How to care for geraniums at home. Home (room) geranium or pelargonium - home care. I want to admire the flowers, but they do not bloom

Geranium is a well-known indoor plant that has several varieties. In floriculture, it is also known as pelargonium. In the people it is sometimes called "kalachiki". Consider home care and how winter goes in the apartment.

Flowering directly depends on compliance with the rules of care

Temperature and lighting in summer and winter

In summer time tolerates any temperature. That is why some types of geraniums are planted outdoors. In winter, it is desirable that the temperature does not fall below 10 degrees. During the dormant period, the most optimal temperature is from 10 to 15 degrees Celsius.

Pelargonium lighting requires bright. It belongs to light-loving plant species. Tolerates direct sun well. If there is little light, then the geranium will not give abundant flowering, and the shoots will grow weak.

Therefore, the more sun, the better. On particularly bright days at noon you can shade a little so that the leaves do not burn out too much.

How often to water in the apartment

Pelargonium does not need high humidity. Moreover, spraying the flower is not recommended because of its fluffy leaves, which can leave spots. Geranium prefers fresh air, so in summer it feels great on balconies and verandas.

Watering requires regular and plentiful, but there should be no stagnation of water. The earth needs to be evenly moist, at the bottom of the pot a drainage layer must be made.

Expanded clay and perlite are often used as drainage

In winter, when the dormant period sets in, watering is done more rarely, paying attention to sufficient drying of the soil.

The choice of substrate and top dressing: how to fertilize correctly

Many people ask themselves: what kind of top dressing does the "kalachik" need? The following land is suitable for pelargonium: a mixture of soddy land, humus and sand in a ratio of 8: 2: 1. You can also use garden soil for it, having previously processed it from pests.

The store sells universal primer, which is also suitable for this flower. In general, she is unpretentious.

From March they begin to fertilize. You can feed twice a month.

Organics are not suitable for her, only mineral top dressing. A good helper for the development of buds will be special fertilizers for flowering plants.

Preparation for wintering: winter storage

autumn geranium should be cut. 6-7 leaves are left on the stem. Also remove shoots growing from the sinuses, they only draw out nutrients. Pruning from December to January is not recommended.

Wintering should take place at a temperature of 10-15 degrees, so that flowering is abundant next season.

Plants can be kept on the windowsill. There is a fairly cool temperature and a lot of light.

Miniature and variegated varieties more demanding on the conditions of detention and usually do not need pruning. Storage in winter: on special shelving with lighting, the temperature is suitable for them up to 25 degrees.

Since the apartment is usually warm in winter, basements are most convenient for these purposes. Light day under artificial lighting should be 10-12 hours.

Ivy varieties leave lashes 40-50 cm long. If at the same time pruning was not done on time, then it is better to wait for the end of the winter period - the beginning of spring, since any intervention can weaken the plant.

To put pelargonium into rest mode, in the fall they begin to gradually reduce watering and stop feeding.

Reproduction and transplant

Reproduction is available in several ways.

Pelargonium can be propagated by seeds and cuttings.

Seeds: how to care

Growing from seeds is fairly easy. Seeds are best purchased at the store, in which case they will give greater germination than collected on their own.

drop them off in loose soil to a depth of 2 cm. Moisten with water from above, it is better to do it from a spray bottle so as not to wash out the ground. The soil must first be disinfected, for which it is spilled with a light solution of potassium permanganate.

The seed pot is covered with glass to create uniform humidity. For seed germination, the most favorable temperature is 18-22 degrees. After the emergence of seedlings, the glass is removed, and the temperature is lowered to 16-22 degrees.

After about 1.5-2 months, when 3 true leaves appear, the pelargonium is transplanted to a permanent place. When she grows 5-6 leaves, pinch the plant for better branching.

blooms with this method of reproduction about six months later.

Growing by cuttings

This breeding method is not difficult. Geranium cuttings can be cut at any time of the year, but the best period is still spring. The stalk is taken in the size of 5-7 cm. So that the cut does not rot, it is sprinkled with crushed charcoal.

