Geranium Care Tips With Growing Guide
By Mlbrun Team | On 21 April 2024 04:03 AM
Want a balcony full of colorful flowers? Geraniums are the way to go! These happy flowers are perfect for beginners, and with proper care, they thrive vibrantly. They enjoy sunlight, require light watering, and appreciate a little bit of attention.
This guide is your key to success, providing insights into geranium care, showing you how to plant, grow, and keep your geraniums blooming all season. Get ready to turn your space into a flower paradise, step by step!
About Geranium
Native to South Africa, the geranium is an enchanting flowering plant. Its flowers have five petals and come in various colors including white, pink, purple, and blue, often with distinctive veining.
There are multiple varieties of geranium flower, each with its unique color and size. Due to their attractive and vibrant blossoms, this plant is mainly used for ornamental purposes in gardens and floral arrangements, adding beauty to its surroundings.
- Scientific Name: Geranium
- Family: Geraniaceae
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Height: Typically ranges from 6 inches to 3 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil: Ordinary with a slightly acidic to neutral pH
Popular Types of Geraniums
Zonal Geraniums
Zonal geraniums are upright plants that typically grow to about 12-18 inches tall. They are the most common types, known for their large, showy blossoms, with round to kidney-shaped leaves. The flowers come in a wide variety of colors, including red, pink, white, and purple.
Ivy Geraniums
This plant is ideally suited for hanging baskets, window boxes, and other containers. It has smaller flowers than zonal geraniums and produces rounded clusters of single or double flowers in shades of red, pink, lavender, or white from spring through fall. They can grow to be 3 to 5 feet long.
Regal Geraniums
Regal geraniums, also known as Martha Washington geraniums, are versatile plants. They can grow up to 5 to 36 inches tall, depending on the variety. Typically, they reach a height of about 18 to 24 inches and produce flowers in a range of colors, including red, purple, pink, magenta, and orange.
Scented Geraniums
Scented geraniums are not as common as zonal or ivy geraniums, but they are becoming more popular. These geraniums have fragrant leaves that smell like lemon, rose, mint, or chocolate. Scented geraniums come in a variety of colors, including pink, purple, and white. They grow to about 12 to 18 inches tall.
In addition to these common types, there are many other less common types of geraniums available. Some of these include angel geraniums with small, delicate flowers, unique geraniums that have unusual shapes or colors, and miniature geraniums that are great for small spaces.
How To Care For Geranium
Geraniums, with their vibrant blooms, are easy to nurture. Begin by selecting a sunny spot with well-draining soil. Remember to water them when the top inch of soil feels dry, and feed them every 4 to 6 weeks during their growing season to ensure proper geranium care outdoors.
Pruning geraniums is easy; simply snip off spent flowers and leggy stems. While geraniums are generally hardy and can withstand challenges, keep an eye out for pests. Experience the added joy of cultivating this flower with these simple care tips.
Prepare Soil for Geraniums
Geraniums prefer well-draining soil with high air porosity. Prepare a good potting mix for your geranium flower care by combining equal parts of potting soil, perlite, and coarse sand. Avoid using excessive peat moss, vermiculite, or fine sand, as they can negatively affect the soil's drainage and moisture retention.
If you are filling commercial potting mixes in your geranium pots, use soil types such as perlite, pumice, and peat moss. Utilizing this light and fluffy potting mix can provide the ideal growing medium. Ensure that the soil is well-drained to prevent waterlogging, which can be detrimental to their growth.
Provide Enough Sun Exposure
Planting geranium in an area where it can receive the right amount of sunlight is important. Provide at least 6 hours of sun exposure every day, ideally in the morning or evening. This helps them grow well and produce plenty of flowers. Without enough sunlight, they become leggy and produce fewer flowers.
However, some varieties, such as ivy geraniums, may require less light, so it's important to consider the specific needs of the geranium type you are growing. If you are growing geraniums indoors, you can enhance their growth and flowering with LED grow lights.
Geranium Care In Pot
Geraniums flourish in pots and containers, making them a popular choice for container gardening. When caring for geraniums in containers, it's crucial to select a pot with proper drainage, such as one made of terra cotta or plastic, to prevent waterlogging and root rot.
In addition, choose a container that is 6 to 8 inches deep and wide, providing ample room for the plant's roots to grow and spread. Ensure that the pot is weather-resistant, contributing to its durability and longevity, especially when exposed to outdoor conditions.
Watering And Fertilizing
Geraniums don't like to be waterlogged, so let the soil dry slightly between waterings. You can check by sticking your finger in the soil up to the first knuckle. If it's dry, it's time to water, but if it's still moist, wait a bit longer.
Use a water-soluble fertilizer that contains an equal percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, such as 10-10-10 or 15-15-15. Applying this balanced fertilizer every month provides essential nutrients for your plant's growth and flowering. Additionally, apply organic compost yearly around the base of the plant.
Overwintering Geraniums
If you have room in a frost-free place, it's worth attempting to care for geraniums over winter. Start by lifting plants that are in garden soil or large pots and transplant them into smaller pots before the first frost.
Additionally, remove any damaged leaves and faded flowers. Cut the plants back by about a third and position them in a frost-free but bright place. As these plants don't enter full dormancy, remember to water them lightly throughout the winter.
- Overwintering in mild climates: In areas with frost-free winters, you can overwinter geraniums outdoors by providing them with a protected location and reducing watering.
- Overwintering in colder climates: Bring geraniums indoors before the first frost. Trim them back and store them in a cool, bright location with minimal watering until spring.
Temperature And Light
Most geraniums, especially those that grow for just one year, thrive in sunny locations. They typically need about 4 to 6 hours of sunlight each day to produce vibrant flowers. However, some types, such as ivy geraniums and perennial geraniums, are more tolerant of partial shade.
Thus it's important to know which kind you have and give them the right amount of sunlight. Also, keep in mind that geraniums generally prefer warm temperatures, so make sure to place them in an environment with temperatures between 60°F to 75°F for their best growth and blooming.
Pests And Diseases Control
The most common problems with geraniums involve overly wet conditions. In hot, humid, and rainy environments, issues such as rot and mold may arise. To prevent these problems, ensure proper spacing between these plants for good airflow, avoid overwatering, and remove plant debris from the surrounding soil.
Bugs like aphids, whiteflies, and mites can be a headache, especially for low-maintenance plants such as geraniums. These threats can cause significant damage, so it's essential to regularly inspect your plants and take quick action if you spot any signs of infestation. Consider using insecticidal soap to keep these pests at bay.
Propagation
The easiest and most foolproof way to propagate this plant is by taking stem cuttings. If you live in a warm climate, take the cuttings in early summer and plant them as soon as they root. For those who grow geraniums as annuals, it's recommended to take cuttings in late summer or early fall.
However, some varieties, such as zonal geraniums, can be propagated through rooting in water. On the other hand, other geranium varieties, like the ivy type, may not root as easily in water and might require rooting hormone for propagations.
Propagation Through Cuttings
- Cut a 3 to 4 inch stem just below a leaf node of the geranium parent plant.
- Remove the leaves from the bottom half of the stem and dip the cut end in rooting hormone powder.
- Plant the cutting in well-drained but moist soil and keep it in a warm, bright location.
- Water the soil until it's moist but not waterlogged.
Rooting In Water
- Cut a stem just below a leaf node and place it in a container with enough water to cover a few inches of the stem but not any of the leaves.
- Change the water every 3 to 5 days.
- Once roots have developed, pot the cutting into compost.