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Planting, Growing, and Caring for Geraniums
Growing
How to Care for Geraniums
- If planting in the ground, add a light mulch to cover the soil to cool the root zone.
- Allow soil to dry to some extent between waterings, then water thoroughly. Over-moist soil does more damage than under-watering. Do the finger poke; if it鈥檚 dry at 1-inch depth, then water. Do not water from overhead nor splash the foliage when watering, or you鈥檒l invite disease.
- Deadheading is important for continuous bloom throughout the summer. Deadhead all spent blooms. Also, deadhead after heavy bloom or a strong rain. One reader shared a tip, 鈥淔or continued reblooming, finger pinch just below the spent flower as much as possible. I did, and each of my pelargoniums bloomed from spring into fall year after year.
- To promote bushiness and curtail legginess, pinch back the stems.
- During active growing months, fertilize every 2 weeks or so. Use a water-soluble fertilizer at half-strength. Don鈥檛 fertilize in winter, when the plant should be dormant.
- If you鈥檙e bringing in the plant for winter, water much less, but do not let the roots dry out entirely. Geraniums do best when given a period of dormancy through the winter months, during which they use less water and do not grow much. See below for more overwintering instructions.
- Geraniums can be repotted in spring to encourage new growth鈥攐r, if they need to be refreshed.
Overwintering Geraniums
- Geraniums that have spent the summer outdoors can be kept as houseplants, provided they get lots of sun. In northern climes, the sun may not be strong enough in late winter to stimulate buds on some varieties.
- Before the first fall frost, lift the plants and, using a sharp, clean knife, cut the stems back in a shapely fashion to about 6 to 8 inches. They should not have to support great masses of leaves in the low-sunlight environment they are about to enter. Save a few stems as cuttings to root鈥攁n easy way to multiply your plants.
- Transplant the 鈥渕other plant鈥 to the smallest pot possible鈥攅nough to just fit the roots鈥攗sing regular potting soil to fill.
- Keep the plants in the shade for a week, then place them in a sunny spot (they need all the sun they can get) and keep them cool.
- During winter, geraniums grow best with night temperatures of 50掳 to 60掳F (10掳 to 16掳C) but will survive if they drop to 32掳F (0掳C) and/or rise above 80掳F (27掳C), as long as they are kept relatively dry.
- When new growth appears in the spring, cut off all the old leaves.
The only thing more difficult than achieving new growth is keeping it. And here鈥檚 some help with that:
- Water is only available when the leaves show signs of drooping, and only small amounts are provided. Do not fertilize or feed the plants. It is critical that these plants get rest.
- If you want your overwintered geraniums to bloom for Memorial Day, pinch them back in February. Once warm weather returns and all danger of frost has passed, take the plants outdoors and transplant them to beds or pots, as you wish.
Catherine Boeckmann
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This info has been very helpful. They bloom several times a year but get quite leggy. I may have watered too often, but what do I do when it rains on them? Something also eats some of the buds. I live in Southern Calif.
They usually get leggy while being overwintered. Outdoors, it could be a sign that they are not getting enough light (they like full sun), and they naturally grow leggy during the bloom period. You can rejuvenate them by cutting them back hard. They should be fine if it rains as long as the soil is well draining; they should not be sitting in pools or soggy soil. As for what’s eating the buds…Japanese beetles can cause some damage. Rabbits eat the flowers…it could be that they nibble on the leaves. Deer will eat almost anything.
They have grown well...but now the leaves are curling does that mean they are getting too much water;...I live in Florida....need help....
Hi Genny,
Yes, the cause could be from too much watering, though it could also be from general inconsistent watering (e.g., too much then too little, too little then too much, off and on watering, etc…). The best way to deal with this problem is to begin a consistent watering regiment. Allow the soil around the plant to dry to 1 or 2 inches deep, and then water well. Wait until the soil returns to the same dryness, and then repeat. Hopefully, the plant will begin to recover over time. If not, the problem may be more serious and be caused by a fungal disease. We hope this helps!
Hi, I have been asked by a family member overseas to gather some info. She has a Canadian variety of a geranium for a number of years. Her plant is very full and she would like to divide it. Can she do that by just separating the plant itself and re-potting both halves? Thanks for any help :)
Yes, you can divide them. They are quite hardy but will recover. I would first trim the plant back by no more than a third and wait a week for it to recover, and then dig it out and observe.
Cut with sharp blade, perhaps many new plants, pot up in good soil or in ground, keep shaded initially and water well. Keep an eye on them!! They will tell you what they need.
Luck
I would like to read a complete sentence without a tractor or some other dumb ad in the way.
I like the way you present information, but please make sure the ads do not block out the text.
Thanks
The rabbits have started chewing on my geraniums they have chewed them almost to a point what do I do to stop them they were so beautiful now they look awful help please!
I buy cayenne pepper in large quantities from the big box stores. I find sprinkling this around my plants keeps the bunnies at bay.
