Moving up!

The Blog Baby is now 5 weeks old and has been uncovered and exposed to the elements for a week, and should be strong enough to take the shock of potting up. I'm always keen to pot up as soon as possible because the rooting medium contains no nutrients, and the little cutting must have nearly depleted its store of food by now as it has been making roots and growing quite strongly. That mustn't be allowed to slow down now!


This is the Blog Baby cutting comfortably settled into her new pot and ready to go into the shade house.


Steps for potting up:

First, fill a small (7.5 cm or 3 inch) square pot with moist, loose soil mix.

2. Make a hollow in the middle big enough to receive the root ball of the rooted cutting.

3. Dig a small trowel down into the rooting pot and lift the cutting out disturbing the roots as little as possible in the process.

4. Gently lower the cutting into the hollow you made, making sure that it does not go in deeper than it was in the rooting mix.

5. Gently level the soil out in the pot to cover the roots. Don't be tempted to press or firm it down.

6. Water gently with a slow stream from a small can to settle the soil around the roots.

These steps are documented in pictures HERE if you would like to see more. Pictures no 19 - 25 detail the potting up process.

Economy tip:

I save up the vermiculite left over from each rooting pot until I have enough to fill an old roasting tray. This is then spread out in the tray and put into the oven at 200 C for 2 hours. When it has cooled it is dry and sterile and can be used again for rooting more cuttings, or for adding to the next batch of soil that is made up.

Happy potting!!

Cutting - 3 weeks old

Well, the little cutting, which I have now named the "Blog Baby" has been in the rooting medium for three weeks, and we are half way to the next stage! It is still looking green and healthy and all systems are set to "GO". In the next two or three weeks it should have developed sufficient root to be planted up into our growing medium, so it's about time to make sure that all the required ingredients are to hand.

It will need a small pot - I use the 7cm square pots because I can pack plenty into the available space, but anything up to about 10cm will do.

Then, something to fill the pot with! There are probably as many recipes for soil mixes as there are fuchsia growers, but this is what I do!

Mix:
1 part potting soil
2 parts compost (not mushroom!)
.5 part well rotted kraal manure
.5 part vermiculite (light weight) or river sand (heavier)
A handful of bone meal
Superphosphate as per manufacturer's instruction

Mix all together well and store in a water tight container for a couple of weeks before use.

I've used this basic mix for years and had very good results with it!

While I'm out shopping for supplies I will also make sure to get in a stock of Seagrow, which is the only food I give to my babies for the first couple of weeks after potting up.

The weather today is cool and damp - perfect fuchsia slipping conditions! - so I'm heading out there to take take plenty of cuttings!

Have a great Sunday whatever you are going to be doing!

Smokey Mountain

This is a very young plant and these are the first flowers. I really am very pleased with it. It has grown strongly and promises to make a good full basket quite quickly. It has also proven to be quite pest and disease resistant so far having escaped the ravages of the Red Spider Mite epidemic earlier in the season, and has been untroubled by caterpillars, white fly aphids etc.!

The flowers are quite small, but that might be because the plant is young, or because it is the end of the season, or both!! They are very full and double, and a lovely shape, and the colours are soft and gentle without being insipid! This was a good addition to the collection I think!

The young cuttings appear to have survived yesterday's intense heat, and are all looking fine. I am noticing that the seedling mix is drying out more rapidly that the vermiculite mix in the cuttings that are open. Will keep an eye on this!