Planting, Growing, and Caring for Geraniums
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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’s dry at 1-inch depth, then water. Do not water from overhead nor splash the foliage when watering, or you’ll 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, “For 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’t fertilize in winter, when the plant should be dormant.
- If you’re 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—or, 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—an easy way to multiply your plants.
- Transplant the “mother plant” to the smallest pot possible—enough to just fit the roots—using 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° to 60°F (10° to 16°C) but will survive if they drop to 32°F (0°C) and/or rise above 80°F (27°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’s 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.
- Interspecific: zonal and ivy hybrids; nonstop flower producers
- Ivy (Pelargonium peltatum): named for a trailing habit and ivy-like foliage; single, semidouble, or double flowers; colors include bicolor, burgundy, pink, purple, red, salmon, and white. Very popular for hanging baskets, window boxes, and containers.
- Regal, aka ‘Martha Washington’ (P. x domesticum): bicolor burgundy, lavender, pink, and white blooms; fussy—prefers cool, wet, climate conditions to hot, humid, and/or sunny; inappropriate conditions will reduce flower production; often a houseplant
- Scented: foliage yields scent (cedar, lemon, lime, mint, orange, and rose) when brushed or rubbed; note that ‘Citronella’ does not repel mosquitoes; pink or white flowers are smaller than those of zonals. It can be addictive to collect them all. Learn more about scented geraniums.
- Seed: similar to zonals; propagated by seeds; slower-growing, shorter, more compact than zonals; smaller but more numerous flowers than zonals; flowers “shatter” (are shed naturally)
- Variegated: a form of zonal; bi- or tricolor foliage; tends to have fewer flowers than other zonal types
- Zonal (P. x hortorum): the most common form; “zonal” refers to patterns on the leaves that darken with maturity; propagated by cuttings; single or double flowers; colors include bicolor, orange, purple, red, salmon, and white. These thrive in containers (as well as outdoors).
Catherine Boeckmann
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I have no blooms on my geranium plants and I think I’ve overfertilized – what can I do to get the plants to start to bloom
I have potted geraniums do I water from the bottom or the top?
Just bought a geranium few weeks ago kept her inside all the time now l oticed her leaves are turning brown its my first one put her outside this morning she has white flowers with red stripes n am wondering if l should put her in a biggee pot is a claypot good to put her into? N put her inside or let her outside on my porch where she can get sun? Please advice n thanks in advance l live in thd Caribbean
Top, tepid, not cold water, until it runs out of the bottom.
Have two large geraniums but not enough sun in my house for winter, how can I over winter them for next year.I live in zone 4.
My poor potted plant looks like a 120 lb kid stomped on it. We are getting inundated with heavy rain and storms. I didn't know we were supposed to get hit with 6 inches. How do I get this pretty baby to dry out.
This is unfortunate. If the plant is in a pot, you could presumably take it in out of the rain (don’t mean to be obvious). If it’s in the ground, you could conceivable dig it up and transplant it into a pot for a while, but be aware that the shock, so to speak, of the move could slow its recovery only because it will take time for it to adjust. Finally, it could be a sign that your soil does not drain as well as it might—although 6 inches could inundate many kinds of soil. Other than that, you can let nature take it’s course.
Please help, my plants have yellow leaves. I don’t know if it’s over watering or under ? Or neither?
Thank you
Generally, yellow leaves are a sign of too much moisture, or overwatering. Let the plant dry out.
I bought some pretty white Pelargonium and put them in the conservatory, quite quickly they developed brown decay like marks on the white blooms.
I put them outside in May and teased out the brown bits then finally pruned out the most diseased looking stems. This had a goodish effect but it is still a probllem.
I bought some new pretty white Pelargonium for my warm conservatory. They dont have the brown so badly but they still have it. With these plants the brownness seems more natural cos there is less of it.
Would greatly appreciate any ideas. Am I doomed to having pink Pelargoniums?
Many thanks.
