How to water geraniums at home in winter? 18 photos How often should you water? How to properly organize wick watering of pelargonium in a pot

Which pot of geranium will be most comfortable in?

The growth dynamics of the plant and the peculiarities of its flowering will directly depend on the size of the pot. If you choose a container of small size, you can count on a bright and long flowering, small pots are suitable for young sprouts. Large containers force geraniums to intensively develop their root system; the advantage of this approach will be the abundant growth of the greenery of the flower. The best solution would be a pot with a diameter that varies from 12 to 14 centimeters, and the height does not exceed 15 cm.

IMPORTANT: If you only have a large pot or box, the way out is to plant 2-3 geranium cuttings in it, it is important to plant them at a distance of about 5 cm for the pot, and 20 cm for the box .. Plant roots gradually fill a container of any volume, so we strongly do not recommend choosing large containers initially, because

transplanting the plant subsequently will have to be even more in the container. And it will be more difficult to control the height of the flower

The roots of the plant gradually fill a container of any volume, so we strongly do not recommend choosing large containers initially, because transplanting the plant subsequently will have to be even more in the container. And it will be more difficult to control the height of the flower.

It will not be necessary to change the geranium house often. About once every 10-12 months, a plant is transplanted, or when the flower becomes clearly crowded, this is determined by the density of the greenery. Make sure that the new pot is 2-3 cm larger than the previous one. Do not choose rectangular pots. Water will collect in the corners, which will impair ventilation and can lead to mold.

Transplanting a flower from such a container can easily damage the roots. The pot should be stable, especially if a cat likes to sit on the windowsill or you have small children. The pallet is usually included in the set of the pot, but if you have to buy it separately, make sure that the product is wide with high sides

It is important that the bottom of the pot has drainage holes, and the pot itself is opaque, the roots do not like ultraviolet exposure very much

How to plant geraniums without roots

Geranium can be planted without roots. To do this, you need to properly cut off the stalk and prepare a light substrate or other material in which rooting will take place without problems. Whichever method of rooting you choose, follow the general rules: cuttings need heat, light and moderate moisture of the substrate. And no bags or cans on top.

Rooting in the ground

Rooting cuttings in the ground is the most common way of breeding pelargonium:

Cut the apical cuttings 7-10 cm long with 4-6 leaves. Make the cut at an angle. Remove the bottom leaves and dry the cuttings, leaving in the air for 2-3 hours. The cut should be covered with a film.
Prepare small containers (200 ml plastic cups), make drainage holes in them.
Place drainage on the bottom, on top a light soil consisting of sand, peat and perlite. Moisten the mixture slightly.
Use a wooden stick or pencil to make a hole in the ground. Place the stalk there, 3-5 cm deep, and gently tamp the soil around.
Place the container with the seedling in a light and warm (at least +22) place. It is not necessary to cover the planting of geraniums, arranging a semblance of a greenhouse.
Water the plantings from below, through the pallet.
Rooting occurs in 2–4 weeks.
When the plant has grown real leaves and has strengthened, pinch the top bud so that the side buds develop.Then the bush will turn out to be lush.
If the pelargonium was rooted in late summer or autumn, transfer to a new pot and more nutritious soil in early spring.

Pelargonium lovers assure that cuttings of ordinary off-grade geranium root perfectly without stimulant treatment. But if you have a capricious plant, treat the cut before planting, dip it for half a minute in a solution of Epin, Kornevin or other root formers.

Video: transplanting a rooted cuttings into a permanent pot

Another option is to germinate in water first.

Geranium cuttings can also be rooted in water. Most often, the roots appear and grow quickly, it is interesting to watch this process. However, the method has a significant drawback: "water" roots do not always successfully adapt to the soil. Some of the cuttings die after relocation to the soil.

How to root cuttings in water:

Pour the settled water into a container with a layer of 4–5 cm.
Pour crushed activated carbon into the water to avoid decay.
Place the pre-dried cuttings in water.
Change the fluid every other day.
Roots usually sprout after a week.
Then transplant the cuttings into a light substrate.