Then they are planted in a loose substrate or wet sand. They don't need top cover. When roots appear, pelargonium transplanted to a permanent place. Flowering is possible in three months.

Landing

This plant does not particularly like transplants, and there is no need for them. This should be done only if the roots begin to sprout from the drainage hole. Capacity for planting is taken 2 cm more than the previous one. Geranium does not like too spacious pots and blooms worse in them, but it gives a lot of shoots.

Young shoots that have reached 7 cm, pinch to branch. Pruning is also done in autumn, leaving a stem with 6-7 leaves. Periodically, excess shoots that grow from the sinuses, and not from the root, should be removed.

If the pelargonium has grown strongly during the winter period, it can be cut off in the spring, so flowering will be better. Periodically, shoots should be pinched at a height of 4-5 leaves.

Transfer

It is only necessary if the pelargonium has become too crowded. This is done in autumn or spring, avoiding the flowering period.

Potassium permanganate helps to disinfect the soil

Pre preparing a new container, a couple of centimeters larger than the previous one. If the pot is clay and new, it must be soaked in water for several hours so that it is saturated with moisture.
The soil is being prepared. If the earth was taken from the garden, it should be disinfected by spilling potassium permanganate or holding it for several minutes in a hot oven.
During transplanting, the soil should be slightly damp, so it will be easier to remove the plant from the pot.
With one hand, hold the geranium, turn the pot over and, gently tapping, remove the plant. It's better not to disturb the roots, slightly remove the top layer, place the whole lump in a new pot and add fresh earth.

A geranium transplant is done every two to three years and only if the pelargonium has grown greatly.

Possible problems

Sometimes the plant becomes ill due to the appearance of pests, insects or exposure to microorganisms.

Symptoms

At the plant may appear:

Yellowing of leaves.
The appearance of spots on them.
Falling leaves.
Leg rot.
The appearance of pests.

PICTURE Yellowing of foliage, Spots on leaves

Why indoor geranium dies

Why does a plant die? This is observed in a variety of cases. The most common reason is improper care. If you forget to water the plant in time, then not only its upper parts, but also the root system begin to die off.

More more dangerous systematic bay and stagnation in poorly permeable soil.

The death of a plant is often observed when attacked by pests. The deterioration is gradual. At first, the leaves may begin to turn yellow, dry and curl. Then they die in turn, and the plant is depleted and dies.

In some cases, an incorrect transplant can damage pelargonium if the root system was severely disturbed in the process.

Diseases and pests: how to save a kalachik

From time to time, yellowing of the leaves can be observed. In small quantities, this is normal for geraniums. The old lower leaves die off. You should be concerned if yellowing is profuse and young leaves are lost.

Blackleg

The loss of a certain amount of green mass is observed when pelargonium is returned from the street to the premises after the summer period.

Other reasons:

If lethargy is observed along with yellowing, then the cause is excessive watering.
Yellowing of leaf edges- lack of moisture.
If the lower leaves fall abundantly, then the plant does not have enough light.

Geranium often suffers from fungal diseases. She may have leaf rust, "black leg". For their treatment, they are treated with fungicidal preparations. If the trunk began to rot, then most often the only way to save the geranium is to grow it again from cuttings.

Of the pests, pelargonium is attacked by: whitefly, aphids, spider mites, mealybugs, caterpillars. To get rid of them use special tools. The most common are Fitoverm, Aktellik.

Refuse to bloom may be for the following reasons:

Lack of light.
Too low air temperature.
Too fertile soil, therefore, geranium gives an increase in green mass and does not bloom.
A very spacious pot, which also causes rapid growth of foliage and shoots.
Untimely trimming or its absence.
rare and irregular fertilization.

If there is an excess of nitrogenous fertilizers in the soil, then the plant will produce a green mass, and flowering will not occur or will be weak.

general information

In the rooms they like to grow varieties:

Zonal
ivy
Fragrant
dwarf species

We described in a separate article. As well as the Fragrant section

A variety of colors and shapes allows you to collect beautiful collections, use pelargonium for gardening at home, balconies and gardens.

