Geraniums are easy-care perennials and can fit into your garden or be grown indoors. Do you love geraniums and want them to bloom all season long? You are in the right place ! In this article we give you the secret to enhance the flowering of this flowering plant and obtain leafy geraniums.
Why aren’t my geraniums blooming?
The garden or florist geranium, also called pelargonium, is a perennial flowering plant with evergreen foliage. This herbaceous of different colors blooms from April to October, but this beautiful blooming flower may not bloom due to poor maintenance.
If your geranium does not spoil you with its beautiful flowers, this may be due to the following reasons:
Without light
Pelargoniums are native to South Africa. Light-loving, it needs a sunny or semi-shaded position. Exposure to light helps geraniums to develop, but also to produce flower buds which will later give rise to flowers. In short, geraniums need exposure to direct light, about 6 hours a day. Don’t deprive your flowers of good weather!
bad watering
Irrigation is an important step for geraniums to bloom. Water is vital for all living beings on earth, but you have to be reasonable! If the soil is soggy, the roots of the plant may rot. This will make it difficult for the geranium to absorb nutrients from the soil and affect its ability to produce flowers. If, on the other hand, you water your plant very little, it will become dehydrated and will concentrate its energy more on its survival than on flower production.
Excess fertilizer
Fertilizers are a double-edged sword. They help fertilize plants and promote flowering, but they can also have the opposite effect if used in excess.
cold temperatures
Pelargonium is a not very resistant plant. This cold flower does not tolerate cold and frost. Incorrect temperature can cause flowering to be delayed or the flowering season to be shortened completely. So keep your plants warm to watch them bloom!
On the other hand, you can help your plant produce beautiful flowers by feeding it with natural fertilizers. Brighten your garden, terrace or balcony with the bright colors of this popular plant!
How to make geranium bloom again with brewer’s yeast?
Brewer’s yeast is a natural product, rich in minerals and vitamins, that is not only used in cooking. You can use it to feed geraniums and fertilize them. To do this, you can do the following:
- Dilute 2 teaspoons of brewer’s yeast in 3 liters of water;
- Transfer liquid fertilizer to a bottle;
- Use the solution to water your geraniums.
You won’t wait long to see the result. Use this fertilizer in spring and your geraniums will thank you with the appearance of flower buds.
What are the other tricks to get a beautiful flowering of geraniums?
To make geraniums bloom and obtain beautiful plants, you can use the following natural fertilizers:
Ground coffee to fertilize geraniums
Rich in nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, ground coffee can be used as fertilizer to help geraniums bloom. Use it in small doses, and in addition to another nitrogen-rich fertilizer, because the nitrogen content of coffee grounds is not enough for geraniums.< /span>
Vegetable cooking water for geraniums
Never throw away the cooking water of your vegetables! This water is rich in trace elements and minerals, very useful for nourishing your plants and fertilizing them. This natural fertilizer is as effective for the plants in your garden as for those indoors or those you have on your balcony or terrace. Of course, be careful dear readers, your plants do not like this soup if it is hot. Let this cooking water cool first before watering your geraniums with it. Also make sure it is not salty.
Banana peels to feed geraniums
Don’t know what to do with banana peels? Well, recycle them! Banana peels are rich in potassium , a very important mineral for flowering geraniums. It also allows to protect them from attacks by parasites. To do this, follow these steps:
- Gather banana peels;
- Dry them in the oven;
- Cut them into small pieces;
- Spread them on the ground once every two weeks;
How to have beautiful geraniums and keep them for a long time?
There is no magic formula! Just take good care of them. Whether you have a green thumb or not, we show you how to successfully maintain these flowers. Geraniums will no longer have any secrets for you!
Successful watering of geraniums.
For geraniums you grow in the ground, water them regularly for the first few weeks after planting. For geraniums in pots or window boxes, water them abundantly as soon as the soil dries out on the surface, during the flowering period. Be careful, don’t have too heavy a hand! Geraniums do not like excess. Starting in October, reduce irrigation until stopping it completely in winter. Avoid wetting geranium foliage when watering
Successful care of geraniums
To encourage flower production, prune geraniums regularly. To do this, cut off the leaves and flowers that have withered. Proper pruning will also help keep flowering plants healthy. Also keep in mind that geraniums like the sun. They like full sun or partial shade. They can even withstand high temperatures, but only if they are well watered. When it’s cold, protect these cold plants. Store them at a temperature between 5 and 10°C. Your plants will produce new shoots as soon as they receive heat again.
Thanks to this ingredient that you can easily find in your kitchen, you will fertilize your geraniums and promote a lush and colorful flowering that will not leave anyone indifferent! What are you waiting to try it?
How to cut geraniums?
To take cuttings from a geranium, these are the steps to follow:
- Choose a healthy stem 15 cm long with at least 5 leaves and not yet flowering.
- Cut the stem just above a node with disinfected scissors.
- Remove the shoots and lower leaves, keeping the upper leaves.
- Let the cutting soak in water for a few minutes.
- Fill a pot or bucket with a mixture of soil, peat and river sand or a special soil for cuttings.
- Plant the stem in the substrate, avoiding breaking it.
- Tamp the soil around the plant and water it.
- Keep the soil moist with regular watering.
To optimize the chances of a successful cut:
- For a summer cut, take the cut early in the morning.
- For spring cuttings, place them indoors or in a mini greenhouse until the temperature reaches 19 to 20°C. Remove the cap when blackheads appear.
- For cuttings in summer, place them in partial shade.
- During winter, store young cuttings in a frost-free, dry and sufficiently ventilated place.
- In spring, transplant the cuttings into the ground or into pots, planters or suspensions.
We advise you to make several cuttings instead of just one to have a greater number of geraniums and create a diversity of colors and foliage.