In September the autumn session of our monthly meetings was due to start with a talk about geranium growing by Mr Derrick James from Vernon Geranium Nursery, one of Europe's leading specialist geranium nursery. Unfortunately because of the uncertainty of petrol supplies at the time the long journey from Sutton in Surrey could not be risked.  Luckily we had an excellent local 'fuchsia expert' willing to stand in at very short notice, our very own David Edmond. Still exuberant from his success at the Harrogate Autumn Show the preceding weekend, David once again did his utmost to enthuse our members to follow suit on the exhibitor trail by passing on his inside knowledge.
With autumn just around the corner he took us through his way of overwintering exhibition fuchsias.
This involves cutting down plants, very early in the amateur's eye, in September after the last show for the year. Some exhibitors even do this in August and some cut plants down at the show venue, to make it easier to fit the plants in the car for the journey home! Plants are reduced by about a third, cutting out all weak growth and pruning back unripened wood to avoid die back.
For show work you need a good frame work. So take good care to retain a nice shape for the following year. You have to look for width rather than height, but a flat top must be avoided! Some natural leaf drop would occur anyway, but the next step is to strip off all foliage, this would decay anyway and increase the botrytis risk. Dave warned us to take care not to damage the leaf axils where the new growth will sprout from when taking off the leaves. For this procedure the plants are dryish, to avoid bleeding and die back. They are allowed to callus over, then given a good watering and put in a warm, shady place. New growth will sprout within a few weeks. The next stage is to spray or dunk plants in a dual purpose fungicide/insecticide mix, though Dave, through his vigilance throughout the growing season is not plagued by pests and diseases.
Before plants are rehoused in the greenhouse this needs to be thoroughly cleaned out. Dave takes everything out, including the gravel which is washed too.  All surfaces are washed down with Armillatox (you can use Jeyes Fluid if preferred). The shading is removed and the glass cleaned till crystal clear. Dave does not insulate his greenhouse with bubble plastic, as he needs the maximum light. However if you do want to use it his advice is to put it on the outside. Fixed on the inside it can create condensation problems and increase the risk of botrytis. If troubled by pests you can, at this stage, use smoke cones or sulphur candles. Remember that the greenhouse has to be airtight and you have to get out quickly. (Reaction from the floor gave some variation here, with an experienced member admitting that he left the plants in, and got away with it. Assuring us that it also cured his rust problem!!)
When a little growth has been made, showing as white roots, the plants are repotted and overwintered in a semi-dormant state. Repotting in autumn of course gives you the chance to examine rootballs for vine weevil damage. Just tease away dead roots and put into same size pot with a little fresh compost. If you had been troubled with rust it is also prudent to remove the top 1" of compost to get rid of any spores.
Dave's plants are cut back and brought into growth again immediately. This he deems necessary to ensure that they break evenly. He follows the temperature regime favoured by most exhibitors of 40ºF before Christmas, 45ºF afterwards. Dave also stresses the importance of having your greenhouse only at half capacity at this time of the year, to allow room for growth in spring. You must provide good ventilation to ensure some airflow around the plants - airy but dry is what we should aim for.
Triphyllas are given a slightly different treatment. Cut down to about 2", laid on their side to ensure new shoots sprout from lower down. You can also slice 1" off the bottom of the compost to drop the plant down at repotting. They can be given a weak nitrogen feed.  Note that triphyllas need more heat, at least 38ºF. And another good tip followed: do not give triphyllas any potash feeds at any stage during the growing season to avoid the sad yellow leaf syndrome!
Dave points out that this is his way, the ideal way for exhibitors. But of course people who can not or do not want to heat their greenhouse can overwinter their plants the traditional way, in a dormant state. For this plants need to be kept just above freezing, maybe in box lined with polystyrene and filled with peat. He warns us thought to take care not to let the plants get bone dry, as that would spell certain death. They have to be kept just moist.  continued on next page