Grow Geraniums

Geraniums grow in riotous reds, pretty pinks, wondrous whites, passionate purples...the list goes on. Needless to say, they are the perfect addition to any garden, windowsill, or pot. Follow these steps to learn how to grow and care for your own beautiful geraniums.

Steps

Planting Your Geraniums

  1. Pick out the right spot to plant your geraniums. Whether you are planting your geraniums in the ground or in a pot, geraniums are generally one of the easier plants to take care of. They can be planted in spots that get full sun, partial sun, or light shade. Generally, geraniums are happiest with five or six hours of sunlight a day, though this number can be a bit more or a bit less. It is best to plant geraniums in soil that drains well. Geraniums don’t really like getting their feet too wet and soggy soil could lead to a sick plant.[1]
    • If you live in an area that is really hot a lot of the year, try to find a spot that gets afternoon shade and has relatively moist soil.
  2. Get a pot that has holes in the bottom, as geraniums do not like sitting in soggy soil. Buy a pot that is large enough for your plant, depending on the variety of geranium you bought. If you have a smaller plant, you may be fine with a {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} pot, while larger varieties will need a {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} pot.
  3. Pick the right time of year to plant your flowers. The National Gardening Association recommends planting geraniums in Spring, after the last hard frost. Depending on the type of geranium, the plant may bloom in midsummer, late summer, or fall, though sometimes the flowers have a mind of their own and they’ll burst into bloom in spring. Regardless, be prepared for their beauty to pop up anytime but winter.
  4. Prepare the garden bed. Geraniums flourish in soil that has been tilled and is loose. Use a tiller or rake to ensure that the soil is loose a good {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} down. After loosening the soil, mix in {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} of compost to give the soil as much nutrients as possible.
  5. Give each plant enough space to grow. Depending on the type of geranium, you will want to separate each plant by {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} to {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} in distance. If you have picked up a larger variety of geranium, you will want to give each plant a good {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} of space to grow.
  6. Dig holes for each plant. Each hole should be roughly double the diameter of the plastic pot that the geranium is contained in. For example, if you bought a geranium that came in a 6-inch plastic pot, you should make a hole that is {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} in diameter.
    • If you choose to grow your geraniums from seeds, sow them directly into the ground. If you do choose to use seeds, know that your plants will take longer to grow and blossom. If you are sowing seeds in a pot, start your pot off indoors while the seeds take root. Once the seeds begin to sprout, you can move the pot outside.
  7. Place the plant in the hole. Gently take the geranium out of its container, making sure to not break any of its roots. Place the plant in the hole so that the plant’s root ball (the bundle of roots that have been squished together in the plastic container) is level with the surface of the soil. Fill the rest of the hole up with soil and pat the soil down around the plant so that the geranium can stand up on its own. Water your plant immediately.
    • Try to avoid putting soil on the stem of the plant, as a buried stem could lead to a rotting plant.

Caring for Your Geraniums

  1. Water your plants as needed. Geraniums are considered relatively drought resistant, but that doesn’t mean you should never water them. To tell if your plants need to be watered, check the soil. Use your fingernail to scratch just below the surface of the soil--if it is dry or barely moist, you should water your flowers.[2]
    • For geraniums in pots, make sure that you give them enough water. Water the plants until the water runs out the bottom (hence why you need holes in the bottom of your pot.)
  2. Keep the compost flowing. Each spring, you should add a new layer of compost around your geraniums. Place {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} of mulch on top of this layer of composted soil. The mulch will help to keep the soil moist, and will also reduce the number of weeds brave enough to grow around your geraniums.[3]
  3. Keep your plant healthy by removing dead flowers. After the flower has bloomed, remove the dead flowers and parts of the plant so that it can regrow healthy and strong. Remove leaves and stalks that have died (they will be brown in color) so that your plant does not grow any fungus (which appears on dead parts of plants.)
  4. Separate your plants every three to four years. Once your plants have grown large (and most likely extended their boundaries a good deal,) you should separate the plants. Divide the plants in late spring. To do this, lift the plants (and their roots) out of the ground, separate the plants by the clumps they have grown around their stems, and replant them.
  5. Fertilize with liquid fertilizer such as 20-20-20 or 15-30-15. Follow the directions on the fertilizer to know how much and how often to fertilize. Try to keep from getting fertilizer on the plant leaves.



Tips

  • Geranium plants can be rooted. Break off a stem and remove the bottom leaves. Root in rooting medium as you would other cuttings.
  • Grow geraniums by themselves in containers or mix them in with other plants to make garden containers. Geranium flowers blend well with lots of other plants.

Things You'll Need

  • Geranium plants or Geranium seeds
  • Fertilizer
  • Containers
  • Water
  • Rooting medium

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.garden.org/plantguide/?q=show&id=2050
  2. ↑ http://www.gvgeranium.com/care-of-geraniums.html
  3. ↑ http://gardenhobbies.com/flower/geranium.html http://gardenhobbies.com/flower/geranium.html

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