Geranium in a pot: how to care at home to bloom, tips for beginners, whether it is possible to keep on the street, how to reanimate, as well as a photo of the plant

Home geranium or pelargonium is one of the most popular indoor plants. She comes from a hot African continent, so she loves the bright sun and does not tolerate excessive watering.

In modern conditions, when it is possible to easily acquire a wide variety of exotic plants, geranium is no longer popular. However, due to its exceptional bright color, this houseplant can compete with many modern exotics.

Geranium attracts with lush and bright flowering. The care is simple and not capricious. In order for her to please every year with a magnificent hat of inflorescences, it is necessary to find out all the rules of agricultural technology.

Description and types

Geranium is a representative of the Geranium family, moving to a comfortable home environment. She admires the variety of colors and shapes of the leaves. It came to Europe in the 17th century, along with other plants from Africa. Geranium was liked by local breeders who created many interesting varieties. A beautiful and hardy houseplant has spread throughout the world.

Perennial growing in pots, has leaves of a rounded core shape. Their color depends on the variety, it is represented by all shades of green. The stem is erect, petioles are long, the root is branched.

Reference! Peduncles long, flowers collected in a brush. The range of shades includes red, white, pink, lilac. Each flower consists of 5 petals. After flowering, a box is formed. In shape, it resembles a beak of a crane.

For breeding in pots, several types of geranium are used:

ampelous or curly - used for growing in hanging flower pots;
fragrant - a lush bush with small flowers and leaves that produce a pleasant aroma;
royal - a tall plant with large bright flowers, terry or simple;
zonal - the most common type, its distinguishing feature is colored circles on the leaves.

Plant Growth Features

When you get acquainted with pelargonium, you need to know its addictions. What does this perennial love? In addition to the specifics of irrigation, the choice of place and soil, it is worth noting the need for fresh air.

Geranium growing in a pot, with the onset of the warm season, is taken out onto the street. It can be a balcony, terrace or garden.

In autumn and winter, it is necessary to regularly ventilate the room. This is the best prevention of the spread of fungal diseases.

Priming

The soil in the pot should not be too fertile, otherwise the green mass will grow without flowering. You can buy a ready-made substrate, created specifically for geraniums. Soil for geraniums needs loose and moderately dense.

You can cook it yourself, you will need:

leaf (turf) earth;
peat;
sand.

Components are taken in equal proportions. It turns out a light mixture with a neutral or slightly acid reaction.

Tip. The roots of geraniums need air to receive it in sufficient quantities, loosen the earth after watering.

Choosing the best place

Pelargonium needs good lighting all year round. A pot with a plant is best placed on the south or east side. In winter, artificial lighting is required. Use luminescent or phytolamps. Geranium needs coolness, in summer the recommended temperature is 18-25 °, in winter - 13-15 °. It is not advisable to lower the temperature below 10 °.

How to water?

The irrigation fluid should be soft, a lot of salts contained in tap water can destroy the shrub. It is defended for 2-3 days or cleaned with a filter. In areas where a good environment, rainwater can be used for irrigation.

Temperature - room temperature, cold water provokes root decay. Humidification during the growing season is required every 2-3 days. Good drainage in the form of expanded clay layer at the bottom of the pot will help to avoid stagnation of water. Excess fluid that drains into the pan is drained immediately.

How often to water? An accurate watering schedule is created individually, taking into account the size of the pot and the temperature in the room. The main thing to consider is the rule that the next wetting is done after the topsoil has dried. In winter, the amount of watering decreases (how to care for home geraniums in winter and whether it can be moved to the basement can be found here). Spraying to the plant is contraindicated. Pelargonium supplementation is required in spring and summer, during the flowering period.

Transfer

Geraniums do not require frequent transplants; they are performed in two cases: a cramped pot or soil contamination. The signal for transshipment into a new pot is the germination of the roots through the drainage holes. The new container should be 2-3 cm larger in diameter. The use of ceramic pots is recommended. A drainage layer of expanded clay or gravel is necessarily poured at the bottom. In the process of transplantation, it becomes possible to inspect the root system. Sick roots are cut off.

Important! The optimal period for the procedure is early spring. Plants tolerate stress without problems, perceiving the transplant as a stimulation of development.

Read more about how to transplant geranium at home, read in our material.

Pruning and pinching

One of the main features of the content of pelargonium is the need for trimming and pinching bushes. Procedures are carried out at the end of February. Before the start of an active vegetation.

Trimming provides several positive points:

allows you to get rid of dead and diseased parts of the plant;
stimulates the growth of young shoots;
prevents the growth in the middle of the plant, which leads to poor air exchange and lighting.

