How to help pelargoniums (geraniums) survive the summer safely
For many girls, knowledge of family gardening, especially how to help pelargoniums survive the summer, is detailed below.
Often, gardening friends ask what measures should be taken to protect pelargoniums from the summer heat? This is actually a problem that troubles many gardening friends.
However, quite a few gardening friends have their own solutions to this problem, and we hope that everyone can share their experiences and tell us how you arrange your pelargoniums in the summer.
Here are some random thoughts I've written:
First: Do not let the pelargonium pots accumulate water in the hot summer, and the soil medium should be able to dry quickly, such as peat soil + perlite + a small amount of plant ash, avoiding soil media like the moisture-retaining "Jueyin Liangtu" as much as possible.
Second: There is a saying that has been repeated many times: the most important thing for pelargoniums in the hot summer is ventilation, ventilation, and ventilation.
Firstly, for gardening friends with a courtyard, it is easy to achieve ventilation. Pay attention to keeping pelargoniums semi-shaded and not let their roots be in a water-logged environment, and basically, they will be safe. In the summer of 2006, during the hottest days in Beijing, I saw several hanging pelargoniums in bloom in Haiming's courtyard, which made me feel that connecting with the ground is really different. Besides surviving the summer, pelargoniums are actually very easy to grow, so gardening friends who keep them outdoors don't need to read further.
Secondly, for those living in apartments with good north-south ventilation, because of the good ventilation conditions, placing pelargoniums all on the north balcony (unenclosed is best) to avoid direct sunlight and controlling water and fertilizer can also be worry-free. (Gardening friends who place their small pelargoniums on the outdoor window sills are also included in this category)
Lastly, the most difficult situation for pelargoniums is living in a poorly ventilated enclosed south-facing balcony, which easily leads to stem rot and complete death. As I plan to write a summer survival guide based on my own experience this autumn, I won't write much more for now. I'll take a shortcut and copy my previous posts here...
My pelargonium summer survival guide:
1. Use wooden pots (can't guarantee 100% survival, but 90% is not a problem)
2. Drill more holes in the plastic pots for better aeration, allowing the soil to dry quickly
3. Use a藤条 (vine) basket, but be careful of the water spreading everywhere
4. Other methods, such as one that borrows the root irrigation method of clematis and another that borrows the wick watering method of African violets, will be summarized after practice in the autumn.
Here are some summer survival experiences from other pelargonium enthusiasts, hoping to give everyone some inspiration:
Gardening friend: yanzt
1. Do not expose to direct sunlight 2. Ventilation 3. Do not let water accumulate.
For me, in the summer, I definitely can't put them in the current place, which is正好 in the southwest corner of the balcony, exposed to direct sunlight and high temperatures. I plan to put them all against the wall of the balcony where there is a window for ventilation. The platform where pelargoniums are placed will be used for heat-tolerant flowers like "Ri Ri Chun"...
Gardening friend: Zhou Zhi Zhou
They will die without watering. Can you go without watering for three months? If you don't water for the first month, the roots will dry and wither. If you have some compassion and water a little in the second month, the roots won't absorb it, and the bubbles will naturally rot. If you don't water for a long time, they will either rot or turn into kindling. Hahaha~ Ventilation is the solid principle. It's not necessarily about shade, coolness, or less water. As long as there is ventilation and a bit of shade, it's perfect. Can you put them outside? Even on the south window, I've tried it, and they didn't die, just a bit battered.
Gardening friend: Cattleya
I wasn't home for more than a week last year, and no one watered them. When I came back and watered them, they died... Last year, I mostly put them either outside the window or near the gauze window. There were fewer cases of black rot.
Gardening friend: Lan Xue
Have you been rained on? Especially those heavy or continuous rains? After the rain, the temperature rises rapidly, and the high humidity, combined with wet potting soil, can easily cause black rot in pelargoniums. Even without rain, continuous high humidity and heat are also bad for them! Be careful when watering during such weather!
Gardening friend: Wei Lan De Hai
I had a fan on during the day (set for a few hours), and after work at night, I turned on the air conditioner for a few hours. I watered after 10 p.m., almost once a week, and none of them died.
Gardening friend: ronnie123w
An early pelargonium enthusiast's experience of "watering a small amount along the pot wall, allowing the water to quickly reach the bottom of the pot" is a simple and effective method if there are not many flowers.
Gardening friend: Chang E Ben Yue
My greenhouse is equivalent to a south-facing balcony. My hanging pelargoniums are placed in the outdoor garden and have safely survived the summer for several years.
Gardening friend: Wei Lan De Hai
I had a fan on during the day (set for a few hours), and after work at night, I turned on the air conditioner for a few hours. I watered after 10 p.m., almost once a week, and none of them died.
Declaration: What I've written above are experiences shared by other gardening friends, and I hope they can be helpful to everyone!
The introduction above on how to help pelargoniums survive the summer safely hopes to bring a little help to your life!