Medicinal properties and benefits of the flower

Pelargonium has a lot of useful properties, it’s not for nothing that our grandmothers kept it in their homes. The plant releases substances into the air that have a detrimental effect on bacteria and viruses.

It is also used with benefit in folk medicine - an infusion is made from the leaves for gargling. The leaves are applied to the back for rheumatism.

The smell of geranium relieves stress. This plant is useful for people suffering from insomnia, nervous and heart diseases.

According to some beliefs, geranium normalizes the aura and the atmosphere in the house, removing negative influences.

Pelargonium is a great plant for the home. It is easy to care for her even for beginners, she has an abundant and varied flowering. The most important thing is the watering regime, cut the shoots in time and put the geranium in the brightest place. Subject to these conditions flowering will continue for a long time.

Who among us does not remember grandmother's geranium? This flower is the personification of domestic warmth and comfort; it has decorated apartments for many generations. Among ornamental flowering plants, there are very few representatives as unpretentious as geraniums.

In the winter, home care becomes a little more difficult, but you don't need to be an expert flower grower to grow a beautiful plant. By the way, if you don't already know, it's called pelargonium correctly. And to be extremely precise, this is a genus of pelargoniums, which unites about 250 species of plants of the Geraniaceae family.

Conditions for keeping geraniums, temperature conditions

Almost the whole year the flower feels fine at the most ordinary room temperature. It does not require greenhouse conditions and is generally surprisingly unpretentious. Geraniums require a little more attention in winter. Care at home for her requires a cooler maintenance regime, approximately +10 degrees. It is optimal to take the pot with the plant into a cool room, if this is not possible, then you can safely get by with a window sill, glass always pulls cold. The main thing - make sure that the leaves do not touch the window.

It is especially important to comply with this condition if you grow royal geraniums, known for their beautiful flowers. It is she who is very demanding on the conditions of winter maintenance, at high temperatures (+20 and can drop all the buds. Therefore, +10 degrees is the maximum (up to +4 is possible) that geraniums accept in winter. Home care also involves providing good lighting, therefore, the basement is not suitable.If you have pots near the north window, then additional artificial lighting will be required.A separate issue is watering the plant in winter, but we will talk about this a little later.

Alternative content

For residents of an apartment, it is often an insoluble problem to provide a cool room for their beloved pelargonium. Empirically, another method was invented. The plant hibernates in a room, as close as possible to the windows, and with the onset of spring, as soon as the air temperature rises to +2, start taking the pots to the balcony. First take out for 2 hours, and then gradually increase the time spent in the cold. This option will provide excellent flowering geraniums. In principle, the plant is unpretentious, which means it can bloom without such tricks, but no one will give you a 100% guarantee.

Lighting conditions

Few indoor plants love sunlight as much as geraniums. How to care for geraniums at home, you can intuitively understand by observing the state of the flower. Many sources give information that she normally tolerates the shadow. Indeed, the plant will not die, but it will look very bad, and flowering will stop. Even the leaves in the shade become small, unlike the luxurious water lilies of a healthy flower. By rearranging the pots in bright sunlight, you can see that the pelargonium turns into a luxurious, profusely flowering plant before your eyes.

This plant is not afraid of direct sunlight, so you can safely put it on the balcony for the summer or plant it in open ground. In autumn, it will be possible to dig up a grown bush and place it back in a pot. Just does not like direct sunlight, so it is better to shade it. But the beautifully blooming royal geranium will be grateful for sunbathing.

Watering plants

Now we will talk about how to water geraniums. You probably already know how to care for geraniums at home in practice, because this plant is so unpretentious that you need to try very hard to ruin it. But it is impossible to ensure rapid growth and flowering without observing a number of rules.

Pelargonium is very fond of sunlight and regular watering, while making sure that there is no excessive waterlogging of the soil. The easiest way to adjust this mechanism is to choose a good light soil and drainage system. Stagnant water at the roots leads to the death of plants, this process is especially fast in miniature forms.

Geranium care in winter requires watering restrictions. It is necessary to ensure minimal soil moisture and prevent the roots from drying out. Geraniums should not be sprayed even in the height of summer. She loves dry air.

