Geranium Care Tips

Botanical Name: Pelargonium x hortorum

Easy geranium care and big, colorful clusters of showy blooms make these Pelargoniums favorite flowering plants for containers.

 

Whether you're growing geraniums indoors -- or outdoors on your sunny porch or patio -- Pelargonium hybrids can't be beat for spectacular vigor and bloom.

All summer, you can expect several flowerheads held on succulent stems to cover the plant.

The blooms may be single, semidouble or double, and are available in many shades of pink, salmon, red, purple or white.

Caring for Geraniums Year-Round

Let the sun shine. Plants that don't bloom aren't getting enough light. Give your geranium as much light as you can spring through fall, including direct sun. If you're growing geraniums indoors, put the plant in a sunny window.

Deadhead geranium flowers. Remove spent flowers to keep your plant looking neat and to promote more blooms.

Pinch and prune. Pruning geraniums will force new growth, bringing you more flowers. Use sharp pruners and cut at a 45° angle to avoid tearing the stems, which can attract disease. Cut stems back hard in spring to keep the plant compact. Pinching off the growing tips will encourage branching.

Repot in spring. Geraniums bloom best if slightly pot-bound. Move your plant to a pot 1 size larger or keep it in the same pot and just give it fresh soil.

Winterizing geraniums. Saving geraniums from year to year requires a cool winter rest. These are tender perennials that won't survive the frost. You can overwinter geraniums in a cool basement or garage with a minimum temperature of 50°F/10°C. During this rest, water sparingly, but don't allow soil to dry out completely. Allow the foliage to die back, then cut the stems back hard in spring.

With good geranium care, your plant will flower year after year. Geranium propagation from stem cuttings that root readily or from seeds, can easily grow your collection of these gorgeous flowering plants.

Geranium Care Tips

Origin: South Africa

Height: 1-3 ft (30-90 cm)

Light: Bright light to full sun

Water: Water thoroughly, then allow the top 1 in (2.5 cm) to dry out before watering again. Cut back on watering in winter, but don't allow the roots to dry out completely. Use a pot with drainage holes to prevent soggy soil, which can cause root rot.

Humidity: Average room humidity.

Temperature: Cool nights (55-60°F/13-16°C) and warm days (65-75°F/18-24°C) will trigger flower buds.

Soil: Peat moss-based soilless mix.

Fertilizer: Feed in spring and summer with a high-phosphorus fertilizer to promote blooming.

Propagation: Take stem cuttings in spring and early summer and root in fresh potting mix. Geranium seed is easy to grow, too. Sow seeds in early spring.