Perennial garden geranium - planting and care
Content:
The flower loved by many is garden geranium, long-term planting and caring for it are not particularly difficult, but still have some nuances. Compositions with this plant help to create real works of landscape art.
Growing geraniums in a garden and a pot
Geranium on the street is a completely unpretentious flower. All he needs is regular watering, nutritious soil, regular feeding.
The plant tolerates winter well, even in the climatic conditions of the Moscow region. It is not afraid of severe frosts, it can withstand them without damage. If winter is expected to be snowy, it is enough to cover the bushes with spruce branches or cover them with fallen leaves.
Geranium looks spectacular both in a flower bed and in a container
Geranium looks beautiful and bright not only in a flower garden. She is planted in pots and pots, which are taken out on terraces and in gazebos, and hung on the walls of the house. For disembarkation in containers with further placement on the street, the following types are used:
- Ampelnaya has curly shoots, therefore it is recommended for planting in hanging flowerpots.
- Fragrant is a bush with a lush crown and small inflorescences. It emits a pleasant, but at the same time unobtrusive aroma.
- Royal is a plant with high stems. The buds are large, terry.
- Zonal is the most common type of geranium. Its distinctive feature is the presence of circles of different shades on the leaves.
Garden geranium care
Taking care of geraniums outdoors is very easy. The plant is so unpretentious that it can withstand drought for a long time, it grows actively on any soil.
Where to plant
The place where to place the plant depends on its variety and type:
- Geranium Himalayan, gorgeous or meadow loves well-lit areas, where most of the time will be in the sun.
- Red-brown and large-flowered species - dry grounds and illuminated areas.
- The Georgian variety looks great on alpine slides with diffused sunlight.
- Swamp grows mainly in well-humid areas in the shade of taller plants.
- Balkan is unpretentious to the place. It will feel good in shade and in abundant diffused light, it can tolerate drought for a long period.
Geranium is the queen of the garden
Geranium soil
Geranium in the country will grow on any type of soil, including rocky areas. But if you want to achieve abundant flowering from it, cultivation must be carried out on nutritious soil. It is also necessary to ensure that underground waters do not pass near the geranium. She does not like such a neighborhood.
In order for the flower to grow actively and begin to bloom as early as possible, the soil must be loose and light, capable of easily passing oxygen and water.
Watering
Proper maintenance in a summer cottage or in a flower bed includes moderate but regular watering. Only the root system is watered.
The frequency of watering depends on the ambient temperature.It is necessary to focus on the condition of the soil - between waterings it should dry out, but not dry out.
Top dressing
If the planting of geraniums in open ground in the spring was carried out in nutritious, fermented soil, there is no need to use additional feed.
The flower will need fertilizers only if its growth is rather slow, the bush does not grow actively. As a replenishment, preparations with nitrogen are used in the composition. Any complex mineral fertilizers intended for garden and indoor plants are suitable.
Regular fertilization is the key to lush and long-lasting flowering
What temperature does geranium withstand on the street
A perennial planted in open ground can tolerate fairly severe frosts. With an indicator of -10 degrees, it is recommended to cover the flower with coniferous branches.
If the plant is outside in a container at -5 degrees, it can harm it, so it is better to keep it at home. But it is impossible to abruptly transfer geranium from frost to a warm room, it can suffer greatly from such changes.
When and how it blooms
The abundance and duration of flowering depends on the quality of the soil and the care of the geraniums. Her buds are large. They can be painted in any shades, depending on the variety and type - burgundy, white, blue. Petals can be monochromatic or combine several shades. The buds are collected in racemose inflorescences, on each peduncle from 1 to 3 inflorescences. The calyx is flat, composed of 5 petals. The whisk is round.
If you take care of the plant properly, it will delight with the appearance of lush buds 2 times a season, from May to June and from July to August. Flowering lasts about 40 days.
Pruning
There is no need to cut an annual bush. In a perennial, wilted buds are periodically cut off. This must be done in order to prolong flowering. Before wintering, you can do a cleaning pruning by removing yellow or damaged leaf plates, but this is not urgently needed.
Pruning is carried out only to maintain decorative characteristics.
How garden geranium reproduces
Geranium propagation is carried out by cuttings, seeds and the method of dividing the bush.
Germinating seeds
The seed method is used quite rarely, since it is very laborious and does not always give a positive result:
- Collected or purchased seeds are laid out on nutritious soil, slightly pressed with a finger, and do not go deep.
- The soil is moistened with a spray bottle, the container with the planting material is covered with a film or glass. Place the container in a warm place.
- The film must be opened daily to ventilate the ground. Watering is carried out as needed, when the topsoil dries out.
When several full-fledged leaves appear on the seedlings, they can be planted in the garden. To get abundant flowering by summer, seedlings must be prepared in February. When to plant geraniums in open ground in the spring, it depends on the weather conditions - there should be no night frosts.
Geranium seeds
Rooting cuttings
Geranium in the open field for the summer can be propagated by cuttings. This is the easy way:
- Several shoots are cut from an adult plant.
- Cuttings are placed in a container of water, which is placed in a warm room.
The roots will begin to form in about 2-3 weeks. Another way is to treat the cut with a biostimulant of growth, and then deepen it into a moistened soil mixture.
Planting geranium seedlings on the street and caring for them does not give the gardener any special trouble. The main condition is the absence of frost, stable, warm weather.
Dividing the bush
The advantage of this method of breeding geraniums is that it is very light and helps to rejuvenate the mother bush. Time of the event - March-April or the end of August:
- The plant is dug up, damaged parts of the root system are removed.
- The rhizome is divided into parts, each must have at least 1 bud.
- Divided rhizomes must be planted in a nutritious soil, watered.
Geranium transplant
Time is spring or autumn. Landing at a new place is carried out by the transshipment method: it is necessary to save a lump of old earth around the roots on a dug-out bush. You need to add fertilizer to the new hole.
Transplanting geraniums is highly discouraged; it can destroy an adult plant.
Diseases and pests of garden geranium
Geraniums can attack bacterial rot. Symptom - the appearance of brown spots on the leaves. Treatment - treatment with special drugs.
Pests - aphids, whiteflies. When they appear, the flower must be treated with soapy water; in advanced cases, insecticides are used.
Geranium is a magnificent garden plant with a beautiful delicate bloom. It is successfully combined with other, a wide variety of shrubs, flowers and conifers. The charm of geranium is added by its unpretentiousness and very easy care.
