Extracted from Fisser America's Geranium Care Information
The editor answers your questions about geranium trivia, extracted from Fisser America's Geranium Care Information, let's follow the editor and take a look!
In the classification of geraniums, there are two main types: upright geraniums and trailing geraniums. Upright geraniums are also divided into two types:
1. Geraniums propagated by sowing are often referred to as "hybrid" geraniums. This type of geranium has single-petal flowers, smaller inflorescences, and flowers that fall off easily. Sow-type geraniums are mainly used for mass planting. Since the inflorescences can fall off naturally, there is no need for manual removal of spent flowers.
2. Geraniums propagated by cutting are often referred to as "zonal" geraniums. This type of geranium is stronger, with semi-double flowers, forming larger flower balls and a variety of colors.
Home care for cutting-type geraniums
Things to know before planting
Remember, the variety you choose must have good branching and a compact plant shape. They should have well-developed root systems, fresh green leaves, and new flower buds. Please do not have mercy on plants with long, slender branches, yellow leaves, and poor root development (brown roots).
Before transplanting, do not let your chosen plants dry out. If you cannot plant them immediately, put them in a bright place, but remember to avoid direct sunlight. Never leave them in a dark place for more than a day, such as a garage. Geraniums are light-loving plants. If the plants are kept in the dark for more than two days, their flower buds will wilt and the leaves will turn yellow. If you unfortunately do this, these poor things will need a month to regenerate new flower buds.
Planting containers and media
The containers used for planting must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before use. The size of the container should be 1.5 to 2 times the diameter of the pot opening of the purchased flowers. This means that if you buy a flower planted in a 6-inch (about 15 cm) pot, you should move it to a big house of 9 to 12 inches when transplanting. And if three 6-inch flowers are to be planted together, they can live in a container of 14 to 16 inches.
The soil for planting geraniums should have good drainage. If planted in a container, a good quality potting mix should be chosen. Please do not use garden soil or cheap potting soil for its health. The best choice is peat mixed with perlite and vermiculite. However, if the soil contains incompletely decomposed bark or small wood chips, you should choose another potting mix!
If you plan to plant them in a flower bed, remember to loosen the soil and add 30-50% peat to improve the soil's drainage. Also mix in a dry fertilizer at a rate of 1-2 pounds per 100 square feet. If you don't use dry fertilizer, you can also choose a slow-release fertilizer.
Regional environment
The light requirement of geraniums varies with the region.
In North America, for example, in the northern United States and Canada, geraniums need at least six hours of sunlight.
In the central United States, they need to ensure four hours of sunlight.
In the southern United States, 2 to 4 hours is sufficient.
In the south, if there is sufficient sunlight and the daytime temperature is above 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius), and the nighttime temperature is above 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius), geraniums will show yellowing leaves. It is best to provide some shade at this time. Generally speaking, the most suitable growing temperature for geraniums is 70-85 degrees Fahrenheit (20-30 degrees Celsius) during the day and 55-65 degrees Fahrenheit (13-18 degrees Celsius) at night. If the daytime temperature exceeds this range, it is best to provide shade during the hottest part of the day. Although geraniums are native to the dry and hot southern Africa, they can withstand high temperatures of 90-95 degrees Fahrenheit (32-35 degrees Celsius), but they will not achieve their best growth under these conditions.
Planting
Do not transplant geraniums at the hottest time of the day. The soil used for transplanting should be the same as the original soil. After transplanting, water thoroughly.
If possible, place some covering material, such as bark chips, on the potting soil after transplanting. This helps to retain moisture and prevent the potting soil from drying out during the hottest days of summer.
Watering
Geraniums prefer a relatively moist soil environment. After watering thoroughly, it is best to wait until the soil feels dry before watering again. If possible, avoid giving them a shower.
Do not overwater, as this can easily cause root rot in your geraniums, especially when they are still young seedlings and the weather is阴暗 and cool. This is because the plant's water demand is very low at this time. Unless it is growing strongly and the weather has warmed up.
When the plants are in the growing season, if the soil is dry, a light rain or spraying the leaves is not enough to provide sufficient water for geraniums. And at this time, geraniums will not show signs of dehydration like most bedding plants.
Fertilizing
Geraniums are fond of fertilizer and need to be fertilized regularly. All fertilizer packages will have three numbers indicating the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. The most important of these is nitrogen (the first number), as this element is essential for plant growth. Therefore, when choosing, pay attention to choosing fertilizers with a nitrogen ratio of over 10. For slow-release fertilizers, you can mix them into the soil needed for planting before transplanting. Or place it under the plant after planting.
However, it is generally difficult to know when the fertilizer has run out. When geraniums show signs of malnutrition (reduced flower production, smaller inflorescences, yellowing leaves, and slower growth, etc.), they have actually been "hungry" for several weeks. And it will take several weeks to recover.
If using a slow-release fertilizer, although it is said to last for 9 months, it may only have 6 months of effectiveness in the hot summer. Another better method is to use water-soluble fertilizers. If the plants are completely dry before fertilizing, remember to water with fresh water first, then fertilize. Otherwise, the plant's roots may be burned by the fertilizer.
During the growing season, on the hottest days, the young leaves of shield-leaf geraniums may turn yellow. This is caused by high temperatures leading to a lack of iron in the plant. Some varieties may be more severe. If your shield-leaf geraniums are不幸 to have this condition, you can water with ferrous sulfate or amino acid chelated iron solution. The dosage can be referred to on the fertilizer packaging. However, in the hottest summer, applying 4 ounces of solution per 100 gallons of water every 3-4 weeks can make new leaves green.
Removing spent flowers and leaves
It is important to clear the spent flowers and leaves from the plants every week, especially after heavy rain.
The entire flower stem should be removed from the joint of the main stem, especially when the environment is humid. This can prevent the onset of fungal diseases. Avoid damaging the main stem when removing flower stems and dead leaves.
If the branches are too long, they can be pruned appropriately.
Tip
· If geraniums have few flowers, it is usually because they are not getting enough light;
· Many geraniums are overwatered in the cool and rainy spring and underwatered in the dry and hot summer. Overwatering can cause the bottom leaves of geraniums to turn yellow, and there will be tiny yellow water spots on the leaves;
· If the entire plant looks yellow, it is because there is not enough fertilizer;
· If you see tiny holes on the flower buds, your geraniums may have been infested by aphids. What you should do is choose an environmentally friendly and least harmful pesticide to kill them.
The detailed explanation of the translation from Fisser America's Geranium Care Information provided above is for reference only!