Geranium cultivation
Main content introduction: Information about geraniums, including geranium cultivation. Detailed introduction for you as follows
It's getting hot, I don't know if the geraniums can survive strongly in the future. When I have free time, I want to share my experience and lessons in cultivating geraniums over the past few years with flower friends. Please don't throw bricks at me for any mistakes.
I have been cultivating geraniums for 3 years, spent a lot of money on lessons, and sometimes felt disheartened, but the joy that geraniums bring me is greater, so I have continued to cultivate them. Especially this year, by July 18th, they were all doing well, with some geraniums having more than 20 flower spikes at the same time, which was very spectacular. I really like it!
I summarize my cultivation experience, which mainly includes the following points:
Firstly, after the beginning of spring, it's essential to take care of the roots of geraniums. Without a strong root system, everything else is just a waste of time. Geraniums must be given enough base fertilizer. I use a mixture of garden soil and earthworm fertilizer for the pot bottom, and on top, I use peat and perlite. I bought 20 bags during a promotion (5 yuan for postage) and added slow-release fertilizer. Usually, I alternate between using Bizaung and Seaweed Extract for root irrigation. I usually prune in autumn, change pots, and add base fertilizer, which seems to work well. The plants grow strong and sturdy, like small trees, taking up a lot of space.
Secondly, starting from March, it's necessary to water some flowering fertilizer, considering that geraniums don't do well in the summer. The seedlings I bought died without blooming. Instead of just letting them die, I want them to show off their beauty before they do. So this year, the geraniums are all blooming well. Now it's late July, and some are still blooming brilliantly, which is one of the reasons I love geraniums. I mainly use Biokaihua, which has a good flowering effect, and I also use a small amount of Huaduoduo No. 28.
Thirdly, in autumn, it's important to prune geraniums heavily to effectively control their shape and encourage new growth. In the past two years, I started heavy pruning at the end of September, changed pots, added base fertilizer, and did cuttings, but the results were not good. The survival rate of the cuttings was very low, and many branches were wasted. Based on our local weather, starting heavy pruning in mid-to-late October, changing pots, adding base fertilizer, and doing cuttings works better. I plan to do this this year.
Fourthly, many of last year's geraniums were eaten by insects. Learning from this lesson, I have been watering with flower protectant at intervals this year.
Fifthly, during the growing period of geraniums, it's important to thin the leaves, removing yellow leaves, old leaves, and残花 (residual flowers) in a timely manner. As long as they are well-ventilated, they will be fine. After the plum rain season, I always water with flower protectant to minimize the damage caused by bacteria.
Sixthly, watering is a key aspect of cultivating geraniums. In the past, I would water without paying attention, usually every two days. Now, I often listen to the experiences of flower friends, combine it with my own location and weather conditions, especially the characteristics of each plant, and water accordingly. For those with good root development and in full bloom, I water frequently and thoroughly. For those with average root development and slow growth, it's a different story. I think it's best to water when the soil is completely dry. I have a red Pandora that dried out too much and damaged the roots, but fortunately, I noticed it in time and cut off the dying branches, and it has recovered.
This year's cuttings should focus on those that bloom frequently, beautifully, and are easy to manage. Looking at the geraniums I have, the ones that bloom frequently include all the seeded varieties and large-flowered ones. Especially 10119 is both beautiful and blooms continuously from April. Many have more than ten flower spikes, such as seeded geraniums, Red Pandora, Hongwan, 10119, Ribwan, Haibian, T70, Hanging Carnation, Viola, Swiss Star, Rococo, Fenwan, King, Princess, Carmel, Blue Witch, and many other bowls.
The above information about geranium cultivation (flower friend's experience) is introduced in hopes of helping you. Don't forget to check out more flower cultivation experience and knowledge!