Plant nutrition

Like all ornamental flowering plants, indoor geraniums also need regular enrichment of the soil. Home care involves fertilizing from March to August. It should be remembered that flowering requires a large amount of potassium and phosphorus, while an excess of nitrogen is detrimental to pelargonium. From its overabundance, geraniums may stop growing. With a lack of nutrients, geraniums will suffer from leaf chlorosis. It does not tolerate fresh fertilizers (manure), so you should use complex preparations for flowering plants, which are commercially available in large quantities.

Do not fertilize within four weeks after transplantation, as well as in winter. The last, autumn, fertilization will provide the vegetative part of the plants with everything necessary for growth until spring.

Transplants

It is necessary to select the optimal size of the pot, since its small volume stimulates flowering. But if you see roots protruding through the drainage holes, then it's time to pick up a bigger pot. If the growth of a young plant is very fast, then it is necessary to transplant several times a year, while the season does not matter much. Each time you need a pot only 1.5 cm larger than the previous one. Plant the plant immediately in a large pot - condemn it to disease. The best choice are but it should be borne in mind that the earth in them dries out faster.

Bush formation

Often people are disappointed when they grow an ugly plant with broken shapes. In fact, this is a feature of pelargonium that should be reckoned with. You need to trim regularly. If this is not done, the plant will stretch out, it will be less willing to bloom, in addition, uncircumcised geraniums are prone to various diseases.

Plant propagation

As already mentioned, cut cuttings are used for this. Some flower growers recommend choosing the time for planting, namely August-September, but in fact, this procedure is timed to coincide with the planting of young plants. In general, it is possible to plant throughout the year, an unpretentious geranium provides such an opportunity. Minimal care is required for a plant such as geranium. At home, reproduction, flowering will pass without problems if you pay enough attention to your green friend. You don't need any special skills.

In order to grow a new flower, you need to take a fresh stalk 10-15 cm long. For the smallest varieties, a stalk about 2 cm long can be used. No more than 4 leaves are left on it and they are allowed to lie down in the open air for a couple of hours to dry. After that, it is planted in a small cup and placed in a warm and bright place for rooting. After about three weeks, the first roots will appear, after which it will be possible to transplant the young geranium into a larger pot.

A fungal disease that is very common on this plant is the so-called black leg. It affects both young and adult plants, and the cause of the appearance is waterlogging and poor drainage.

The plant does not grow well - what is the reason?

In some cases, gardener's mistakes cause plant diseases. If leaves fly around from the branches, the lower part of the geranium is exposed and flowering is delayed, then it most likely does not have enough light. A huge, lush bush with a complete absence of flowering is usually obtained with an excess of fertilizers. If the lower leaves of the geranium turn yellow, then you need to pay attention to watering. Surely it is irregular, or the soil is too sandy, quickly drying out. If the leaves dry, and the watering is normal, then the air temperature may be too high.

Summing up

As you can see, caring for homemade geraniums is quite simple. Diseases, reproduction, watering and feeding - what causes so many difficulties for flower growers when breeding capricious tropical flowers is not a problem when growing pelargonium. Care is intuitively simple, drugs for treatment are freely sold commercially. The only moment that can cause some difficulty is pruning and shaping a beautiful bush. For the first time, it is better to resort to the help of an experienced grower.

Geraniums are gaining popularity among gardeners, and the question often arises - how to care for geraniums so that they bloom. Pelargonium has many varieties and can be both garden and indoor.

This is an unpretentious, easy-to-care and propagation houseplant. It is able to bloom for a long time and delight with large, bright inflorescences. The flower loves warmth and a lot of light. Put the flower on the windowsill with other flowers and they are guaranteed protection from aphids.

How to care for geraniums

Lighting

Geranium loves a lot of light. It even tolerates direct sunlight. Therefore, if your apartment has a room with windows to the south or west, place them there.

If this is not possible, then use a 40 watt supplemental fluorescent tube light above the plants for at least 10 hours a day to help them grow and bloom.

The soil

Do not use garden soil for growing, buy specialized soil for room geraniums in the store. Soil texture should be well-drained and loamy. It is also necessary to loosen the soil, this will provide air access to the roots, and prevent rotting of the root system.

