Rooting occurs in about three or four weeks. Move the rooted cuttings into pots of ordinary potting mix and pinch the tips to begin forming well-balanced plants. They should be watered just enough to keep the leaves from drooping. The following spring, such cuttings can be treated as mature plants and will normally flower earlier than spring-rooted plants. Four to six side branches will develop to form the flowering branches of the new plant.
Whiteflies are the most common insect pest on fuchsia.
Other insect pests include aphids, which cause curling of the leaves. Thrips, mealybugs, spider mites and scales can also attack fuchsia. Botrytis blight also affects fuchsia but can be prevented with good air circulation, adequate spacing and good sanitation. Other disease organisms that attack fuchsia include Pythium , Phytophthora and Rhizoctonia . Prepared by Bob Polomski, Extension Consumer Horticulturist, and Janet McLeod Scott, HGIC Information Specialist, Clemson University.