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With the main seed-sowing and cutting-taking season just around the corner we have to get prepared. It can be rather expensive to heat the entire greenhouse to an ambient temperature for geminating and growing on, so it pays to partition off just a section and only heat that. A sheet or two of bubble plastic can be hung from the roof and attached to the sides with either pins in a wooden structure or special twist clips in aluminium greenhouses.
Most of the seeds for these really early sowings are best geminated in thermostatically controlled heated propagators, to keep an exact check on the temperature. Once the seeds have geminated they need a heated area though for the growing on. A temperature of around 10 - 12 ºC is quite sufficient for the great majority of bedding plants and vegetables, no need to waste heat. Don't be tempted to start too early as with the many short, dull days light intensity is still low. Germinating seeds is relatively easy, but growing the emerging seedlings on is tricky. Remember that too much heat coupled with insufficient light leads to weak, leggy growth - better to grow things hard to develop and sturdy.
The same regime applies for fuchsia cuttings. Bottom heat ideally at first, then when well rooted, wean them off and grow on hard to obtain strong, sturdy and short-jointed growth which will later be able to support the flowers quite naturally.
As far as your fuchsias are concerned time to take stock of your rested plants. Plants still fully dormant can be eased into growth again by spraying daily with tepid water to soften the stems to encourage new growth. Once plenty of new shoots are apparent, which will no doubt quite naturally happen with the increased light levels around mid February, trim back the old framework. Don't be afraid to cut back hard, fuchsias do respond well to this and it encourages strong growth, weak pruning far too often leads to spindly growth which will ultimately not support the blooms.
If you did not repot your plants in autumn, do so now, but take great care not to damage the newly developed white roots. While doing this keep a watchful eye out for vine weevil grubs, if you have previously been troubled by this. Some will be clearly visible, but minute newly hatched ones might also be present, so better to discard all the old compost.
If some heat was provided you might already have sufficient growth on your plants to supply you with cutting material. These early cuttings take readily in a heated propagator, though for growing on a mean temperature regime (that is if you yourself can stand working in low temperatures!!) will produce much stronger, sturdier plants.
As during the first six weeks or so of the new year plants won't be growing strongly in the greenhouse, till light level naturally improve from mid February onwards, unless it is heated to around 10 - 15ºC, they are much more prone to attack of pests and diseases. This is particularly the case in damp, humid conditions, when grey mould (botrytis) can become a major problem. A buoyant atmosphere must be aimed for, so whenever weather permits dry and not too breezy, make sure you ventilate freely. Open the vents as much as possible and even the door to assist airflow. You can also clean excess condensation from the inside of the glass to improve matters.
It is imperative to water your plants early in the day and when watering taking good care not to splash it around needlessly. Water from below or trickle it onto the compost carefully, making sure to avoid splashing or wetting the leaves or stems. You can water the plants from the bottom, via the saucers or by siting the pots in trays of tepid water, but check trays and saucers after a while and remove surplus water. Also, ensure that plants are placed away from drips from the glass or bubble plastic.
You also need to inspect plants regularly for any early signs of pest attack - the little blighters tend to hide on the underside of the foliage, so do inspect your plants thoroughly and regularly and also remove all dead, dying or diseased leaves immediately. Squash ALL intruders and fumigate or spray if necessary - far better and so much easier to deal with a small outbreak now than having a damaging invasion on your hands in spring. The key to having your plants pest free during the summer really lies with having your plants clean to start with in spring, having them come out of the winter in a clean healthy condition. Waterbased pesticide sprays can however increase the humidity around the plants which might increase a botrytis problem, so you could use smoke cones, or better still, take the plants to a sheltered spot outside on a favourable day, spray thoroughly, and bring back inside dried off again.
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