Now that you know how to properly care for pelargonium so that it blooms, check out

How to water geraniums

Geranium is a drought-resistant plant, and therefore watering is moderate. Water only when the soil seems dry. Avoid oversaturation! The plant does not need to be sprayed, and it is not desirable for water to get on the leaves of the flower - keep this fact in mind when watering pelargonium.
Water stagnation should not be allowed either - this will lead to decay of the root system and sprouts.
If the soil is allowed to dry out, the lower leaves will dry out.

Temperature

Avoid placing your pelargonium in cold rooms, geraniums do not tolerate cold. The flower grows well and blooms at room temperature 18-21 °C. And keep your pets out of drafts.

Fertilizer

How to care for geranium to make it bloom? Fertilize with special liquid fertilizers for optimal growth and flowering. Choose a fertilizer with a lot of phosphorus and potassium. In order for pelargonium to bloom for a long time and beautifully, water the flower once a month with iodine water. Recipe: 1 drop of iodine per 1 liter of water.

pruning

To enhance the branching of the pelargenium flower, it is necessary to pinch the top of the plant. After removing the growing point, do not throw away the sprout, but put it in water. Alternatively, you can shape the stems yourself to get the desired shape.

The video is not mine, but I really liked it, so I recommend:

Geranium propagation

Pelargonium propagates by seeds or cuttings. The easiest way to propagate is by cuttings. To do this, cut off a branch from the plant and put it in water. After 2-3 weeks, he will give roots and can be planted in a pot.

Geranium is a flower that in our time has come to be considered "grandmother's", because it has been known for a very long time in indoor and garden floriculture, and, basically, it is the older generation that is engaged in breeding and collecting these plants.

Young people imagine geraniums in their standard form: rounded panicles of red flowers and double dark green leaves. In fact, progress does not stand still, and breeders have discovered a lot of varieties of pelargonium, which differ in flower shape, leaf color, plant size and other parameters.

If you want to buy a houseplant that will not require constant careful care and annual transplants, while remaining very decorative for a long time, then you should think about growing some kind of indoor geranium.

Types of geraniums with a photo

In order to deal with the choice of variety, it is necessary to consider the groups by which indoor pelargoniums are divided. These will be presented below with descriptions of the general characteristics of the species group.

Geranium zonal (bordered)

It can be immediately recognized by the characteristic color of the leaves: a dark green leaf is, as it were, bordered by a brown stripe, hence the second name of the species. It is the zonal geranium that is the “grandmother's” species, because this group is the most common and has more than 70,000 varieties.

Their separation is carried out not only by the color of the flowers, but also by their shape. Allocate simple flowers, semi-double and terry. It is clear that depending on the complexity of the flower, they have a different number of petals.

Also, the leaves differ in the severity of the dark stripe: in some varieties of geraniums it can be seen very clearly, in others it is almost invisible, the width of the border also depends on the variety.

Ivy geranium

This is an ampelous type of pelargonium, which produces many long falling shoots. In this regard, ivy-leaved geraniums are planted in hanging planters or pots standing at a height. It should be borne in mind that ivy varieties produce lashes up to 1 m long.

The group is also characterized by the absolute smoothness and glossiness of the leaves, which resemble ivy leaves. Hence the name of the group.

Geranium Angel

Also applies to ampelous, however, the lashes are shorter. The flower is interesting here: it very much resembles a viola (pansies) and looks very beautiful in a panicle.

fragrant geranium

Here, already from the name it becomes clear why this group is interesting for flower growers. The smells of the sea, it all depends on the particular variety. The pelargoniums collected in this group contain phytoncides in their leaves, which are responsible for the production of aroma. The smell is very strong, especially when touching the plant.

I would like to note right away that the appearance of fragrant geranium is not as interesting as in previous cases: the leaves are green with fluff, uneven and large, the flowers are simple standard colors.

The plant itself develops quickly and therefore the top can stretch. In order for the bush to be a bush, and not a couple of long shoots, it is necessary to pinch it periodically.

