just don't know how great it is for me to see your kind note. Thank you Stephen! -mary
You have already solved so many plant mysteries for me! Rose pruning video next😉🌱🙏
Thank you so much for commenting Mindy. You made my day! Remember, you can watch my videos on The Gardening Tutor Vimeo Channel Ad-Free: vimeo.com/channels/thegardeningtutor
-mary
Thank you so so so so so much. I have a Angel earing plant and I pruned it in november cuz started getting cold here. And I was scared cuz their is no good videos or tutors on how to prune it. And this has helped so much so now I can prune it better ugh. Your a life saver
I see that I missed this comment. Thank you so much for watching and commenting. I would love to hear how your fuchsia does in spring! You can do it! -mary
p.s. Remember, you can watch my videos without ads on my The Gardening Tutor Vimeo channel: vimeo.com/549691245
I just pressure washed mine in April lol and it took off this summer
Ha! :)
Hi Mary, the pruning that you suggested worked very well thank you! My fuchsias were really beautiful - full and plump. But the bushes grew very tall. Is there a way to prune them that can encourage them to grow wider rather than so tall?
Pinching early and often would help with the size, making them fuller and shorter. Thank you for letting me know how your pruning went! Sometimes my fuchsias get taller then I'd like even with early pinching and I just shorten the tall stems here and there and the plant still looks great. This may sacrifice a few flowers but I don't notice it lacking blooms. Avoid cutting too far down an already tall stem though because you might not get any blooms to form. Go easy at first until you see how your fuchsia reacts. -mary
Excellent video. Thankyou.m
Thank you Christine. Thanks for watching! -mary
I live in Sonoma County also andn my fushia is very woody Imm afraid if I cut it back to wood it will die? Advice? Its leggy with long woody branches
Hi Diane, I understand. When you've never pruned fuchsias hard at this time of year it can be scary to do it. If fuchsias are left to do what they want they become very leggy and have weak new stems though. When you prune them make sure to leave3 sets of nodes or so on each stem. The plant will just sit there for weeks and you may think it was the wrong thing to do....and then....poof they start pushing new growth. Pinch the new growth tips out every time it pushes about 3 inches and you will have a fuller plant with more flowers. I usually pinch about 3 separate times and then let it fill in. Hope this helps. Let us know how it goes! -mary p.s. if you want to experiment prune half the plant and leave half the plant and see which form you end up liking the best. :)
Hi Mary, I’m new to gardening and have recently moved into a property with many fuchsias snd was wondering how to prune them. Your video is excellent, thank you Mary. The fuchsias in this garden haven’t been pruned for a long time so they have thick woody stems so I’m assuming I just cut them right back to the 6 inches you suggest and hopefully they’ll flourish. Is that correct Mary? Regards, Kathryn in Australia.
Hellooo Kathryn in Australia!.Welcome to Gardening! How magical is this that we can write to each other, ha.
You are in deep winter now in Australia, right? You'll need to be careful about pruning super old stems down as far as I pruned my younger stemmed fuchsias in the video (my plants are old but have been pruned hard every year so all have new stems from close to the ground) because the really old stems may not produce new growth. You could experiment by pruning a few on each plant first. If it's not winter there and your fuchsias have already pushed growth it's not the best time to prune hard anyway. You could still experiment with pruning just a few hard though to see what happens.
Also, if each fuchsia has lots of crossing stems or dead stems you can prune those out to clean up the whole appearance of the plant. If they have pushed growth, you could prune down to the closest to the ground new stem. I hope that makes sense. I wish I was there to work with you. Let me know if you need more clarification. Please, let me know what the season is there and if they have already pushed new growth.
-mary
Dear Mary, thanks for your helpful reply. Yes it is the middle of winter here. My fuchsias have definitely finished their growth and so I think they’re ready to be pruned. I’ll prune some the old stems back hard and see what happens. I’ll let you know if they get new growth when the spring comes in September. Kind regards, Kathryn
Love your video! I'm new to gardening and have a hanging potted fuchsia that has already begun its new growth. Is this an unfavorable time to prune?
Thank you and thanks for watching. If left unpruned the stems may become stretched (lanky). I would prune it but I wish I had a photo of yours so I could see what you see. You can message me on The Gardening Tutor Facebook page: facebook.com/thegardeningtutor/
-mary
P.S. Welcome to gardening!! :)
@@TheGardeningTutor Thanks! I'll message you :-)
Hi Mary, Is it possible to grow hardy fuchsias in the Boston area? Zone 6a? I have heard their hardiness depends on how deep you plant them. Some people basically drop the plant in a deep hole for planting to create a super deep root system. Any idea whether that would work in Zone 6a? (I have some Delta's Sarah.)
Thanks so much, Mary! Great video. Do you follow the same process with California fuchsias? I have several and I don't see any videos related specifically to those. thanks!
Hi Jan, you are so welcome. You are talking about Zauschnerria, yes? I shear the whole plant down to 1 or 2 inches in winter here in Sonoma County. Once it starts to grow in and is about a foot tall or so you can also do pinching or a light shearing of the tips (taking about an inch or two off) to encourage the plant to be bushier. Thank you for watching and commenting! -mary