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With the development of indoor floriculture, an increasing number of exotic plants are on sale. Of course, it is interesting to grow a novelty yourself, but do not forget the usual flowers. One of them was grown by many generations of our ancestors. And now in almost every house you can find the most ordinary geranium.
Yes, today we will talk about her. Someone carelessly waved his hand, they say, why in the pelargonium of this? Have you seen the latest breeding novelties? On a bush with three leaves, a huge hat of double flowers. Color from white to purple, all shades. And what foliage! Carved, motley, multicolor! These beautiful plants look a little like grandma’s geranium. If only a specific smell of leaves. With proper care, you can enjoy flowering almost all year round.
How to grow geranium at home? Agricultural machinery of any kind is very light. A little effort, simple care and the secret at which pelargonium begins to bloom - that’s the whole growing technology. But for those who are breeding this flower for the first time, we will describe everything in detail.
We grow geranium from seeds
It is believed that geranium seeds do not germinate well. This statement applies only to self-harvested seeds. If on occasion it was possible to purchase a bag of industrial production, then they have a germination rate of almost 100%.
Sow geranium in small cups, one at a time. Of course, if the matter is put on stream, it is better to sow them in a bunch in one container. True, then you have to dive. But planted one at a time will be enough to spud slightly.
The soil should be of classical composition. This is fertile garden land, clean sand and peat. Proportions 2 to 1 to 1. Large drainage is poured at the bottom of the landing tank. Of course, these are not two cobblestones. The size of the fraction is about 1 cm. They should not be neglected, since the root system of geranium begins to rot with excess water.
After drainage, fill the tank with soil to half. Moisturize it, put a seed, sprinkle with a layer of earth no more than 1.5 cm. Then you need to cover the glass with dense polyethylene or glass. Put in a dark warm place (temperature about 22 ° C) and wait for seedlings.
If everything is done correctly, and the seeds are viable, then the first sprouts appear after 9-11 days. After that, the shelter is removed, and the cup is transferred to the light and the temperature is reduced to 18-20 ° C.
They take care of young plantlets as well as adults.
We grow geranium from cuttings
Suppose that one of your friends cut his bush of varietal geranium, and gave the cuttings to you. What to do with them? Here are two algorithms for your actions:
- We cut off the two lower leaves, then put the stalk in water. Root buds should appear in a week. And after 14-16 days it is already possible to plant the finished plant in a permanent place.
- We cut off a couple of lower leaves. Dip the section of the stem into the root stimulator precisely and plant it immediately in a permanent pot. About 20 days do not touch the flower, only occasionally moisten the soil. After this period, an independent plant is obtained, ready to please you.
Absolutely any soil for geraniums, purchased or made independently, must be decontaminated. It is pre-shed with a strong solution of potassium permanganate. After 12 hours, calcined in the oven at a temperature of 110-115 ° C. You can pre-freeze the soil for 3 days if it happens in the winter.
These procedures will avoid the manifestation of many fungal and viral diseases.
About diseases and pests of geraniums
Despite the fact that the leaves secrete volatile, which kill a large number of microbes in the air, geranium itself is susceptible to certain diseases. As a rule, they arise from improper care. The main factors are insufficient lighting and excessive waterlogging of the soil. Often the sore begins with the root system, and then spreads to the leaves.
Most problems can be avoided by simply properly caring for the plant. But, if trouble nevertheless arose, then it is fashionable to try to save the flower. Here, systemic fungicide preparations will help. They are used strictly following the instructions on the packaging.
Tip. If it is not possible to save the plant, then try to save at least an unaffected stalk. From it you can grow a new flower.
Pests. With pleasure they settle on pelargonium. They are not confused by aroma or fluff on the leaves. Usually this is aphid, spider mite or whitefly. The rest of the enemies are indifferent to the flower.
The first two can simply be washed off with water with the addition of potash or laundry soap. But with the third misfortune a long and stubborn struggle is ahead. It is not easy to remove it, even using the strongest insecticides. Look on the net for articles on how to get rid of whiteflies, you will learn a lot of interesting things.
Where to place geraniums
The homeland of this beauty is South America. Therefore, a flower loves a lot of light. Moreover, he is not afraid of direct sunlight. So you can quite safely have pelargonium on the windows facing south. Lighting should be at least 14 hours a day year-round. In winter, you will have to use additional illumination for this. Geraniums have no periods of rest.
The first sign of a lack of light is the appearance of a red border around the edges of the leaves. Of course, if it is not provided by the feature of the variety. At the same time, lighting affects the duration of flowering, but only slightly. There is another secret for this, which will be described below.