Diseases and pests of geranium

Pests

Aphid. A way to avoid the appearance of aphids on pelargonium is to put a fragrant geranium next to it. Its smell will scare away the pest.
Whitefly. By itself, it is not dangerous, but its larvae, of which there are a lot, feed on leaves. Accordingly, the flower begins to die. You can get rid of it with a tool like Aktara.
Spider mite. Remove all damaged leaves (twisted). Rinse the leaves with lukewarm water, cover with a bag, and leave for two days. From such moisture, the spider mite will die.
Termites. Not dangerous for young pelargonium, unlike old geranium. They love its thick, rough stem.
Nematode. There is no point in fighting her. The plant is destroyed.
Root worm. Appears when the soil is too wet. First, it destroys the roots, then the stems, and then the leaves begin to curl. Only a pelargonium transplant will help.
Mealybug. If you notice that sticky white clots have appeared on your plant, then this indicates a pest attack. In this case, a special solution will help you. To do this, take twenty milliliters of alcohol, twenty grams of laundry soap, and a liter of warm water. Mix everything, wait until it is completely dissolved. Before spraying, wipe off areas of the pest with a wet sponge.

In this article, you learned about the varieties of geraniums, as well as about the conditions of care. Remember that if you follow all the rules, the plant will delight you all year round.

Features of winter content

Timely watering and proper care allow amateur flower growers to achieve excellent results. Thanks to competent care, geraniums will delight with their lush flowering and will decorate any interior. In order for the plant to be healthy and beautiful, it is necessary to properly care for it. Especially in winter.

Geranium or, as many gardeners call this plant, pelargonium is a very unpretentious plant.

In addition, many growers are accustomed to spraying the plant with water during the hot season. But spraying in winter can seriously harm the health of the plant. Therefore, if you want to preserve the health and beauty of your favorite home plant, then you should familiarize yourself in more detail with the rules for caring for it in the cold season.

In winter, you need to try to create the most suitable and comfortable conditions for geraniums, which will save the plant and protect it from diseases. It is worth noting that there are some varieties of this flower, which, with proper care, delight with their lush flowering even in winter.

Remember that this type of plant should be kept in a cool place in winter. Therefore, it is not necessary to move it to the warmest room in the same way as it is impossible to place it next to heating devices.The optimum temperature during this period is +9.10 degrees Celsius. In a too warm room, geranium can continue to actively grow and bloom, which ultimately will lead to the depletion of the plant itself, and in the spring this will negatively affect the general condition of the flower.

In addition, do not forget that geranium is very fond of light. If, in winter, keep the flower in the shade or in a room with partial darkening, then in the spring the plant will not delight you with lush flowering.

In the event that there is not enough light in the room, then you will have to equip it with additional lamps, otherwise the geranium leaves will begin to wither, turn yellow and fall off strongly.

The frequency of watering in winter should be definitely reduced, otherwise excessive humidity will lead to such serious problems as rotting of the root system. As a result, due to improper watering, the plant may die.

In the cold season, this type of home plant needs feeding, which should be carried out 1 time in a month and a half. This will maintain the health and beauty of the flower itself.

Proper care and maintenance of a plant in winter is the key to beautiful, healthy flowering and growth in spring.

If you want your beloved geranium to become even more magnificent with the onset of warmth and delight you with numerous flowers, then in winter it is very important to carry out proper pruning. Any florist, even a beginner, can cope with this task.

By the way, the trimmed tops of this plant can not be thrown away, since they can be planted.

There is a high probability that after the winter transplant, the plant will not take root and die. In addition, transplanting during the cold season significantly slows down the growth of even a healthy plant.

How to care for geraniums at home

Another name for this flower is pelargonium. It is generally accepted that pelargonium is just that thermophilic perennial plant that hibernates in an apartment. Of course, in the summer, it can please the eye in the garden, but with the first cold weather (in the fall), pelargonium is brought home, into the warmth. It is believed to be a flower of aristocrats, although ordinary people also love to grow geraniums. Now she is not very popular: many consider her old-fashioned. Pelargonium's delightful splendor and vibrant coloration, though, rivals many houseplants.