Geranium royal

Perhaps the most beautiful pelargoniums belong to this species. The flowers are also collected in paniculate rounded inflorescences, but each of them can reach 7 cm in diameter. Thus, flower caps are simply gigantic. And their color can be very different, and here we mean not only the main color, but also the presence of veins, borders, spots, etc.

Geranium Unicum

Indeed, it can be considered unique, as it has collected many interesting features: the flowers are very beautiful, with veins and patterns that the previous group can boast of, but the size, of course, is not so big.

The leaves are also decorative and at the same time have a certain aroma, depending on the particular variety. It is slightly weaker than that of fragrant pelargonium, but quite distinct.

They are small bushes that bloom profusely and do not require pruning at all. Varieties of such geraniums will be useful to those who have all the window sills already full of other plants.

Now you can consider some interesting types of geraniums, which differ precisely in the shape of the flower. These include:

rosaceous zonal. The flowers resemble real small roses collected in a panicle;
cactus zonal. It is difficult to say whether they are beautiful or not. This is an amateur option. The flowers themselves are large, and the petals are twisted into cones and resemble the spines of cacti;
stellate zonal. They are named so in connection with the shape of the petal - it is pointed, narrowed towards the top;
carnations. Carnations have serrated petals, and it is this property that this group of geraniums has adopted.

Planting a geranium

Geranium can be purchased in three forms: in seeds, a rooted cutting and a well-developed adult bush. Their cultivation must be considered separately.

Pelargonium seeds are quite large, therefore, as a rule, problems with their planting do not arise even for novice flower growers. When planting seeds, they are laid flat on the ground, slightly pressing down. The distance between the seeds is observed at least 2 cm.

After they have been planted in the ground, the earth is not watered with a watering can, but is well sprayed from a spray bottle, so the seeds will not be washed away and remain in their places.

Usually, in order for geraniums to color in summer, planting of its seeds begins at the end of February. A plastic bag is put on the container in which the seeds are planted. Everything must be removed in a dark warm place and checked daily for shoots. Basically, pelargoniums germinate in 5-6 days.

After at least one sprout appears, the entire container is exposed to light, and the package is removed. When the seedlings grow up and have four leaves, they can be planted in separate pots (this operation is called picking).

Growing a rooted cutting and a well-developed bush

Everything here will be based on the selection of a pot and soil for transplanting an acquired seedling. Ready-made soil can be bought at a specialized store, or you can make it yourself if there is land brought from the garden in the fall at home. To do this, you just need to mix:

upper light peat,
earth,
sand,
vermiculite.

The soil thus composed will be loose. The selection of the pot is made depending on the state of the root system of the seedling.

Even for an adult bush, a small pot with a diameter of about 15 cm is suitable. Of course, it is recommended to purchase a pot made of baked clay, but they are usually more expensive than plastic ones.

Therefore, if you do not want extra costs, then the plastic one is also not so bad, it's just that the water in it does not dry out so quickly, and there is a risk of “flooding” the plant.

Be sure, to prevent root rot and black leg, it is necessary to provide high-quality drainage in the pot, poured with a layer of 2-3 cm. What can we say, the pot itself must have at least one drain hole at the bottom.

geranium cuttings in peat tablets

Pelargonium care

As it was said at the very beginning of the article, geraniums are very undemanding in care, for which flower growers love them. Care is the fulfillment of the following conditions:

Watering

It all depends on the rate of drying of the top layer of the earth. Geranium tolerates drought much better than excessive moisture, so it is important not to “flood” it, otherwise the death of the bush cannot be avoided.

Usually watering is carried out about three times a week. By the way, it must be done carefully, trying not to get on the leaves of the plant itself. Spraying geraniums is also undesirable.

Landing place

Geranium is very photophilous, so its flowering directly depends on the amount of sunlight that it receives. Southern well-lit windows are suitable for growing pelargonium.

Room temperature

This factor is not particularly important in the summer. In winter, the temperature should not fall below 10 0 C. The main thing is to protect the plant from drafts.

loosening

This operation is recommended to be carried out periodically so that air enters the roots, and the earth does not turn into one monolithic piece. In order to loosen the ground, it is not at all necessary to have a special rake: you can use an old fork or stick.

top dressing

Geraniums are fed during flowering and before it begins with phosphorus-containing fertilizers. In no case should organic fertilizers be applied, geraniums simply cannot tolerate them.

