Lantern flowers - Fuchsia

Log flowers or lantern flowers, grown well in Da Lat, in the article below Prof. Ton That Trinh mentioned details about this flower, adapted from the document of the Agricultural Extension Department of Michigan State University.

Flowers or lanterns, called Fuchsia in the Americas, the scientific name is Fuchsia x hybrida, and another name in the United States is ladies eardrops because of the brilliant flowers, the eardrops on the ground. . Colors vary from white, red to pink, purple or mixed between these colors. Growing Fuchsia is selling baskets, potted plants, making basins or on a wooden fence. In the United States, we often sell flower baskets hanging around the day, around the neighborhood .

Fuchsia is a family of 100 species, growing like bushes and onagraceae. Horticulture flowers are the result of re-selection between two species of F.fulgens and F. mangellanica. F. fulgens is a high clump of about 1.2 to 1.8 m, of Mexican origin F.mangellanica of Chilean and Armenian origin is also a bush, but can grow up to 3.5 cm high. The flowering plants in the market can grow vertically or horizontally. Black Prince, Beacon, Winston Churchill are examples of vertical plants. Black Eyes, Starry Trail, Swingtime . are trees that grow horizontally.

Optical properties

Much of the Fuchsia tree is a long-term tree (a seminal field). Some things have neutral neutrality. Sometimes, plants can bloom in a short day, but continuously in a glassy environment. Most can touch the flower statue when growing enough 2 leaves. The long-term number needed for the statue to change varies, from 5 to 25 days. Because flowers grow from newly sprouting horizontal sprouts, long and continuous days under natural short conditions, it is essential for the plant to grow flowers. Shoots are always growing at any time, long or short. Light intensity affects the optical properties. Less than 475 footcandles, the tree will have neutral properties. Want the best photosensor on a long day with 900 footcandles.

The light

Want to have a long day of flowers in short day conditions, prolong the night or cut the night from 10 pm to 2 am with the incandescent lamp about 10-20 footcandle. In order to have the best flowers, one 900 footcandle is needed in 8 hours a day. Shading spring or summer shade is easy to control the temperature.

How to grow

Temperature : Appropriate temperature for plants to grow is 20-26 ⁰ C. Below 15 ⁰ C or above 30 ⁰ C is a weak growing tree. Good statue flowers are also in heat From 15 - 26 ⁰ C. After figuring out, the optimum temperature for flowers grows from 23 - 26 ⁰ C

Irrigation : Plants always need moisture, pay much attention to irrigation, in periods of stress such as conditions of low light or high temperature.

Nutrition : Flowers need a lot of fertilizer. Continuous liquid fertilizer with 250-300 ppm nitrogen (nitrogen) and potassium gives good results in soilless environments.

Breeding : Cut the branches of the original tree to make cuttings for better planting. If you want the tree to show leaves, use a short day (less than 12 hours of light) and keep the temperature below 21 ⁰ C. Use 7-8 cm long branches with 2 or 3 pairs of mature leaves and plug them in the environment Drainage has PH 6-6.5. When growing roots, keep the propagating medium at a temperature of 20-22 ⁰ C and use it briefly. It takes about 3 weeks for roots to grow.

Environment

The environment for growing lanterns and log flowers must keep the water, but it must be easy to remove the water, good water. There are vertical varieties that can be used in a pot for 10 - 13cm. Also planting 25 cm hanging baskets need 3-5 hom.

Distance

You can first plant pots through other pots. But the appropriate final distance in pots of 10 cm in diameter is 2 or 2, 5 trees per square foot.

Tops

When the tree has 4-5 pairs of leaves, press the tops. Fuchsia plant pots just one time

Growth regulators

In Europe, the most commonly used growth regulator is daminazole (B9) with the control of the height of Fuchsia at a concentration of 3000-4000 ppm. Spraying B9 for the first time when new plants grow when they see new buds on trees without tops or when buds are 1-2cm long on the tops of trees. Spray B9 for the second time, 10-14 days after the first. Ancymidol (A-Rest) is a leaf spray with a concentration of 25-50 ppm or in a groove with a concentration of 0.25-1.5 mg per 15 cm diameter of the pot to get more flowers. Cyocel can also use spray or irrigation in the free time to spray similar to using B9 above. Cycocel concentration is 3000-4000 ppm. Ethepon (Florel) increases stems and flower buds but leaves the leaves smaller, shortened, so it does not need to tip, but sometimes makes the flowers not bloom. Spray Ethepon on leaves with a concentration of 500 ppm when 4, 5 leaves have fully grown. The latest growth regulator, Bonzi, is also very effective at 25-40ppm spray levels. Gibberellic acid is also commonly used to produce faster, more flexible Fuchsia plant varieties. Gibberrellic acid has a concentration of 200-400 ppm on a small tree and does not press the tops, the time for a tall enough tree will decrease, the tree will grow longer and need support pillars.

Bugs

White butterflies are most destructive to Fuchsia. Aphids cause curling of leaves and also cause great damage to plants. In addition, there are compensations (Thrips), mealy bugs (Mealy bugs) red spiders (Spider mites).

Plant disease

Rust can cause multiplication and production of many lost plants. Some varieties are resistant to rust. Making plants airy, proper distance and good hygiene is the method of preventing diseases. Botrytic blight (Botritic cinerea) rot rots caused by many bacteria when the environment is too wet.

GS. Ton That Trinh