One of the most common flowers in gardens and balconies is the geranium, which gives life to any corner with its thousand and one colors. It is a plant that resists well, even high temperatures, and very easy to care for. After reading this article, you do not have any doubts about how to care for geraniums.
How to care for geraniums?
Geraniums are a very strong and resistant plant but that does not mean they do not need any attention. As you may have noticed throughout the reading of this article the care of Blue hydrangeas.
Step 1:
The most important point and the one that should have absolute priority when it comes to taking care of your geraniums have to do with light. This plant needs a lot of light throughout the year and one of its great advantages is that the direct action of the sun’s rays does not harm it. It is for this reason that geraniums are usually chosen to decorate balconies, terraces and gardens.
Do not be afraid to place them outside because of the high temperatures as they are capable of holding up to thirty degrees Celsius. You should only take some kind of precaution if you live in too hot a climate. If the usual temperatures exceed the limit of thirty degrees it is recommended that during the hottest hours you place them in a place with some shade. In the same way, it is also unadvisable to place them in the shade continuously because this way the plant will not grow leafy.
Step 2:
The ideal, as you can guess from the previous section, is to place your geraniums outside. If you do not have a place to do it, you can store them at home but you should place them next to a sale that, if possible, is oriented to the south, so that they receive the maximum possible amount of light.
Step 3:
On the other hand, these plants do not support the cold well. During the winter if there are frosts you must protect them. If they are planted in your garden you can try to cover them with plastic, creating a kind of home greenhouse. If you have them outside but they are planted in pots, it is best to set them at home. That yes you must take minimum precautions and keep them in a place with plenty of light, ventilation and without heating.
Step 4:
With regard to the frequency of watering, geraniums do not need much water so if you are a forgetful person you should not worry much since you do not need to water them too often. When more water these plants need is in summer. Obviously, this is related to the higher summer temperatures, but also to the fact that it is at this time when they bloom.
During this time you should water your geraniums two or three times a week. During the spring and autumn, you can decrease the frequency and water only once a week and finally, in the winter, if you lose all your flowers you will not need to water them more than once a month or even less. You can check the need for water from the plants through an examination of their land. If the soil is very dry, the geraniums have exhausted all the water and need more.
Step 5:
Watering the geraniums is a very simple operation but you should try not to water them from above by wetting their leaves and flowers and you should try to pour the water directly on the lower part of the stem and the roots. These precautions are necessary because their flowers are very sensitive to the oxidation process that can cause decay of their color, although it does not influence the health of the plant.
If your plants are in the open air they will find themselves under the action of rain. You can try to protect them by placing them under plastic, but if for whatever you can not do it, do not worry, remember that the water on their leaves and flowers does not cause them any damage, only weakens their color.
Step 6:
As you do not need much water you must take special care not to flood them as they could rot and die. For that reason, it is more advisable that your small ones water them little.
Step 7:
It is also advisable, linked to the previous point, that you use clay pots. These pots will help to ensure good drainage as the substrate does not become too compact. As in the care of any other plant you should try to make the substrate lose and oxygenated. For this, it is convenient that you change it, at least, once every two years. Try to perform this activity in the spring, so that when the plant begins to bloom in the summer it makes it healthy, exuberant and leafy.
Step 8:
You can fertilize them during the summer to help them while their flowering takes place. For this purchase fertilizer for geraniums or some generic. There is a great variety and offer, surely in your florist shop they can advise you. Make the fertilization every fifteen days.
Step 9:
For new buds to emerge you can prune them in late winter or early spring. And you can reuse the remains of the pruning to planting new geraniums since this plant reproduces very easily through the cuttings.
Step 10:
It starts the dead leaves throughout the year. It will help them grow more healthy.
Finally,
One of the great dangers that threaten these plants is insect pests. You can buy many chemicals to eliminate these discomforts but I would recommend that you refer to a more natural option. There are many home remedies to scare away pests. One of the most common is to make a nettle macerate although there are many others such as onion infusions or lemon remedies.
