The interest in growing Bonsai fuchsia has been huge in the last few years. At the national show in London last year there were over thirty entries in the Bonsai class, far more than any other.
Bonsai is a Japanese term for trees and shrubs that are trained and pruned to look like fully-grown specimen trees but in miniature. So, where do you start? Well, I joined a local Bonsai society and found out that bonsai trees are never finished but continue to improve with age if they are cultivated correctly.
The top six types are (a) Formal Upright (b) Informal Upright (c) Cascade (d) Semi-Cascade (e) Broom (f) Twin Trunk. Japanese style trees are viewed from the front and should have a 'bowing' action towards the viewer, whereas the Chinese style tree should be viewed from all angles.
COMPOST- The main point about compost, is that it should be freer draining than the normal fuchsia mix. Indeed a bonsai planted in a mixture containing one part compost, two parts Perlite and three parts horticultural grit (Westland if possible), will do very well, provided it is not allowed to dry out.
FEEDING - Feeding plays a very important part in the development of healthy plants, first year plants should be given a weak solution of balanced fertiliser every fortnight. Personally I use Chempak No 3, from February until October to achieve steady growth. The plants that are ready for exhibition should receive a high potash feed such as Chempak No 4 to harden the wood and intensify the colour of the blooms.
CULTIVATION - There are a few different ways to train a small plant into a bonsai subject. 1) In open ground 2) In a seed tray 3) In a bonsai container.
1) In Open Ground - It is a common fact that bonsai growers consider that any plant being trained will take approximately three years in a container, to one year in the garden to get the same results. Thus this is a much better method for the production of good quality bonsai plants. They should be planted as soon as the risk of frost has passed, usually at the end of May, or the first week in June. You can soon see that the plants will put on a high degree of growth especially if attention is paid to water and food. Non-Hardy fuchsias must be lifted and brought under cover once the risk of frost threatens yet again.
2) In a Seed Tray - If no spare ground is available then the next best thing is a full sized seed tray. The bonsai will not come to maturity quite as speedily as they would in the garden, but at least the root system will have plenty of time to develop in its container. Be very careful with the watering in the early stages because it is so easy to over water before the root system has a chance to develop fully.
3) In a Bonsai Container - It is over the colder months that lots of plants are lost through lack of care and attention. Fuchsias in pots and containers need an overnight temperature of 38 to 40 degrees so that they will come to no harm. Indeed they should stay in green leaf and continue to grow slowly. Ideal conditions for bonsai fuchsias are spending their first winter under glass.
WINTER CARE (2nd Year) - Those fuchsias that have flowered the previous summer will be showing signs of needing a rest. The bottom leaves will be turning yellow and overall the plant will have a "tired" look about it. Tidy up these plants by cutting them back by one third and reducing water, so that it will induce the resting period. I place my second year bonsai under the greenhouse staging because they only require an overnight temperature of 34 degrees to keep them ticking over. The plants should be kept on the dry side during the winter months, but when they are required to come into re-growth they should be sprayed with tepid water on the mornings of sunny days. The spraying should continue until most of the plant is covered in fresh growth before using the watering can.
TRAINING & RE-POTTING - As soon as your fuchsia has developed several pairs of "eyes" it is time to re-pot the bonsai into a larger container. Spread the roots out flat and trim back the excess so that they will all fit into the new container. Top up with fresh compost to firm in and then spray the soil surface to settle the new compost.
PRUNING - Re-potting and pruning should not be done on the same day because the plant needs a few days to recover from each operation. Pruning is another important element in training a bonsai because most trees will require regular pruning to keep them in shape.
WIRING - Fuchsia stems and branches can be brittle and easily broken so I would not recommend the use of wires in training bonsai except as a last resort. I prefer to use the "clip and grow" method because it does less damage and any mistakes can be quickly covered up.
My mentor in bonsai fuchsias was Roy Payne from Staffordshire - he helped me tremendously at the outset. Many thanks to Roy.                               Courtesy of the British Fuchsia Society CAD's Fuchsia News