How to pinch fuchsias to encourage more flowers?

Fuchsias are highly prized for their generous flowering that lasts throughout summer. Their fairy-like flowers take the form of trailing little bells, in shades of red, pink, purple or white. They are magnificent planted in ground, in pots or in hanging baskets. If you too admire Fuchsia flowers, did you know it is possible to achieve even more abundant flowering? How? Simply by pinching them! Follow us, we'll explain how to pinch fuchsias to get more flowers during summer!

Pinching fuchsias produces abundant flowering (here Fuchsia 'Elma-Hendricks')

Why pinch fuchsias?

If you let it do as it pleases, your fuchsia will produce a few long shoots in all directions, growing in an unbalanced, untidy way! By pinching your fuchsia, that is by cutting certain shoots at the right place and at the right time, you will encourage it to ramify and become denser. It will then form a graceful, rounded habit and reward you with a profusion of flowers! Admittedly pinching delays flowering, but the display will be far more spectacular and generous. Furthermore, this technique can be applied throughout summer to encourage your fuchsia to rebloom and thus extend the flowering period.

Fuchsia regia 'Reitzii'

When to pinch fuchsias?

Start pinching fuchsias in spring, when still small and bearing at least 4 to 5 pairs of leaves. The pinched main stem will then produce two side shoots. You can repeat the operation several times, bearing in mind flowering will be slightly delayed. During summer, pinch back shoots that grow too long and unbalance the plant's appearance as it grows, so as to maintain a pretty rounded habit. Also pinch off faded flowers to encourage renewed flowering.

How to pinch Fuchsias?

What do I need?

You can pinch fuchsias using a pruning shear, taking care to disinfect it. Clean tools reduce transfer of disease from one plant to another. Some gardeners prefer to get their hands dirty and pinch fuchsias simply with their nails.

How to pinch fuchsias properly?

On a young fuchsia shoot, count at least 3 to 4 pairs of leaves on the main stem from the base. Then cut just above this 3rd pair of leaves. Quickly, the fuchsia will produce 2 side shoots from the remaining top pair of leaves.

pinch fuchsias just above 3 pairs of leaves

You can repeat the operation on these two side shoots when they have at least 3 pairs of leaves.
After this short cutting session, remember to water your fuchsia and give a feed of liquid fertiliser (geranium fertiliser type). Repeat the feed roughly every 15 days or whenever you pinch it again.
To prolong flowering, pinch off flowers as soon as they fade. This encourages your fuchsia to flower again instead of exhausting itself producing seeds.

Cutting or not cutting?

You can take advantage of this small cut to make cuttings of fuchsia. To do this, pinch shoots when they have more than 8 pairs of leaves. Cut back to 3 or 4 leaves and keep the upper part to make your cutting.