How to care for geraniums at home

Indoor geranium is of two types: ampelnaya and compact cluster. Curly and squat varieties are grown on window sills in ordinary pots. Home plants have large and bright flowers, oblong fruits and a pleasant aroma that repels insect pests. The most popular species is zonal geranium, but gardeners grow both fragrant and royal varieties. The flower belongs to the group of unpretentious plants, but even he needs the right care.

Ultraviolet

Ornamental bushes of geranium, which is also called Pelargonium and Crane, live on southern windowsills in winter. A plant devoid of ultraviolet light is drawn out, and its leaves and inflorescences become small and faded. In the spring, the indoor flower moves to the southeast window. Here it is until late autumn.

In summer, the geranium sunbathes in direct sunlight. Pelargonium is not afraid of burns, it actively absorbs ultraviolet light and turns it into energy. Geranium is not recommended to put in the shade, otherwise the bush will become sluggish and weak, will not be able to resist the fungus and insects. The main thing is to turn the pot daily so that the light falls on all sides of the crane.

Pelargonium does not like only the midday summer sun. The liquid from the leaves and petals under the influence of unscattered UV light evaporates, burns remain on the surface. From 12 noon to 14–15 o'clock, the geranium pot is removed from the window sill and placed on a shelf or stand next to the window so that muffled sunlight falls on the bush.

In winter, pelargonium must be illumined with phytolamps. Special equipment, which is sold in garden stores and department stores, compensates for the lack of natural ultraviolet radiation. Lamps increase the length of daylight and provide geraniums with the artificial sunbeams necessary for photosynthesis. The leaves of Pelargonium, devoid of ultraviolet light, turn pale and fall off, and the new ones grow small and inconspicuous.

Watering

The ornamental bush belongs to drought-resistant plants. In the root system, which is constantly poured, a fungus appears. Mold provokes rotting of the flower, leads to its death. With a shortage of water, the stems and leaves acquire a pale green hue, and the inflorescences become small and deformed.

In winter, the substrate in a pot with geranium moistened three times a month. In spring, the frequency of irrigation is increased by 2–2.5 times. In summer, water is added after the topsoil has dried. In the hot months, the flower is watered every 2–3 days.

The root system of pelargonium reacts negatively to impurities of heavy metals. Harmful additives reduce the quality of the substrate and slow down the metabolic processes of geranium. Soil moistened with thawed or distilled water. Liquid from the crane defend at least 3-4 days. Only the top layer is drained, with a minimum of harmful additives. In summer and autumn, they collect rainwater.

Geranium can not be sprayed from the spray. It is well tolerated by low humidity and dry air, but can get sick because of the water droplets left on the leaves and the stem.Water heated to room temperature is poured directly onto the root. Use plastic bottles or special watering cans with a thin spout.

Watering is reduced by 2-3 times, if:

• the leaves became sluggish;
• a white or gray bloom appeared on the bush;
• the substrate exudes an unpleasant putrid odor;
• the stem of the geranium is blackened;
• leaves or roots rot.

A flower infected with mold will save only emergency transplantation into a new pot with a dry substrate.

Pelargonium leaves can not be washed or wiped with a damp cloth. Remove dust with dry sponges. In a pot intended for an ornamental shrub, there should be drainage holes. The geranium root system accumulates as much water as the flower needs for normal development. Excess flow into pallets. Remains of moisture poured. In stagnant water mold actively propagates.

Temperature and feeding

Geranium at +12 and below drops leaves. Bare shrubs are defenseless and weak, at sub-zero temperatures they die. In winter, pelargonium rests at + 13–15. The plant hibernates and is restored.In the spring and summer, the room in which the geranium pot is located keeps the temperature from +18 to + 24-25. To reduce the degrees helps the container with cold water or pieces of ice, which is placed next to the plant. The liquid gradually evaporates, increasing the humidity of the air and protecting the root system of the ornamental shrub from drying out.

Top dressing in the winter is made every 1.5–2 months. The flower, which is in the stage of hibernation, does not need recharge. A large dose of mineral fertilizers triggers vegetation, which weakens pelargonium. The frequency of dressings increases from early spring to 1 time per week. In the substrate make the feed, which contains micro-and macro:

• nitrogen;
• zinc;
• potassium;
• boron;
• manganese;
• phosphorus;
• calcium;
• iron;
• copper.

Mineral fertilizers provide vigorous flowering and stimulate the growth of the root system. Use complex make-up, for example, "Merry Flower Girl". At home, prepare funds from nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, mixed in equal proportions. But homemade options do not give the plant all the necessary components.

