Western Cape Fuchsia Society

Meetings

The Western Cape Fuchsia Society meets at 2pm on the first Saturday of each month between February and November at the St Thomas Church Hall, Campground Road in Rondebosch. Every month there is a practical workshop during which an experienced grower demonstrates a particular aspect of cultivating fuchsias relevant to that time of the year. Afterwards members have some practical experience, for example, in June and July they can bring any of their own plants that need potting-up and they will be guided through this process on these plant/s.

 The Society also invites a guest speaker to some meetings to talk about an interesting aspect of gardening, not necessarily connected to growing fuchsias.

Visitors are always welcome to participate and at the end of the meeting, they have the opportunity to discuss any aspect of fuchsia growing with the members over tea and cake.

Should you wish to join the Society, please contact the secretary (details provided below) for all relevant information.

A membership form may be downloaded here.

WESTERN CAPE FUCHSIA SOCIETY 2025 PROGRAMME 

=====================================

Meeting minutes

Date: 4th May 2025

======================

WCFS Minutes Monthly Meeting

Present: 17 Members

Apologies: No apologies

Jill   welcomed all and said that it was nice to see everybody again

Barbara gave us her  talk on repotting the rooted cuttings ( babies) , made last month. It is important to turn the pot with the cutting a quarter turn each week for even growth

You need a good potting mix to pot the cuttings on. Prof Jan’s excellent booklet has the following mix to use:

3 Parts compost

2 Parts potting soil

1 part kraal manure

1 Part river sand or vermiculite

1 -2 handfuls of bonemeal per bucket

 Mix well

Before potting on, test the cutting to see if it has rooted by tugging very gently on the bottom of the stem. If it moves, replace the plastic cover and secure with a rubber band and leave for another week and test again

If it has rooted, leave the cover off and leave it 3-7 days to harden off. It can be fed with a weak solution of

Nitrosol or Kelpak just before potting up. Use a pot just bigger than the rooting pot and make a mould with an empty pot the same size as the rooting pot. Gently squeeze the plant in the pot all round to get if out without disturbing the roots. Gently fill it in and use your middle fingers to tap it down

After tea with delicious eats provided by Jill and Shirley, it was Sue Klingsma’s turn to speak on sterilization of soil  or not

Sterlizing soil is a powerful tool for preventing serious problems with rooting plants. , but it is not always necessary. It also  comes with trade-offs

1)      Kills pathogens and pests

2)      Destroys beneficial microbes

3)      Temporary cleanliness

4)      Nutrient impact

5)      Good cultural practises

Sterilize when there is a specific risk( re-use, disease history, sensitive seedlings)

Clean mixes and good habits are usually sufficient for healthy plants growth

Why sterilize?

1)      Prevent fungal diseases

2)      Eliminate pests

3)      Create a clean starting environment for seeds and cuttings

Common methods of sterilization:-

1)      Oven

Bake moist soil at 82-93 degrees C

2)      Microwave

     Heat moist soil for 90 seconds per 500g. Stir throughout

3)      Steam

    Steam soil at 82degrees C for 30 minutes over boiling water

4)      Hydrogen peroxide 3%

   Mix equal parts of peroxide and water and saturate the soul thoroughly

  Let it rest for 24 hours before planting

 This mixture can be used at different strengths, eg. 1:9 or 1:4

Another method is layering soil between transparent plastic sheets and leave in the sun for 4-6 weeks

Key  Takeaways

1)      Use sterilzation selectively

2)      Understand that sterilising  soil is a short-term solution and can impact soil health if overused

3)      Clean potting media from reputable sources, combined with good cultural practices, often eliminates the need for aggressive sterilization

4)      Hydrogen peroxide offers an easy, low-cost sterilization method for small batches – but timing and care are crucial

She mentioned products she uses and where to buy them from

Seedling mix ( Norsag or Freedom Farms)

Coco chunks ( Hadeco)

Charcoal ( Fish aquarium shops)

Fine bark ( Landscapers Choice)

The raffle made R510 and thank you to Jill and Shirley for providing the delicious treats with tea

June tea duties will be Lorraine and Myra Kloppers and Gideon