The British Fuchsia Society

New Year - New Start!

2012 has started and so we now need to look at the year ahead!

Sadly Fuchsia Gall mite has hit the headlines in a number of national papers after the RHS have listed the pests that were most asked about in 2011. It is still thankfully only found in pockets along the South Coast and has not as yet spread north. See below for more information - Follow this link for some photos of Fuchsia Gall Mite https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=167016081323&v=wall

Some Top Tips for great Fuchsias!

• Watering plants during the winter can be tricky – water them too much and they can then remain wet for the next few weeks which can mean that the roots are slowly rotting. Water them too little and they will die from lack of water. There is so often a temptation to leave them during the winter months unwatered and unlooked after for weeks on end ! Temperatures can vary so much during the day as a little sun on a closed greenhouse and it can become tropical. So the best way to find out if your plant needs a water is to feel the compost – damp is fine – dry then just give it a little. During the winter a little water can go along way. It may seem obvious but the plants in a frost free greenhouse will need far less water than those in a heated greenhouse. Treat each fuchsia as an individual during the winter months watering each one as and when they need it and you will have a much better success rate of getting your plants to survive the winter. Keep watering cans of water in the greenhouse – the water will then be at the same temperature as the plants.
• Even on the coldest of days your greenhouse can get really hot if the sun is shining, so if you can, open the door for a while. Good ventilation in your greenhouse lessens the probability of your plants getting botyritus and rust – both of which thrive in a warm and humid atmosphere. It might only be practical for you to open the greenhouse for a short while, but it can make all the difference to you plants.
• Pick up any leaves that drop onto the surface of the compost, during the winter they often drop off the plant and if they are not picked up fairly soon after they fall, they can cause problems with the plant “damping off “ spreading. Individual care for your plants ensures that you can hopefully spot problems before they get too bad.
• Keep spraying your plants to a minimum when it is really cold, as the spray on the leaves can stay around for a long time if it is grey and wet. Choose a good day –when the leaves will dry off a bit more quickly. Whitefly which are often a problem in the winter tend to fairly dormant and you can kill them with a thumb and finger gently rubbed on the leaves. You will have to pick up your plants for this and so again you will get to look at each plant individually.
• If we are having a particularly cold spell and you are heating your greenhouse then make certain that the heaters are actually working! Make it a part of your daily routine to stick your head into your greenhouse every day – it only take two minutes and can make a world of difference to your plants! If you are using fleece then pop a quick look underneath to check that all is well.

I have tended to concentrate on greenhouses so far but there are other options!

The shed or garage – as long as they can keep the fuchsias frost free then they are fine! You can adapt the Victorian idea of burying your plants by placing them in a cardboard box! Put them in when they are cut back and just damp and surround them with either dry peat, scrunched up newspaper or polystyrene packing granules. They will all act as insulation and protect your plants from the frost. Remember that if the roots get frosted then you loose the plant.

The spare bedroom has always been a popular option, but as we all have central heating these days our houses tend to be a little too hot. However the coolest room in the house is what you are aiming for – the fuchsias will grow and you will have to look after them perhaps more than usual – but it is an option that can work – but not necessarily for everyone – particularly if you have lots of fuchsias. The problem with houses is that the atmosphere can be too dry as well as too hot! So lots of care attention can be needed!

The final option! With fuel costs etc this can be a popular way of growing fuchsias but definitely not for everyone and it is to treat your fuchsias almost as annuals keep those that are most precious and dispose of the rest. Looking after a few is much easier than lots. Then next spring go and support your local specialist nursery and stock up again!

Don't forget if you have any fuchsia related questions - please use our help and advice page - we have a team of experts ready to help - whatever the fuchsia query!

Best Wishes and Good Growing

Carol

Fuchsia Gall Mite.

During the later parts of 2011 there have been a lot more cases of Fuchsia Gall mite recorded and so we all need to be far more vigilant than previously. They are still in the South and West and close to the coast – however this might not always be the case. So please keep an eye on your plants and those of your neighbours.

We are tracking where and when cases are found - please can you contact carol@thebfs.org.uk with the post codes of any places where it is found.

Here are some articles taken from our latest publication

Unfortunately Fuchsia Gall Mite (F.G.M.) is here to stay and as fuchsia growers we must learn to live with it and manage the problem as best as we can, but most importantly we must not panic. If we do panic the only outcome we will achieve is to put everyone off from growing fuchsias and we do not want that to happen.