Geranium leaves have a specific smell that not everyone will like. Geranium itself is not too whimsical to care for.

Watering mode: winter - summer

In summer, watering should be generous so that the plant does not dry out from the heat. However, you do not need to flood the plant, because it will die from this. If the leaves are lethargic and rotting, gray mold appears on them, the stem turns black, then this indicates that watering must be urgently reduced. Otherwise, the root may die, especially if the rot has already begun. Many gardeners classify geraniums as drought-resistant plants, however, they warn that if the plant is poorly watered, it will not please with abundant flowering. Therefore, you just need to keep an eye on the earthen lump, and water the plant as it dries up. In summer, the earth can dry up every day, and maybe every other day. However, watering is not as frequent in winter.

Illumination requirements

Geranium is a light-loving plant. No florist will argue with this statement. The southern sunny windowsills are the best place for a beautiful geranium. Although the flower can endure partial shade. If the geranium is constantly exposed to hot sunlight, the leaves may get burned - this is undesirable. At lunchtime in the summer, it is better to remove the flower from the windowsill. When planting geraniums in the garden in summer, find a well-lit place, but closed: geranium does not like wind and drafts. If the geranium will stand in the shade, then small foliage is all you can count on. Blooming is out of the question.

Temperature regime

The temperature regime for pelargonium starts from +12 C.If the temperature drops below this mark, then there is a danger for the flower: the leaves droop, the stems become bare. Pelargonium may soon die. And at the same time, in winter, geraniums should not be in too hot conditions, otherwise it will not bloom later. Normal room temperature is most acceptable.

Air humidity

Experienced growers say that air humidity is not so important for pelargonium. The flower can tolerate both dryness and humid atmosphere. Although water spraying is negative. Perhaps, good soil moisture in the summer is the most important thing. Geranium prefers fresh air, so it is very hardy. In the summer, you must definitely take it outside, or at least place it on the balcony.

Flowering in such conditions will be simply amazing, and the plant itself will seem to rise.

Fertilizer, top dressing

Fresh organic fertilizers are excluded immediately: geranium does not tolerate them. Fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in equal doses are suitable. Potassium is very useful for flowering. However, you should not allow high concentrations of these substances in the feeding. Geraniums necessarily need various trace elements (copper, calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, manganese, boron). Pelargonium fertilizers are suitable for indoor flowers: they can be purchased at a specialized flower shop. The "Merry Flower Girl" is very popular for geraniums and balcony plants. You can also purchase fertilizer "For flowering plants".

During hot weather, fertilizing is not worth it, as the plant is under stress. It is necessary to fertilize the geranium, first transferring it to the shade. You don't need to use liquid fertilizer if the soil is dry. Water the flower first. After all, all fertilizers have the ability to burn the roots in dry soil. Twice a month: this is the frequency of fertilization. This is especially true in spring and summer: from the beginning of warm May to the end of September.

Geranium propagation

The tops of geraniums remaining after trimming can be used for its propagation. Cuttings take root best in spring, but good results can also be obtained in autumn.

Propagating geraniums by cuttings is the easiest and fastest way to replenish your flower collection. In the first summer after rooting, young plants will bloom and retain all the properties of the mother flower.

So how to propagate geraniums and root cuttings? After you have pruned geraniums, select young shoots from the "scraps", the stems of which did not have time to stiffen. If the cut is long, then you can divide it into 2-3 shoots 10-15 cm long. Now the shoots need to be rooted in water or in the ground. The second method is the most reliable. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to root a pelargonium stalk with a 99% success rate.

