Geraniums are a whole genus of flowering plants, the Geranium, which are tremendously popular for their striking flowers with a large number of colors. Although the entire genus is considered to be geraniums, in gardening we usually speak of the Pelargonium genus when we refer to these plants.
When summer arrives, it is very common to see geraniums everywhere, both in gardens and on balconies and windows, embellishing the landscape with their shades and perfume. If you want to contribute your grain of sand to make summer more beautiful on your terrace or balcony with geranium flowers and, therefore, you want to learn how to plant geraniums step by stepjoin us in this EcologíaVerde article in which you will see a practical gardening guide on planting geraniums.
When to plant geraniums
Since geraniums have such a wide variety between their different types, it is important to know which geranium we are planting to know when it is most appropriate to do it, since these plants bloom from spring to autumn depending on the species and variety. If you are not very clear, the best thing you can do is plant your geranium at mid springwhen the frosts have already passed and will not damage your plant.
We recommend you read this other guide on 23 types of geraniums to learn more about them. Now yes, in the following sections we tell you how to plant geraniums.
How to plant geraniums from seed
The ideal when we sow geraniums is to plant the seeds first in a small seedbed or pot, in order to ensure that the germination process takes place in optimal conditions and we do not expose the seeds to frost. For plant geraniumsfollow these steps:
- Prepare your seedbed with a substrate for geraniums and sow the seeds. The substrate should be made from earthworm humus, peat and coconut fiber, as well as a little vermiculite and perlite. This mixture results in a very light, nutritious soil with excellent drainage, which will avoid problems with moisture accumulation as long as the container has drainage holes.
- Water the seeds abundantly, keep them in an area protected from the cold and give them a bright location.
- When the seedlings are about 10 cm tall, it will be time to transplant them to their final location, whether it is outdoors or in a larger pot.
- In the case of the exterior, it is necessary to take into account the soil that a geranium needs, so it is best to dig a hole and prepare an area for it with the prepared substrate, or add worm castings to the soil if it is not clayey and is light and loose enough. The holes for the geranium do not need to be very large, but it is important that you find them as bright a location as possible, preferably in full sun.
- In a pot, the pot size for geraniums It depends largely on the variety or species to be planted, since their sizes are also very different. If you do not know what species you have, choose a medium-sized pot and, if it grows a lot, it will be enough to transplant it when the time comes.
- Water abundantly after planting, pad the soil if you plant outdoors and, when the plant grows, it may need stakes or guides to support it.
How to plant a geranium cutting
Another very common way of reproduce geraniums it is without a doubt, make a geranium cuttingIn fact, it is more common than planting them, since they are very resistant and take root very easily.
- Prepare a small pot with substrate like the one we used in the nursery, that is, with equal parts of coconut fiber, peat and earthworm humus, to which you can add some perlite and vermiculite.
- Cut a healthy branch of an adult or young geranium with at least two nodes, preferably three, always disinfecting the pruning shears before and after cutting. at the time of plant geraniums by cuttings it is very important to choose a cutting from a healthy branch without flowers.
- You can use homemade rooting to make the process easier for the plant, although with geraniums it is not really necessary since they tend to root very easily.
- Water abundantly and put the pot in the shade for about 20 days, after which we can put our geranium in the sun.
In this other guide you can learn more about how to plant geranium cuttings.
When and how to transplant a geranium
Geraniums, especially potted ones, may need an occasional repot when they have grown too large for their current space. However, they are not plants that need an annual transplant, so to know when our geranium needs a larger container, you have to see if its roots escape through the drainage holes in the pot, or if its growth has slowed down a lot. and it has been more than two or three years since we transplanted it.
It is best to always do it at the beginning or end of winter, since the plant will be in vegetative rest and will suffer less from the possible small injuries to branches or roots that can always occur during the transplant. As always, it is important to choose a new pot with drainage holes and use new and adequate substrate, in addition to watering after transplanting.
In this other guide we talk more about when and how to transplant a plant.
How to care for geraniums
These are the geranium care more important:
- Light: a lot, direct incidence.
- Temperature: warm, around 20ºC.
- Substrate: slightly acid and rich in organic matter. Good drainage.
- Irrigation: frequent, always without flooding. Every 48 hours approximately.
- Fertilizer: necessary during the flowering season.
- Pruning: not necessary for proper formation or growth, only maintenance pruning is necessary. Here you can see more about when and how to prune geraniums.
In this other guide you will be able to see all the Care of the geranium.
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