do you like them geraniums but you don’t know where to start to cultivate them and make them bloom? You don’t necessarily need to be a plant expert to have beautiful geraniums in your garden or on your balcony, just follow a series of little tips – Here’s everything you need to know about caring for geraniums.
Geraniums are colorful and highly valued ornamental plants, these plants are from south africa and belong to the Geraniaceae family. They are resistant, colorful and above all easy to grow . These plants are perfect for decorating terraces and balconies during the summer, there are endless varieties. They can all be grown in pots or in the garden. Here you have everything you need to grow them in pots, on the terrace or in the garden.
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How To Grow Geraniums: 5 Rules To Make Them Thrive
Geraniums are beautiful and easy to care for, as long as they choose the right time of year to plant them and follow a series of simple tips . Temperature, pots, drainage, size – that’s all you need to do.
- When to Plant GeraniumsThey usually bloom in May, so they should be planted when it is no longer cold outside, which is when outside temperatures start to hit double digits. From the first warm days of spring, you will begin to see the effects of your work.
- Which jars to choose?The choice of pot is also crucial for the impeccable maintenance of geraniums. The ideal planters should be neither too small nor too large. It is a plant that needs space and a lot of soil, but at the same time it needs to be “tightened” by the planter. It also needs a drainage layer placed at the bottom and pre-fertilized potting soil.
- Trim them regularlyGeraniums should be pruned regularly. Old branches should always be removed, while all other branches should be shortened at specific times of the year. In spring, you need to remove dead flowers, while in early autumn the branches should be cut back by a third. If this was not done in the fall, it should be transplanted and fertilized. It is also advisable to leave a distance of 20 cm between a geranium plant and the others.
- When can they be placed?outdoor Spring is the season for geraniums and it is at this time of the year that they can be placed outside. Of course, you have to be very careful with the temperatures: being plants that suffer from the cold, you have to wait until the temperature exceeds 8 degrees at night before placing them on the balcony or terrace.
- water regularlyGeraniums can withstand sweltering temperatures, as long as they are watered regularly. The soil should never dry out completely but if, for example, you have to go out at the weekend, be aware that it can store a lot of water which is then slowly released. What does mean ? That you can leave it quietly for a few days without watering it.
How to grow geraniums in the garden.
Geraniums can also be grown in the ground, so in the garden or in a flower bed, it is enough that the soil chosen is airy, porous and well drained. It’s necessary deep plant similar to that of pots, i.e. 20-25cm , so that the roots do not rot due to the accumulation of water at the bottom of the earth, but care must be taken. not to damage the stem , which could become vulnerable to pest attacks. You can use fertilizer, preferably liquid , and you should never exceed the dose recommended on the package. the ideal is dilute fertilizers with water to avoid burning the roots due to the excessive acidity of the product. Water, as in all other cases, should always be plentiful, but not excessive.
When to plant geraniums and how to grow them in pots on the balcony
If you don’t have a terrace or a garden at home, you can plant geraniums in a simple pot, but you must follow a series of rules for them to grow properly. You must choose one pot big enough and drains water well so that the roots do not rot. Geraniums adapt to any type of soil, although it is better to choose a variant with vegetation and moist. As soon as the geranium is planted, it should be watered but without touching the flowers and leaves with water. In the following days we have to pay watch out for water stagnation , watering often but only when the soil is dry. As for the flowers, it is pay them every two weeks.while the faded flowers should be removed , so that the new ones grow healthy and strong without encountering the appearance of fungus. If there are few blooming flowers, the plant may not be getting enough sunlight. In reality, light promotes flower growth . What to do with geraniums in winter? They should be protected from cold and frost, in a covered, but at the same time bright and airy place.
How to Care for Geraniums: When to Water and Prune Them
For those geraniums be beautiful and lush , great care must be taken with watering and pruning. As a general rule, it is necessary water the plant three times a week , but in times of particular heat, this operation must be intensified and carried out every day. The sheets should never be wet , especially if exposed in a very sunny area. However, as long as the soil remains moist, do not add more water because if you overdo it, the geranium could rot. In reference to cut under normal conditions, it should take place in April and October.. In early spring you can simply remove dry or yellowed branches and leaves, while before winter you can perform a more drastic intervention by cutting a few centimeters at the base to prevent them from rotting.
How to improve geranium flowering and how long does it last?
There are several little tricks to improve the flowering of geraniums (which usually lasts from early spring to early summer). First, you must keep the plant tight , using pots of different sizes depending on their size. The stems should be pruned in early spring, while for irrigation it is necessary to water the soil when the topsoil is dry, preferably in the evening. The ideal fertilizer to obtain an exuberant flowering is liquid potassium fertilizer, to be used every two weeks during flowering. It would be good, finally, to remove the dry remains of flowers and leaves at any time of the year, occasionally even pruning the stems to obtain new shoots.
All varieties and all types of geraniums
Geraniums, whose exact name is Pelargonium, belong to the plants belonging to the Geraniaceae family. On the Ornamentalis site (A reference site in the floral world) we can verify that this genus includes more than 280 species. The best known and most widespread are the Pelargonium zonal or common geranium with hairy foliage in the shape of a heart and a dark ring, the Pelargonium peltatum or ivy geranium with peltate, fleshy and shiny leaves and hanging stems, the Pelargonium grandiflorum or geranium butterfly, characterized by flowers with 5 reddish-brown spots. There is also Pelargonium odoratissimum, or scented geranium, which smells of apple, Pelargonium graveolens, which smells of rose, and Pelargonium radens, which smells of lemon. The colors vary from red to purple, from pink to fuchsia, passing through white and orange.