Fuschia Cuttings

Hi. I have always been led to believe you only take fuschia cuttings when they are not in flower,spring being the ideal time and this is what I normally do.
I would like to take some cuttings now so they establish before winter sets in but like most fuschias they are still flowering.I was watching a video by Peter Seabook of the Gardening Channel and he took a cutting from a standard which had flowers growing and just cut the flowers off then proceded as normal to plant them!! I am now confused, is this method normal or only done in exteme cases. I got to admit it was not a true cutting but a shoot on the main stem which was flowering so he just broke it off. He said he likes to leave growth on main stem to help it thicken.

 

I take Fuchsia cuttings at any time, although I find they root better if the weather is on the cool side.
Any bit of stem will do, and I don't take all the buds off, I have found it makes no difference at all.
Sometimes I put them in water to root, and I also push bits into the ground where they grow away hapilly.
I tend not to listen to too many rules and procedures when it comes to plants.

 

Kind of agree with the above though have found that taking cuttings in Spring from the new growth of overwintered plants do tend to root and grow better than those taken from flowering stems in summer.

Assume that is because the Spring cuttings contain more Growth hormones than Summer ones that are full of Flowering hormones ?

Like you, generally find they root easier in water or water and Perlite, though not sure why they do not seem to root as easily if we put them straight into compost ?

Recently came across this video featuring a large UK Fuchsia nursery on taking cuttings - see at 4 mins in.

 

If i root them in compost they just die off, so i root them in water, anytime of year. I cut off any buds that develope, i let them grow some roots then pot them up. Keep moist for a while for them to adjust to the change and i still cut the buds off.
But the softer shoots are better to root.