How do you go about feeding Fuchsias?
Fuchsias need feeding regularly and in the right quantities and quality for them to flourish. Fuchsias should be feed only during the growth period which is from late summer. Stop feeding the plant allow the woody parts to mature. It is good practice to feed the plant little, but often, instead of giving high concentrations of food. Do not feed the fuchsia when the soil id dry or when the sun is at its brightest.
Necessary nutrients
When buying food for you Fuchsias- look for the following letters on the fertilizer pack NPK. N stands for Nitrogen, P = Phosphorus and K= Potassium. These will help the Fuchsia to grow and have strong leaves. Trace elements such as Calcium, Sulphur , Iron and zinc are necessary for the growth of the stem. NPK comes in various doses in fertilizer. You may have a NPK of 14:10:14 which means the fertilize contains 14 parts Nitrogen, 10 parts Phosphorous and 14 parts Potassium. The choice of fertilizer to use is normally determined by the shape of the growth of the plant is in.
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For growth of leaves and shoots a fertilizer with more Nitrogen and Potassium is required.
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For the development of buds and flowers proportions of phosphorous and potassium need to be high.
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For matured wood- potassium is essential.
Initial feeding
Before planting the Fuchsia, mix the fertilizer into the soil or compost
Bedding fuchsia use:
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100g of concentrated mineral fertilizer per sq meter
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Concentrated organic fertilizer can be used it has to have a high potassium/magnesium content and be applied in 150g-200g per sq meter.
Fuchsias in containers need a long lasting fertilizer. Fertilizer granules will release nutrients slowly over a 10 week period. Organic fertilizer should contain appropriate amounts of potassium/magnesium because without these the plant may become overfed and will be reluctant to flower.
Regular feeding
Feeding should only start when the fertilizer that was mixed initially with the potting compost has almost been used up (after about 1-3 months). There are different methods to feed the Fuchsia