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Fuchsia disease

mchuamchua Posts: 210
in Problem solving
Hi there,

I can’t tell if this is rust or not. But I’ve lost a lot of leaves from it so far. I’ve been growing it from a plug plant since it was tiny in February, it never really grew away for me this time.

Any ideas what it could be?  Also I’m not sure if I’ve been keeping it in the right spot since buying it, it said part shade so I’ve kept it on a north facing window with only natural daylight and no sun since February.  Only potted on once as the growth seemed checked at one point. 

It’s still trying it’s best to send out buds though amazingly. 

Posts

  • mchuamchua Posts: 210

  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    That looks like a damaged leaf to be cut off,  you’ll know rust,  if you look under  the leaves its like orange dust.   It should be outside now,  they’re not suited as houseplants. 

    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • mchuamchua Posts: 210
    Ok thanks I’ve been hardening them off for almost a week now so it’ll be outside most of the time. 

    Just confused too why it didn’t grow well. It should be much bigger by now. I stopped it early on to encourage bushy growth.  Maybe my watering regime or potted on too early. Difficult to tell. 
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    edited May 2023
    Without seeing the whole plant in a photo,  I can’t say what else could be wrong.
    maybe the pot was too big for it from the start, they like to have a pot just a little bit bigger than the one they were in. 
    They also don’t like the compost pushed down firmly, just fill the pot gently around it.

    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • mchuamchua Posts: 210
    The pot is too big, but it was already dropping leaves before in its smaller pot. 

    I can only put it down to either the wrong aspect or watering regime. I always water thoroughly, because I read that small amounts of watering here and there can encourage surface rooting instead of pulling them downwards.

    I haven’t fed it at all however. I thought it was best to let the plant mature a bit first before feeding, but this one never took off. It’s about 20cm, grew it from a plug since February.  


  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    A lot of people have had problems with compost this year. I also wonder if perhaps it's been too cold, but these days I only grow hardy fuchsias so I can't really remember what the leaves of tender ones look like if they get chilled.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Have you looked to see if there's a 'teabag' restricting the roots? It's a fibrous tube that some growers use to make planting easier for themselves but it can restrict growth and stop water from getting to the roots.
    Have a gentle feel around at the base of the stem, just under the soil
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Another possibility is that it's been grown in one of those teabag things which can constrict the roots.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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