September - Fuchsia Year

Tasks for September

Allow standards to ripen out of doors so that they can over-winter in a semi-dormant state. Less feed is required at this time of year.
Pests are at their worst, so keep up the spraying programme.
This is strangely enough the month when fuchsia’s sometimes look at their best, they seem to revel in the early morning dews that come at this time of the year. When you consider that most of them originate from the cloud forests of Central and South America this time of the year must seem just like being at home. Continue to feed and they will reward you with an abundance of blooms for a few more weeks. This is also the time of the year to start looking for the dreaded Vine Weevil. If any of your plants don’t seem to be doing too well; droopy although watered and fed, knock the plant out of its pot and examine the root system. If the white feeding roots are missing scrape away the compost to see if any Vine Weevil grubs (white crescent shaped maggots with brown heads) are present. If they are, remove the compost and discard in the dustbin (not onto the garden), wash roots and re-pot the plant. Destroy the grubs.