Rooting geranium cuttings by planting in the ground

Cut off the stalk under the bud, then break off or cut off the bottom two or three leaves.
We leave the cutting alone for 5 minutes, so that its base dries a little.
Put a layer of drainage 1.5-2 cm thick in a prepared pot with drainage holes.
Next, we fill the soil into the pot by about 2/3. What kind of substrate is right? You can take a ready-made universal soil for flowering indoor plants or prepare a soil mixture yourself according to the following recipe: sod land 50%, sand 30%, peat 20%.
We make a hole in the center of the soil with a pencil, plant a stalk into it to a depth of 5 cm and compact it with earth.
Water the cutting with a solution of some fungicide, for example, Fitosporin (diluted at the rate of 15 drops per 1 liter of water to make the composition the color of tea brew), then add a couple more handfuls of soil and tamp it slightly.
We put a plastic bag on the pot and leave it for 3 weeks in a place with sufficient lighting.

The first fertilizing can be done no earlier than 3 months after planting the cuttings.

Rooting geranium cuttings in water is easier but less effective.Here's a step-by-step guide:

Pour about 100 ml of water (settled or filtered) into a small container;
Lower the base of the cutting into water to a depth of no more than 1.5-2 cm. Deeper immersion is fraught with decay;
Put a couple of activated charcoal tablets in a glass;
Place the cup with the handle in a place with sufficient lighting, but not in direct sunlight;
Change the water once a week. If it evaporates quickly, periodically add water to the glass. After about 10 days, you will see the first roots;
After about 45-50 days (but no more), when the roots grow up to 2.5-3 cm, transplant the cutting into a pot of soil according to the instructions for transplanting geraniums later in the article.

What is important to consider?

Taking care of begonias at home is not so difficult. The main thing is to take into account some factors and remember the basic rules. In order for the plant to feel comfortable in your home, the soil must be periodically loosened. This will help not only improve the performance of the root system, but also allow the soil to absorb moisture better during watering.

In the hot season, this flower should be watered abundantly. The remaining liquid must be drained through special holes in the container - this will avoid stagnation. In the cold season, the plant does not need frequent and abundant moisture. The plant needs to be watered less often and in no case should the earth completely dry out.

During the flowering period, begonia needs special attention and care.

During the flowering period, in no case should the soil completely dry out, otherwise the buds may not open, and the flowers will quickly wither and fall off. In the event that the soil has dried out by more than a centimeter, it must be thoroughly moistened.

As soon as the flowering period ends (as a rule, this is mid-autumn), the number and volume of watering should be reduced. Until you have pruned the flower, you only need to water it once a week. After pruning, the plant is watered even less often. It will be possible to return to the previous regime only when the first shoots, the first shoots appear.

It is important to consider the type of begonia itself. For example, ampelous requires the most frequent and abundant moisture, especially during the flowering period.

Tuberous is very negative about abundant watering and stagnant water. As a rule, this type of begonias is watered only once a week, and too frequent watering can lead to rotting of the tuber.

Features of growth on the street

On the street, you can grow both annual geranium, which is more correctly called pelargonium, and perennial, the most popular among gardeners.

It loves warmth, so it is usually planted outside only for the summer months, and then brought into the warmth. In the garden, sunny areas are more suitable for her, but partial shade will not prevent it from blooming all summer. Some varieties for the garden:

ampelous (for flowerpots) Ville de Paris and Lachskonigin with salmon pink flowers;
Holstein with pink flowers;
Carnaval with scarlet double flowers with white splashes;
Le Pirat with dark cherry double flowers;
Sybil Holmes with large double pink flowers on the outside and almost white on the inside;
zonal (Zonal pelargoniums) - planted in the garden for the summer using container planting;
thyroid or ivy (Pelargonium peltatum) with creeping shoots;
Enzett Richards Schrader - double flowers are salmon pink in color;
Suprema - lilac flowers in the form of small roses;
Shimmer - large coral flowers.

Important! Perennial garden geranium, unlike pelargonium, is frost-hardy and is outdoors all year round.

A big plus of garden plantings of geraniums is that weeds grow poorly next to it due to the secreted essential oils.