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Growing good plants is a balancing act which sometimes is very difficult to get right. Firstly, we must ask ourselves what do fuchsias need to grow well? It is no good just throwing them into a pot and watering them occasionally. You must remember that a fuchsia cutting or young plant is like a baby and needs just as much tender loving care if it is to survive to maturity. Careful watering, feeding, cleanliness, temperature and light control are all needed to see the plant through to adulthood. The first three points have been covered extensively by many speakers over the years and so should not need any further explanation.
As to lighting and temperature control, in my view very few speakers cover this subject adequately. So, I will pass my experiences on to you in the hope that they will be of interest and help in the understanding of growing good plants. Over the years I have experimented with giving my plants extra light by means of fluorescent lighting.. This is mainly because I root cuttings all year round and due to insufficient space (or should I say far too many plants) I have to put plants and cuttings underneath the benches where the natural light levels are far too low for good growth. For the purposes of growing plants and rooting cuttings it is vital to balance the temperature and light. It doesn't matter how much light a plant or cutting receives, if the temperature is too low - you will get little or no growth and cuttings simply sit there and either rot off or do not root. Whilst too high a temperature and insufficient light results in 'leggy' plants and cuttings. For the 'normal' growing of plants - it is not generally necessary to give your plants extra light, but there are a few occasions where it is beneficial to do so. The first, is during the early part of the year on dull overcast days, when the greenhouse temperature is in excess of 45 to 50 OF. The second, is for plants which are placed beneath the benches due to lack of space. I have installed twin fluorescent lights onto the underside of my benches and they are controlled by a time control clock. Over the years, I have found that by giving the plants under the benches an extra three to four hours of light they do not become 'leggy' and produce better growth and cutting material. My rooting beds are also under the benches and from experience I have found that by giving the cuttings an extra three to four hours of light per day they will root in 10 -14 days at any time of the year depending on the variety.
At this point, I must explain that my rooting beds were placed underneath the benches for a specific reason, as I stated earlier I root cuttings all year round and during the height of summer it is far cooler under the benches than it is on top, and they are also shaded by the benches so the cuttings don't get cooked in the summer sun.
Does it matter when you give the plants extra light? The simple answer is - NO it doesn't matter whether it is given during the day or night. But if like me you enjoy the benefits of Economy 7 it if far cheaper to switch the lights on during the night. If the weather is not very good and it is dull and overcast I switch the lights on during the day for three or four hours, this is on top of the night lighting. The result of this extra light is to produce shorter jointed bushier plants and 1st class cuttings. During the months of November through to March, when the days are short and natural daylight is very scarce cuttings are normally difficult or slow to root even on top of the bench. If you give them extra light and supplement the normal daylight with electric lighting you will find that the cuttings will root more readily. Please do remember though the higher the temperature the more light is required to maintain a short jointed bushy plant. During the day when light levels are low I switch on the lights and I try to keep the temperature in my greenhouses in between 45-50OF of and my auto vents are set to open at 50 OF, this ensures short jointed plants.
One area in which I have yet to experiment with artificial lighting is with Species fuchsias. As you may already know many of the Species are nigh impossible to get into flower for the 'show bench' as they flower
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