Bush formation

It implies rejuvenating pruning of an adult plant and the formation of young growth. In the first case, up to five buds are left on each shoot, from which new branches will appear in the future.

In the second case, the technique of pinching the tops with your fingers is used for better tillering. All these operations are recommended to be carried out at the end of winter - beginning of spring.

Transfer

It is not carried out annually, but every 2-3 years. It is best to transplant with a clod of earth, without exposing the roots.

Usually this operation is carried out when room pelargonium noticeably slows down development. But this does not mean that the new pot has to be huge. You can increase its diameter by the thickness of the index finger.

Reproduction of room geranium

To preserve the characteristic features of the geranium variety, they are usually propagated by cuttings or by dividing an adult bush.

seeds

If you personally collect the seeds, then there is no guarantee of the preservation of the variety. If you want to try planting the collected seeds, then you need to carry out scarification, i.e. removal of the outer shell. Seeds are ground between two pieces of sandpaper.

cuttings

Cut cuttings about 6 cm long are placed in water until young white roots germinate and then planted in the ground or germinated in coarse wet sand. Both methods are effective and widely used.

Bloom

Geraniums bloom after planting with seeds in about five months, so if they are planted at the end of February, then pelargonium will bloom in the same year.

The stalk will bloom earlier - in three months. However, these dates apply mainly to zonal species, Angels and Royal Pelargoniums will in any case bloom only in the second year.

Diseases and pests of pelargonium

The most common diseases of geraniums in room conditions include fungal and viral diseases. Fungal include black leg, leaf rust, various kinds of rot. Most often, these diseases are treated with solutions of fungicides.

There are few geranium pests, but they are already very annoying. These include aphids, whiteflies, caterpillars and mites. They themselves or traces of their vital activity can be found upon careful examination of the leaves of the plant on both sides.

You can get rid of pests by spraying geraniums with special means. If it was not possible to establish who specifically settled on the flower, then it is better to use the drug from the pest complex.

Why do leaves turn yellow?

Inexperienced flower growers can often encounter the following problems when growing geraniums: the leaves turn yellow, fall off, and the bush itself does not want to bloom at all.

This is most likely the result of improper care.

If the leaf turns yellow along the edge, it means that the bush does not receive enough water.
If the leaves are sluggish and fallen, then the bush is flooded.
If the leaves fall from the bottom of the plant, then the geranium is not getting enough sunlight. By the way, for the same reason, it may not bloom.
Also, geranium will not want to release flower stalks if it is overfed with nitrogen, which is used to gain green mass by the plant.

In order not to end on such an unpleasant moment as problems in growing pelargonium, we can talk about its beneficial properties.

Useful properties of geranium

Firstly, this plant perfectly cleans the indoor air from harmful microbes. The smell of geranium relieves stress, relieves depression.
Secondly, it repels pests from other flowers and plants. In summer, it is recommended to take geraniums into the garden, under currant bushes - so that there are no aphids!
And thirdly, geranium is widely used in folk medicine for the treatment of various diseases. She is compared to a plantain! Fresh leaves perfectly heal wounds and heal ulcers. The decoction helps with diseases of the intestines and stomach.
An essential oil with a delicate aroma is also obtained from geraniums, which is used for medicinal purposes. It treats a runny nose, earaches, relieves muscle fatigue, back pain.

Video about growing pelargonium - geraniums

Here is such a useful and beautiful plant - pelargonium or indoor geranium. Grow on windowsills, and now you know how to care.

One of the most famous and often found plants in apartments is geranium. Some of the people call it "Kalachik".

It is loved by many gardeners for its lush and bright flowers and its unpretentiousness.

It is also allowed to grow a plant in the summer in flower beds, but for the winter it is taken to a room where it continues to delight its owner.

general characteristics

Geranium is also called pelargonium. It is translated from Greek as "stork" or "crane". This name was given to the flower because of the fruits formed after flowering. They have an elongated shape and are similar to the long beak of these birds.