How often to water geraniums
The plant does not belong to the succulent family, but it can accumulate a little moisture in the leaves. It does not tolerate waterlogging at all, but it feels absolutely calm during forced drought up to 5 days. Then he begins to spend moisture from the leaves and dump them. He will not need them anymore.
So that your bush does not bald prematurely, water the geranium according to the scheme: the earthen lump is completely dry and plus another 2 days. In winter it is about once every 15 days, in summer more often.
Be sure to drain excess fluid from the pan completely. In order not to climb each time with your finger inside the pot, feeling the soil, purchase special beacons to measure the level of humidity. They will change color when the earth dries enough. By the way, water should be at room temperature.
Top dressing
Geranium loves to eat. From February to November, she needs a regular dose of mineral fertilizers with a high content of potassium. But nitrogen can be added very little, otherwise you will get mighty foliage without a single bud. It is strictly forbidden to add organics; pelargonium does not tolerate it at all.
They feed the plant no more than once in 20 days, strictly on the second day after the main watering.
Geranium Formation
Pelargonium grows in height with cosmic velocity. If you miss a little time, then it can fly into a hefty tree. It is not very attractive aesthetically. In addition, the buds appear only at the ends of the shoots. Therefore, the bush must be formed from a very early age.
To do this, pinch the central shoot over 4 leaves. The stepsons are waiting for the appearance of the stepsons, then the tops are torn off and they also have 4 leaves. So do with all the shoots.Thanks to this formation, you will get a lush bush of spherical shape with a large number of buds.
If during the winter the plant was stretched, or the moment of formation missed, it is better to cut the whole bush to 3 leaves in spring. So stepsons will appear and you can again form the geranium beautifully.
By the way, do not throw away the trimmings. You can try to root them for subsequent planting. Or dry it in the shade and place it in cloth bags. It is good to lay out such blanks in cabinets; this specific aroma repels moths well.
The secret to flowering geraniums
And now the valuable advice promised above. They created all the conditions, look after, feed, highlight ... and the geranium does not want to bloom. What to do? Discover the main secret. Geranium begins to bloom only when the roots in the pot are almost gone. Sometimes the owners see that the roots are wrapped around the entire lump of land and in a hurry to transplant the pelargonium into a more spacious pot. And she, ungrateful, instead of buds, begins to build up the root system again.
How to do it right? In the spring we do not transplant the bush. It becomes crowded, it begins to bloom. With good care, it does this until the end of summer. When the last bud has faded, cut it off and only then transplant the plant. Moreover, the pot should be larger than the previous one by 1-1.5 cm. During the winter, the root system will again completely cover the soil lump and the cycle repeats.
That's the trick.
Useful Tips
- If the climate allows, then in spring you can plant pelargonium in the garden. In this case, it is advisable not to take it out of the pot, but to drop it directly with it. Otherwise, in the fall, you will have to call an excavator to dig a sprawling root system.
- Geranium absolutely calmly tolerates direct sunlight. But at air temperatures above 35 ° C it is better to shade it a little. Still, this is excessively hot weather, burning leaves and tops of shoots.
- By the way, in winter geraniums have enough content at + 16-18 ° С. From spring to autumn, it is advisable to adhere to at least + 21-22 ° C.
- The first sign that pelargonium does not like something is the yellowing of the lower leaves. But what exactly does not suit the beauty will have to be determined independently. Overfeeding with fertilizers, excessive watering, the onset of the disease - any of these factors is reflected primarily in the color shade of the foliage.
- If you are having difficulty choosing a fertilizer for pelargonium, then pay attention to those products on the packaging of which are labeled “for balcony plants”. It will be difficult to make a mistake here.
- Starting from the age of 2 years, when transplanting, the size of the pot does not increase. By the way, a flower can grow up to 10 years, or even more, if it is provided with suitable conditions.
- Old dried leaves and wilted flower stalks are not recommended to be torn off with your hands, because it is likely to damage the stem of the plant. It is better to make it a sterile sharp knife.
- Seeds collected independently do not convey the decorative qualities of parents to children. But do not despair. Maybe you can develop your own unique variety of geraniums?
- There is an interesting observation: if a person likes the smell of geranium leaves, then it means that he does not have everything in order with the nervous system, and it would be advisable to check with the appropriate doctor. Those people to whom the aroma is unpleasant have a strong healthy nervous system.
How to grow geranium at home? Quite simple and effortless. Do not treat pelargonium with neglect and it will thank you with clean air in the house and long bright flowering.
Video: how to grow indoor geraniums
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