We bought a fuschia double otto in late April, planted it under some magnolias with shaded light, lots of air, good drainage, no direct sun. Not too cool, not too hot. At first, it bloomed really well. Lovely. Dainty. Over the past month, it has been slowly losing all its leaves. Many turn yellow with marks all over leaves, as per the picture. Now it is a mere skeleton of what it once was. The Garden Shop where I bought it doesn't know what is wrong with it. In a last ditch attempt, I took it out of the ground two days ago and put it in a pot with new soil. Any suggestions? Is it a virus, a pest? I did spray near it with a soap and water concoction, then Safers (for aphids), and there is a rose close by that got a hit of rose fertilizer (and Safers). Thanks, in advance, for your thoughts.
Just a quick update. I have no idea what was killing the plant. It was almost a skeleton before we took it out of the ground. However, by putting it in a pot with fresh potting soil and sea soil, it has come back beautifully. There are new, healthy leaves sprouting, has many new buds, and it is also flowering as well.
The first pictures looked like mine that suffered during the drought. Could not water. They are all coming back. So maybe you had it in a dry area with out realising it. They like mulchy composty soil from my experience. Liz
Re: Fuschia reversing itself Hi Liz... Thanks for the thought. This fuschia was actually in quite a moist area. Perhaps too moist? I dunno. Balance, ying yang is so important, isn't it? I suspect some bug got to it from the way the leaves looked. But, luckily, it is reversing itself. It feels quite triumphant to bring it back from near death.
my fuschia is dying also. It faces the north on a covered porch. I know they don't like alot of wind and that is the least windy place I have. We water it everday. It gets the morning sun. I am attaching pics hoping someone will be able to help me. We live Dallas, TX. It is in the pot it came in when we purchased it two weeks ago. Thanks Sandy
Sandy, that looks like too much water. You might want to repot it into something heavily amended with coir or peat - fuchsias here in Ecuador grow naturally in a leaf loam with lots of moss, and that's what you want to imitate. Then cut back your watering to every other day unless it's over 28 degrees C.
SandyW: I should have posted this picture to show the progress of my fuschia... from near death to becoming a great beauty again. Mine was on a south-facing deck and I moved it all the time (it is in a pot on wheels) depending on the heat. It often gets to be over 100 degrees on our deck during the summer (in North Vancouver). I don't have a picture of it in full bloom but trust me when I say that she was gorgeous and dainty. To bring her back from whatever ailed her I repotted the double otto with a mixture of good potting soil, and sea soil. I made sure she had good drainage. I also babied her along the way... being careful to water her just enough... just as I am doing now trying to bring her back from the harsh winter out in the snow. I hope this gives you some faith...
Thank You, Lorax and joz We are going to try and find the coit and peat and also read about the seasoil and then repot her and cut back our watering. I hope she's not too far gone. Do you know where we could find the seasoil? She was so beautiful when we brought her home. LOL sounds like i gave birth. thanks again, sandy
Coir, or coconut fibre, is probably available in your local garden centers as pressed bricks - ask the people who work there about it. The bricks don't look like much, but they expand like nobody's business.