There are about four hundred varieties of the plant all over the world and forty of them can be found in Russia.

In nature, there are annual and perennial specimens that can reach half a meter in height, and sometimes a little more. Their foliage is soft and fleecy - covered with small hairs and because of this it seems plush. The shape of the leaves is palmately lobed or palmately dissected.

The flowers are quite large and collected in lush inflorescences. Can be single or terry. Shades may vary. There are red, pink, white, crimson, purple colors. From home flowers, the most popular can be distinguished:

fragrant geranium - with the presence of a characteristic aroma, which may vary due to varietal affiliation (there may be an aroma of lemon, wormwood, vanilla, etc.);
ampelous geranium - its shoots hang down, so it is better to hang such varieties in a flower pot;
zonal geranium - has a double color of flowers, which is clearly separated from each other;
royal (royal, English, noble or domestic) - a distinctive feature of this species is the presence of a dark spot, which is present on all large flowers and their petals;
angels - belong to a separate variety and are distinguished by a long flowering period and a pleasant aroma;
garden large-rhizome - has a well-developed root system and belongs to the garden species. The flowers are bright red.

In addition, there are a large number of hybrid varieties. You can even grow them yourself.

flower care

For those who have recently become involved in gardening, the unpretentious geranium will be an ideal plant. Home care for beginner gardeners includes certain rules:

When growing geraniums in winter, home care remains almost the same, only watering is reduced and it is not fertilized.

Geranium transplant

Pelargonium does not respond very well to transplantation, so it is not recommended to transplant it often. It is best to change the pot as needed and no more than twice a year. The following reasons may indicate the need for a transplant:

the roots become too crowded;
the flower fades due to excess moisture;
with proper care, the development of the plant is not observed and there is no flowering;
The roots are starting to show up.

It is best to transplant a flower in the spring - it will be right. They produce from the end of February to April, but this is not particularly important. You can transplant a flower at any other time, even in winter, but the plant will take more time to take root.

Reproduction methods

When caring for geraniums at home, many people want to know about the methods of breeding it. There are two methods of reproduction:

seed method;
cuttings.

The seed method of planting is more suitable for breeding new varieties. And in order to end up with new bushes, cuttings are planted. In addition, rhizome propagation is suitable for more experienced flower growers.

Planting seeds is carried out in early spring. Before this, the soil should be treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. This will help protect the plant from possible diseases. Purchased soil is suitable for planting, to which sand and humus are added. Planting material is scattered over the surface of the soil, which should be slightly loosened. From above, they need to be sprinkled a little with earth, and then covered with a film to create a greenhouse effect.

Seedlings need to be placed in a warm place. After the seedlings get stronger, they must be planted and further grown and cared for according to the standard scheme.

You can also grow new geranium bushes from cuttings. It is better to do this in the spring. To do this, a stalk is cut from the top of the plant, on which 3-4 leaves will be present. Then it should be put in a container with water and wait until it takes root. After that, the cutting should be planted in the ground. After a while, it will take root.

plant diseases

Geranium is a houseplant that is rarely damaged by pests and diseases. It's all about its specific smell. However, in rare cases, certain problems may arise:

Gray rot - it's mold. If such a problem occurs, then the affected foliage should be removed immediately. At the same time, stop watering the plant and treat it with antifungal drugs.
Root rot - can appear with too frequent and abundant watering, when the soil does not have time to dry out. With such an ailment, the flower dies.
Aphids are common pests of a black or green hue that prefer to settle on the underside of the foliage. To get rid of pests, insecticidal products intended for indoor plants are used. Such drugs are used in accordance with the instructions on the package.
Powdery mildew is a fungal infection of the flower, in which the foliage and stems are covered with a white coating. This happens when the humidity is high, when the room is too warm. They fight the disease with a solution of copper sulfate or ammonium nitrate, etc.

Poisonous drugs to combat diseases may not always have a favorable effect on the plant, so the concentration of solutions should be lower. It should be remembered, if you decide to start a geranium flower, how to care for it at home and how to water it.