Potted geranium care: aspects to consider

potted geranium care at home

Geranium is one of the most popular plants in Spain. It resists drought and heat well, in addition its flowers are also responsible for decorating and lighting gardens and balconies in the middle of the country. In addition to being cultivated for its beauty, the geranium has a very special aroma. They are easy to maintain, suitable for beginners in plant care, and can withstand almost all pests and diseases well. The potted geranium care They are not very complicated, but require some prior knowledge about them.

Therefore, we are going to dedicate this article to tell you what are the main cares for potted geraniums and their characteristics.

Key features

potted geranium

There are more than 240 species of geranium In the scientific sense, they can flourish throughout the year in temperate climates. If we want them to grow in a healthy way, we must be very careful in their growth stage. In this way, we can make the beautiful geranium flowers brighten our entire look. That’s it, the geranium is recommended to be outdoors. According to Feng Shui, it is best to avoid growing these plants indoors.

However, many people choose potted geraniums. Therefore, we must focus on the care of the potted geranium instead of planted in the garden.

Potted geranium care

potted geranium care

Geranium is a very popular plant, With a few simple care, beautiful flowers can bloom in summer. Geranium is a plant that requires a lot of light. Ideally, it should receive direct light for several hours a day, which will also enhance its flowering. Of course, you should avoid direct sunlight during the hottest hours of the day. In this way, the ideal situation is to place them in a sunny or semi-shady place.

Taking care of the light is very important, and watering the geraniums is too. The most important thing is not to abuse water, because it is the enemy of your health. The trick to knowing how much water our geraniums need is to always keep in mind that the substrate is slightly damp. Even so, it is important to avoid soaking the plant with waterAfter watering, remove the remaining water from the dish, as this can cause the roots to rot.

The most common are potted geraniums of about 30-40 cm in diameter.. In this case, it is recommended that we pay in spring and summer. Also, someday there will be no need to transplant them, because geraniums are relatively small plants.

Regarding fertilizer, for this type of plants, we can choose between solid and liquid. The ideal is to start using it in spring, although it can also be done throughout the summer, with a frequency of once a month. These are some types of fertilizers recommended for geraniums:

  • Organic fertilizer. Anyone can be used to grow geraniums: compost, humus, green manure, bird droppings … just add a handful to each plant and mix it with more soil.
  • Fertilizer (chemical fertilizer). They are used to make geraniums bloom. It is recommended to use one specified for geraniums. Make sure to read the label on each fertilizer carefully to find out how much to apply.

Potted geranium care: maintenance and flowering

pretty plants

The pruning of geraniums is usually done in autumn, but in summer to help the next flowering we must remove the dry leaves and withered flowers. Already in autumn we can do general pruning, although it always depends on the growth of geraniums. For this reason, we recommend cutting the thinnest and weakest branches directly from the base. We only have to leave the strongest side buds. About five days after pruning, new branches sprout and bloom later.

If we take proper care of it, geraniums can live up to 40 years or more. For geraniums to flourish properly, they need many hours of light. Therefore, if you have a very bright balcony, take the opportunity to plant geraniums in that corner. Of course, Try to get some shades in the afternoon to avoid overexposure and eventually decay. The ideal temperature for this type of plant is between 18 and 20 ºC.

If the geraniums are unable to flower, the most likely cause is a lack of sunlight, too much fertilizer, or a low temperature. Also due to pests, geraniums may not bloom. If the plants are infected, the best way is to spray the geraniums with a fertilizer solution diluted with water, at least once a week.

Plagues and diseases

There are some pests that can affect geraniums quite a bit:

  • African butterfly (also known as a geranium drill). We generally find these insects when it is hot, and the average temperature is around 20º. The main problem with this butterfly is that its invasion is silent. True, it does not cause direct damage, but if it lays eggs, caterpillars will appear and affect the stem. In this case, the first thing to do is remove the damaged and invaded part of the geranium and use a specific insecticide. A tip: to prevent the appearance of these pests is to use preventive pesticides to care for geraniums.
  • Geranium whitefly: These insect bites can damage the leaves (due to the strong green color of the leaves they are attracted). Another way to detect this pest is to see if there are cottony white spots under the leaves, which are whitefly larvae. They can be removed by hand or with insecticides. Neem oil will help you.
  • Red spider: This pest feeds on the sap of geranium leaves and produces small yellow spots that cause the leaves to curl up and then dry out. To avoid this pest, it is best to use insecticide during the colder months.

But the geranium will not only be attacked by pests, but also many diseases will affect its growth and subsequent flowering:

  • Geranium rust: This disease causes yellow spots on the leaves, similar to pustules. These suddenly release a series of spores after 15 days, which eventually kill the plant. To prevent this from happening, use a fungicide and remove the plant before the pustule opens to prevent it from affecting other geranium plants.
  • Leaf spot– For this disease, you will see some water spots on older geranium leaves, which are like blisters and spread over the leaves. To repair it, remove the infected leaves and chemically treat them with fungicides.

I hope that with this information you can learn more about the care of potted geraniums.

Potted geranium care: aspects to consider

2 thoughts on “Potted geranium care: aspects to consider

Leave a Reply

Scroll to top

Discover more from DIY Gardens

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading