| I just bought a pink fuchsia flower plant and I would like to know how you grow it so it stands upright like a tree? |
| You can make a tree out of a fuchsia, but it takes several years. I don't know if your plant is a good candidate or not for this process. If it is not, you can invest in another plant with the appropriate growth pattern. Here's how I turn fuchsia's into trees: Begin with a small fuchsia start. One that's about 6" tall and that is a single stem. (You can use a larger plant, but you'll need to prune everything off except the center stem.) Plant the fuchsia in a one-gallon container. Nursery containers are fine; they have the proper drainage holes in the bottom. Fill the container with potting soil and plant the fuchsia in the center of the pot. Place an 18-24" tall cedar, redwood, or plastic coated metal stake into the pot, right next to the fuchsia. You'll gently tie the stem to the stake to keep it upright during the entire process. After you've potted up the plant, remove all stems and leaves, except the top 4-6 leaves, from the plant and then tie it to the stake with soft garden ties. As new leaves sprout along the "trunk", rub them out. The only new growth you want to maintain is at the top of the plant. As the leaves age they will fall off, leaving a bare trunk. You can keep your fuchsia in this pot until it outgrows it - usually 3-4 years. When the stem gets too tall for the stake, replace the stake with a taller one. After a year the trunk will age and develop bark, just like a tree. This bark will strengthen the trunk, but not enough to hold it upright without a stake. Keep the stake in the pot to help the plant remain upright. That's all there is to it! |
