Image – Wikimedia/Blueye
Pansy geranium is one of the varieties of pelargonium that is best planted in a medium or large planter, as well as in the garden. For example, I like to have them each in a pot, next to a maple that I have in a large container. Another way to decorating with them means putting them on the balcony, or even hanging them on the wallalthough the latter is only possible when they are young and therefore have a reduced size.
For all this, and because it is precious, We want to explain the care of the pansy geraniumsince we want you to know everything you need to do to make it healthy.
Where should we have thought geranium?
As always, it’s important to start by talking about location. Where should this plant be: outside or inside the house? Well, to answer that question, you need to know its hardiness. And the truth is that it is tropical, so it does not support frost. It can withstand perhaps -1°C if this temperature is raised very occasionally, but it is still preferable to shelter it if it is cold.
And now you have to ask yourself another question: is it sun or shade? Well, all geraniums of the genus Pelargonium, as is our protagonist, should be in a sunny place. Even if you are going to be at home, it is very important that you put yourself in a room with windows that let in plenty of light.
In a pot or in the ground?
Well, it depends a bit on taste, but you also have to take the weather into account, because If, for example, there is frost in winter, it should be kept in a pot. so that you can move it when the time comes. And, obviously, if you want to have it indoors, it will have to be potted unless you have an indoor terrace with land.
Now well, if you choose to keep it in a container, it should have holes in its base. And if we talk about the earth, it must be spongy, light and rich in organic matter. As a substrate, we recommend using, for example, the universal one of the Flower brand (on sale here), or that of Fertiberia (on sale here).
When should I water the thinking geranium?
Watering the thinking geranium should be moderate; this means that it must be watered when the soil, or the substrate if planted in a pot, is dry. But you have to be careful with that because do not let it dry out completely; i.e. you don’t have to wait for it to crack or be so dry that it excessively compacts, no. It should always be slightly moist, but never waterlogged.
So that there are no problems, it is strongly recommended to take a wooden stick and insert it into the ground, down. If when we take it out we see that it is practically clean, then we water it. In the following video you can learn more about this simple and practical trick:
What type of irrigation water should be used?
The water that suits you best it is that of the rain if it is cleanbut as it never rains to everyone’s taste, if it is impossible for you to get some, you can use tap water if it is safe to drink, and of course also bottled water .
On the contrary, avoid watering with very calcareous waterwhich have a pH greater than 7.
When is the best time to pay it?
pansy geranium grows when temperatures are between 18 and 35 ºC. It is important that you know this because during the months when the thermometer shows these values, you can pay it and get the best results. And it is that if you were to fertilize it, for example, in the middle of winter it would be a problem because in the event of frost it could suffer very serious damage, especially in the stems that may have grown a little after receiving the fertilizer , as they will be tender.
For this reason, it will only be paid for in the summer, but it can be started in the spring and continued in the fall if the temperatures allow it. To do this, it is necessary to use fertilizers of organic origin, such as guano, for example, which you can buy here; or fertilizers for flowering plants like this one.
When should it be transplanted?
It will only be removed from the pot if the roots have started to grow outside of it, coming out of the drainage holes. And also, it will be done whenever the weather is nice and it is spring or early summer.
It should not be done in the middle of summer or after this season, otherwise the onset of cold weather could weaken the geranium pansy to the point of not having the transplant.
How does the thinking geranium multiply?
The easiest way is by stem cuttings in spring. To do this, you just have to cut one, and plant it in a pot with a universal substrate. To give it a better chance of rooting, before that you can impregnate its base with powdered rooting hormones like these. Then water.
Another way is to seedsalso during this season. In this case, they will be planted in a pot, separated from each other, and they will be buried a little with nursery substrate like this that will have been watered beforehand.
The cutting and the seeds they should be in a place with lots of light; indeed, it is preferable that they get used to direct sunlight from the start.
Do you find the pansy geranium an interesting plant?