Fuchsia Compendium

Fuchsia Compendium - V

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

VARIEGATION - it is the irregular variation of colour in the leaves due to the natural lack of pigment. Can also be a symptom of a disease; i.e. mosaic disease.

VARIETY - See also Cultivar and Hybrid

VENTILATION - a necessary part of the management of a greenhouse. Even in the winter ventilation is needed on those sunny days to prevent to high a rise in temperature. On suitable days it will help maintain a buoyant atmosphere and help prevent an attack of botrytis.

VENTS - Keep one slightly open in the winter, even if you heat the greenhouse; fully open in the summer taking in consideration the direction of the wind.

VERMICULITE - when heated to high temperatures mica expands into pellets and the horticultural grade has a neutral pH value. Avoid the builders grade as the pH value is generally to high. Vermiculite can be added to composts that are going to be used for cuttings or for seed sowing. 50:50 peat vermiculite is a good mix for cuttings. A sprinkle of very wet vermiculite over fuchsias seeds so that the colour of the compost just disappears is ideal to allow enough light and moisture for good germination.

VINE WEEVIL - watch out for small black beetles at night in the summer. They are all females and they sit on the edge of the leaves eating out a definite notch - catch and squash! Nothing seems to be really effective against these but there are several strategies you can take up.

1. Cleanliness, do not leave pots trays and other debris lying around for them to hide in.
2. Set traps of rolled up corrugated cardboard and inspect each day.
3. Sprinkle ant powder across the threshold of the door, it also kills weevils.
4. Sticky tape placed on benching sticky side up, and some growers use vaseline for trapping them.
5. Before over wintering your plants check them as thoroughly as possible.
6. Clean out your greenhouse and spray with Jeyes fluid.
7. Try growing sacrificial plants like Busy Lizzies or a member of the Primula family.
8. Straight of the press. Bio Provado Vine Weevil Killer. A new product based on the active
9. ingredient imiacloprid. This can be added to the compost before use and as a drench to pots. I would suggest that you only need to use in the compost of the plants that are the favourites of vine weevils. Please read the instructions and use pesticides safely. MOHO-DJL

VINE WEEVIL EGGS - too small to be seen by the naked eye. These are laid around the base of the stem and can be destroyed by the use of Armillatox at the rate of 3 litres per square metre under the canopy of the plant. Dilution is 2ml per litre of water applied fortnightly between March and October and monthly between November and February.

VINE WEEVIL GRUBS - The damage that these do is worse than the adults. They are small grubs about the size of a fly maggot but with brown heads. They stay hidden in the soil munching away at the roots until you spot that the plant is wilting or in severe cases falls of the pot. There is not much that can be used by gardeners. Plant in a specialist compost containing pesticides or use nematodes, not cheap but effective if used as directed. If you have had problems in the past be careful how you discard your old compost. I put all my old compost back into bags that have been turned inside out so as not to confuse with fresh compost. I place the bags in a corner of the garden, fold over the top and secure with a house brick. Every now and then I rake through the compost to see if the vine weevil grubs have worked to the surface. If so I collect and put them into a saucer for a Robin who frequently reminds me that he/she (who can tell?) wants feeding. There is a web site dedicated to the Vine Weevil, it is worth looking at.

VIRUS - not generally found on fuchsia, but it has been reported as being found on F.boliviana.

VITAMIN C - used for rooting cuttings. 250 - 300 milligrams of tablets crushed and dissolved in four fluid ounces of warm water. Stir during use. Mixture cannot be stored.

VITAX Q4 - a very useful balanced granular fertiliser with all the trace elements. Suitable for use at planting time and as a dressing through the growing season.