Gypsies care

These are the main characteristics of the gypsies:

• Its scientific name is Pelargonium peltatumalthough it is more commonly known as gitanilla or ivy geranium.
• Is a variety of geranium hanging, so it is common to see gypsies on balconies as a decoration.
• As they are not very invasive root plants, it is usual to grow them in small pots, so that the hanging gypsies drop their stems as they grow, adorning any space with their bloom.
• The gypsy flower It is not a large one, but its colors, of great diversity, are very showy, in addition to the plant producing a large number of these.
• Although strictly only the aforementioned species are gypsies, there are several types of fake gypsiesor misnamed like that, like Pelargonium grandiflora wave Pelargoium Randy.

We advise you to take a look at this other article in which you will learn more about these plants and their relatives: 23 types of geraniums.

One of the most iconic characteristics of this plant is its fondness for sunlight. Gypsies need a outside locationwhere they receive a direct solar incidence for a minimum of 4 hours a day, which is why it is so common to see them on the balconies and patios of southern Spain, where they enjoy a warm and sunny climate.

Although gypsy girls withstand heat and sun very well, they do not handle very low temperatures well. Occasionally, some can survive frosts down to -3ºC, but prolonged exposure to very low temperatures will end up seriously damaging them.

Gitanillas and geraniums need a very frequent watering but never in large quantities, especially during the heat of summer. In the warmer months, water your gypsies every 48 hours or so, whenever you notice the soil starting to dry out. In the cold months, one or two weekly waterings will be more than enough.

We recommend this other post to learn more about when to water plants.

It is convenient to prepare a light substrate, that drains well the moisture from irrigation and is rich in organic matter to promote flowering. Regarding the container, it is not necessary that the hanging pots are more than 30 cm deep, since as we mentioned before, their roots do not develop excessively.

And when it comes to fertilizer, what fertilizer is good for geraniums and gitanillas? The truth is that gypsies and geraniums greatly appreciate the organic fertilizer liquid type, such as those prepared with guano or earthworm humus. Here we explain how to make earthworm humus.

Pruning is not necessary in these plants, but it is true that it can help them a lot to renew their stems and thus stimulate flowering a lot. And when are gypsies pruned? ideal is always do the pruning at the end of winter, before the plant recovers its activity, to minimize the damage it causes. Remember to always sterilize your pruning tools before using them and to do so again even when using them between different plants, or you could inadvertently spread diseases between them.

In addition to this pruning that stimulates floweringYou should also clean the plant of the small leaves and stems that are left dry or damaged so that it does not waste nutrients on them. In this other guide we explain more about when and how to prune geraniums.

Once a year and when acquiring them, we must transplant the gypsies so that the plant remains vigorous and healthy. It is enough that the new container has about 5 cm more than the previous one and the transplant must always be carried out in the warm monthswhich is when the plant has more energy to face the process.

In this other post you will see everything about when and how to transplant a plant.

There are three main reasons why gitanillas, or geraniums in general, can suffer yellowing on its leaves.

• The first is that, simply, the yellow leaves on the plant indicate that it needs more nutrients in the soil. These plants need a good supply of organic matter, so if they deplete the nutrients in their substrate they will suffer from the lack of nitrogen losing the greenness in its leaves.
• Another cause may be a excess watering or, rather, a poor drainage in the soil, substrate or pot. If we let the soil of the gitanillas puddle when we water them, the plant will begin to turn yellow.
• The last of the possible causes is one that is suffering from some pests. One of the most damaging is the geranium moth or geranium drill. This lays its eggs inside the stem and the larva excavates galleries through its interior. In this case, it will be necessary to identify the affected plants and remove them so that the plague does not spread, in addition to applying pesticides or natural repellents.

Now that you know how to care for gypsy plants, we recommend you learn more about geranium care with this other guide, as well as discover these 22 spring flowers, among which you will see these hanging plants with cheerful flowers.

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