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Much of the advice given on the January/February page last month is of course still applicable now. Especially the necessity to ventilate freely. Whenever weather permits, dry and not too breezy, open the vents as much as possible and even the door to assist airflow. This is particularly the case if damp and humid conditions have occurred, when grey mould (botrytis) can become a major problem. A buoyant atmosphere must be aimed for at all times.
Plants still 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, the old framework can be pruned. 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, or last month, you can still do so now, especially if you have been troubled with vine weevil grubs before. Some will be clearly visible, but minute newly hatched ones might also be present, so discard all the old compost. Take great care not to damage too many of the newly developing white roots though.
If some heat was provided you might already have sufficient growth on your plants to supply you with good 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.
The young, soft cuttings and new juicy shoots, are a much favoured tasty snack for pests. You need to inspect plants regularly for any early signs of aphids attack - they tend to hide on the underside of the foliage, so do check your plants over 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 before long. 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 in a prolonged dull spell, so you could use smoke cones, spray early on an overcast day or better still, take the plants to a sheltered spot outside on a favourable day, spray thoroughly, and bring back inside when the foliage has dried off again.
If you are lucky enough to have taken some really early cuttings or bought some in, pot these on as soon as the roots are filling the pots. Potting on a little at a time gives the plantlets a continuous boost of nutrient in the fresh compost and keeps the growth rate going nicely. Also start your training programme - remembering to always pinch for shape, rather than rigorously going for stopping at one or two pairs of leaves as usually recommended. (See article on stopping)
It is imperative to water your plants early in the day and when watering taking good care not to splash water 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 dipping the pots in trays of tepid water. However, be sure not to leave plants stood in water - cold, soggy compost spells certain death for your fuchsias. Check trays and saucers after a while and remove surplus water. Also, check that plants are placed away from drips from the glass or bubble plastic.
Early Spring can be a tricky time as far as the weather is concerned. The sunshine can be very strong and raise day time temperatures dramatically, especially in a small greenhouse , even to such an extends that damping down the staging can already be necessary as plants are less stressed in a humid atmosphere. However in contrast we also often experience the keenest frosts of the winter around this time. So, having brought out your plants from their winter dormancy keep a good eye on the weather forecasts and take protective measures when frosts are forecast o you don't loose your plants now. (Aren't I lucky that my son is a weather forecaster who understands how much damage spring frosts can do to young cuttings and seedlings and dutiful rings his mum to tip her off!!).
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