Since its arrival in to the UK it has been restricted to the south coast from Kent to Cornwall with the odd outbreak just a short distance in land. It has not spread to all parts of the UK and no commercial nursery has reported any sightings of it. It has in the past been found in several individual gardens, but this year it has been found on established plants growing in the hedge rows.

Unfortunately the easiest way for this to spread is by seeing a fuchsia hanging over a garden wall or even growing wild in the hedges like it does in parts of Devon and Cornwall and think “I haven’t got one like that”, and you nip a piece off and put it in your bag to take home. It is thought that this was the main way in which Fuchsia Gall Mite first came into the UK from either the Channel Islands or from France (Brittany) by holiday makers on their way home.

No one has any answers on how we can stop the spread of this disease other than to cut out the damaged growing tips below the damage and burn it. Some say you should put it in a black bin liner tie the top and leave it in the sun to cook before burning or disposing of it safely.

As we understand it FERA (defra) still wish to be told of any new sites/sightings, but they are no longer visiting sites to take samples. If you think you have any on your fuchsias PLEASE DO NOT cut it off and take it to your local fuchsia nursery, but do put it in a sealed bag and send it to the RHS Plant Lab at Wisley or contact your nearest BFS Representative for advice.

As many of you know this disease/problem has been in the USA for many years and they have learnt to work/live with it. They have not found any chemical that will stop it, they simply cut it out and let the plant reshoot and hope it’s clear of the pest.

The following slightly amended article written by Rodney Berquist form the USA puts in to perspective how we must learn to live with and manage F.G.M. It is well worth reading.

My new Fuchsia Gall Mite Perspective By Rodney Bergquist – USA

Micro pruning works: In our yard, micro pruning is quick, easy and works well as a basic gall mite control method. I always say that if you cut off the visual plant damage today, and I visit your home tomorrow, I will immediately be drawn to your beautiful fuchsia flowers. Our landscape fuchsia’s, one of which is ‘Cardinal’, is at least 10 feet tall and F. magallencia is over six foot tall, both have been a part of our landscape for over 40 years. Both fuchsias have had gall mite plant damage several times during the last 10 years. However you will not normally see the plant damage they caused in our yard. Why is that? It’s because we understand the need to check our fuchsias often and snip off the bad areas, during the initial stage of growth, maybe two or three times a year, so it will not be a distraction to anyone visiting our yard.
Personally, I now realize and accept the fact that the gall mites are not going away, for a lot of reasons, one being they belong to Mother Nature and Mother Nature normally has a 10% survival rate built in to most things. Another reason would be we all seem to have different degrees of concern or interest in putting forth the effort required to control them. Last but not least, we have very little control over hummingbirds, our neighbor’s fuchsias, and fuchsias grown in the wild or our desire to bring home new fuchsias. For some people it’s much easier to just grow fuchsias as annuals and that fine. With all things being considered, I still want to be a fuchsia grower and have my favorite fuchsias as part of my collection.
For the good of our society and the future of our fuchsia’s in the United Kingdom (America), we need to teach growers how to identify F.G.M. plant damage in its early stages of growth. We need to focus on micro pruning off the visual negative and turning it into a visual positive. Do not wait until the baby gall mites which are feeding on the leaf or bud mature and move on to other branches causing more plant damage. It really makes no sense to let them multiply. We need to regain control over of our fuchsia hobby and get excited again about sharing our fuchsias with others. In today’s fuchsia culture, especially in California, it is unrealistic to believe, that you can be a fuchsia grower and not perform the required plant maintenance.

The information from FERA is as follows -
Fuchsia Gall mite remains a notifiable pest at the present time, should its status change, all relevant parties will be informed. – so if in doubt contact 01904 46 2213 or the local office of DERA. The plant health inspectorate do not have the time or resources to visit every domestic outbreak site, however they still have a duty to ensure eradication on sites that are supplying Fuchsias on a commercial basis e.g. nurseries (but as yet this has not happened)

If the outbreak is in a private garden, we still like to monitor and confirm what is going on through the public sending in samples for confirmation. This data is important as it will ultimately help to dictate future policy with regard to this organism.

Once confirmed that it is Fuchsia Gall mite, the recommendation is to physically remove as much of the infested material as possible, which should be burnt, and to then spray what remains with an appropriate Pesticide/Acaricide.

Don’t forget if you have any questions on fuchsias – please ask us and we will do our best to help – we have a great team who will answer your emails.

Carol

© The British Fuchsia Society
England and Wales Registered Charity No.1038334. Registered Charity in Scotland No.SC039652

Site designed by Cherished Sites