Organic fertilizers are contraindicated. Feeds diluted with water in a ratio of 1 to 4.Too concentrated means burn the root system of the flower. Fertilizers are applied after abundant watering so that they are better absorbed. Stimulants do not use during heat. High temperatures in combination with mineral water - stress for pelargonium.

In the new land make additional feeding after 3–3.5 months after transplantation. The ornamental shrub is fertilized in the morning in order to absorb useful components during the day.

Shaping and trimming

At the end of November, pelargonium, which has dropped the last petal, is prepared for winter. Remove the upper part of the bush to provide air access to the lower sheets and protect the plant from fungus. Late autumn, they also cut overlapping branches, which interfere with each other and slow down the development of geranium. Indoor flower cleaned from sick, dry and rotting parts.

Removal of dead zones and tops spend a sharp shears or a knife. Before cutting, the blade is wiped with antiseptics or pure alcohol. Next to the pot put a bowl with crushed activated carbon. Sprinkle the cut sites with a sorbent to prevent germs and fungus from entering the open wounds of the plant.Disinfecting powder is also prepared from charcoal.

5 cm recede from the rotting or infected area. The diseased area is removed along with a piece of healthy branch. Green shoots pinch with clean fingers. The procedure is carried out when 4 leafy nodes are formed on the young twig. After 12 weeks, flower stalks form from them.

Pruned and branches directed to the outside. The upper part of the shoots are removed with sharp scissors, leaving only leaf nodules with buds. The procedure does not allow the branches of geraniums to grow inside the bush. If there are too many shoots, they will close the substrate and root system from the sun, creating favorable conditions for mold growth.

Planned trim for the formation of pelargonium spend autumn. Parts of a plant that are too long or deformed can be removed in spring. In the summer and winter, they refrain from the procedure in order not to injure the geranium. The exceptions are branches and shoots affected by fungus or rot. They are removed immediately to prevent the spread of infection.

Geranium storage in winter

Pots with cut geraniums are stored in a warm room with low air humidity. Protect bushes from pests, fungus and drafts. The room is periodically ventilated.Fresh air is needed by the plant for recovery and normal development. Soil loosened and check how much water in it. The substrate must be slightly wet, but not wet, otherwise the root system will begin to rot.

Dry house geraniums:

1. After the wilting of the buds, the ornamental shrub is removed from the pot. Do not prune.
2. Several geraniums are tied together and hung from the ceiling.
3. In the room intended for the storage of pelargonium, the temperature is maintained from +3 to +8.
4. Humidity should be at least 75%. Flowers are periodically dipped into water at room temperature so that the root system does not dry out.
5. In early spring, more than half of the ornamental shrub is cut. Indoor flower planted in a pot with a prepared substrate, watered and fertilized.

If all the rules are followed, the geranium will have new shoots and flower stalks with a large number of large and bright buds.

Substrate and pot

Pelargonium survives in wooden boxes, plastic and ceramic pots. But the parameters of the pot should correspond to the size of the root system of the plant.Young geraniums are planted in small pots, and perennial old bushes - in large boxes. The main thing is that the roots occupy the entire capacity. In the empty land, mold is often wound up, and insects multiply.

Replace ornamental shrubs in a loose substrate that allows air to pass through. The soil for geranium is prepared at home from four components:

• leaf and sod land;
• peat;
• coarse sand.

When choosing a pot, preference is given to clay variants with drainage holes. Plastic varieties retain water in the substrate, so mold appears in such pots more often. A crushed brick, expanded clay or grated foam must be poured at the bottom of the geranium container. The drainage layer protects against stagnant fluid and fungus.

The soil before irrigation is loosened with special spatulas to saturate the substrate with oxygen and check the level of humidity.

Additional recommendations

Geranium transplanted in two cases:

• When she outgrew the pot, and the root system looks out of the ground.
• In the soil due to abundant watering wound fungus.

Transfer carry out in the spring or in the fall. Pot before the procedure, dabble the boiling water. During the adaptation period, the plant is not watered or fertilized.

In the summer, a pot of pelargonium is carried out on the balcony or loggia, left in the garden under the trees. The flower loves fresh air, but even from a small draft can die.

Geranium with the right care annually pleases bright buds. On some peduncles up to 30 buds are formed. Pelargonium is one of the best options for beginners and forgetful gardeners, because it endures drought, direct sunlight and even heat. The main thing is to feed and trim the ornamental shrubs in a timely manner, periodically water and loosen the substrate.

Video: proper care for geraniums