A sharp knife is used for cutting, the cut is performed on a leaf node with a kidney. When removing infected branches, it is necessary to capture at least 5 cm of a healthy area. Slices are treated with fungicide ("Topaz") or crushed charcoal. After the growth of the lateral shoots on 3-4 leaf nodes, they pinch (tear off the top). From the leaf sinuses, the growth of new branches will begin, on which peduncles are formed.

Having completed the formation of the bush, the plant is fertilized. Feeding with nitrogen, which stimulates the growth of geranium, is suitable. Information. Cut off cuttings are used for propagation. In February-March, the greatest likelihood of rooting of the processes.

We talked in detail about how to cut geranium so that it is fluffy here, and from this article you will learn how to pinch a flower correctly so that it is healthy and beautifully blossoms.

Watch a video about the secrets of pruning pelargonium:

Beginner Errors

Novice gardeners often choose a large, spacious pot for the plant. It is not right. In such a capacity, geranium grows roots without long tying buds. The geranium pot should be small, then flowering will begin faster. Preparation for spring flowering should begin in the winter. It is recommended to keep geranium in a cool place during this period. A plant standing in a warm room often does not bloom for years.

How to care to bloom?

Large buds, abundant and prolonged flowering - this is the dream of every lover of geraniums (on how to properly care for geraniums at home, read here). Help the plant in our power. During the laying period of geranium buds, more nutrients and trace elements are required. In addition to special fertilizing with fertilizers, the use of pharmacy iodine is recommended (how to use iodine with hydrogen peroxide for feeding geraniums can be found here). A solution is prepared in a dosage of 1 drop of iodine per 1 liter of water. The drug is thoroughly mixed to evenly dissolve. 50 ml of the composition is used at a time. Watering is done along the edge of the pot.

Advice! To prolong flowering helps timely removal of faded peduncles. Potassium-phosphorus fertilizers will help to stimulate flowering. They dissolve in water for irrigation. Feeding geraniums is performed with an interval of two weeks. In winter, fertilizers are not needed.

Watch a video about using iodine for lush flowering of geraniums:

Photo

Below are photos of potted geraniums:

Problems and diseases

Diseases that cause pelargonium can be divided into two groups:

arising from violations of agricultural technology;
infectious.

Reference! The first group includes deficiency and excess of trace elements, freezing, sunburn or drying out from high temperature. These problems are not contagious; they concern one plant. A common misfortune of pelargonium is the appearance of yellow spots on the leaves.

The causes of the disease are different:

only the tips dry and turn yellow - lack of moisture;
leaves wither, rot and fall - overflow of soil;
pallor and yellowness of leaves, elongation of shoots - lack of lighting;
adaptation after transplantation can provoke a painful condition.

Chlorosis is a violation of photosynthesis due to iron deficiency. The disease is manifested by a discoloration and growth retardation. Similarly, the lack of other elements affects - magnesium, nitrogen, potassium. The solution is a mineral complex with all the necessary components.

Infectious diseases affect immunocompromised plants. Pelargonium is most often infected with fungi or bacteria through waterlogged soil. At the first manifestations of rot or other damage, it is recommended to isolate it. Black fungus is common among fungal infections. The disease affects young cuttings, less often adult plants. The stalk will have to be thrown away, and the top is cut off from the geranium and rooted.

Gray rot is manifested by wet spots on the leaves and peduncles. For its treatment, fungicides are used. The most dangerous root rot, it is later detected. In the advanced stage, the plant cannot be saved. The fungus completely corrodes the root tissue.

Pests rarely attack geraniums. But on weakened plants, one can notice a whitefly, aphid, and mealybug. Infected plants are treated with insecticides: Aktara, Fitoverm, Actellik. The consequence of the use of insecticides and fungicides may be the drying of all.

How to reanimate?

In the event of a fatal state of the plant, some manipulations should be done:

It is necessary to remove all affected leaves, leaving only the stems.
Take the geranium from the pot and examine the root. If it is in order, the plant can be revived.
The root is carefully freed from the old soil in which the chemical preparation is present.
A pot of a similar size is prepared, filled with a moist substrate.
Geranium is planted in new soil. The pot is placed in a bright, cool place.
After a few days, the earth is moistened with a solution of "Epina", a growth stimulator that helps to cope with stress.
After the first leaves appear, it is recommended to take them out to fresh air or rearrange them in a sunny place.

Geranium is not only a beautiful indoor plant, pleasing with long flowering. Its aroma has a calming effect, improves sleep. Growing geraniums in a pot will not cause problems if you immediately follow the recommendations on the conditions of detention.