Geranium room: secrets of growing outdoors

Geranium room (or pelargonium) has always been one of the most popular flowering plants. Very often it can be seen on the windowsills of apartment buildings and offices. Especially attractive Pelargonium looks at the time of flowering, from spring to autumn, when lush, bright inflorescences literally strew the stem. Many believe that geranium is a houseplant, but it turns out that for centuries it was grown as a picturesque annual in gardens and parks in Europe and America. To us in Russia, this tradition is gradually returning in the last 20 years. This fact can not but rejoice: gardeners have at their disposal a very unpretentious flower, which has a high decorative potential. If you love geraniums and grow homes, prepare them for planting on open soil and provide them with the most comfortable conditions, you will be helped by the knowledge of their agrotechnical features.

Geranium room: requirements for planting

Pelargonium is considered a hardy plant, but when planting in the garden area, you need to choose a place where it will be exposed to direct light for at least 6-8 hours daily. Transplant in the open ground geranium can only after the threat of frosts passes, and the soil warms up well. The plant can not be buried, or, conversely, lifted, it must be planted at the same level as it was in the pot. The soil must be light, loose and well drained, which is easily achieved by applying foliar compost or peat, the optimum pH for growing geranium 6.5 (slightly acidic).

Care of the plant

It is recommended to mulch the soil to preserve moisture and protect against overheating during the summer months. Geranium room in the absence of rain requires irrigation once a week, preferably watered by sprinkling in the morning, so that by night the leaves and flowers had time to dry. Pelargonium, as well as all plants, is in need of introducing liquid organic fertilizers into the active growth phase (every 2-3 weeks), also to maintain a constant flowering and preserve the attractiveness, faded inflorescences need to be removed in a timely manner.

Geranium room: preparation for wintering in the house

One of the most important moments when keeping any outdoor plants at home is that they should be away from all heat sources. It also requires temporary isolation to avoid the transfer of insect pests to houseplants. It is necessary to withstand the incubation period, and, if necessary, to treat the plant. Correctly hibernating indoor flower geranium will allow you to replenish the stocks of cuttings in the next garden season.

Geranium room: reproduction by seeds and cuttings

Pelargonium is easy to grow from seeds, which allows an amateur horticulturist to increase his varietal collection effortlessly. If you want to keep the favorite variety of geranium, then it's very simple to do with the help of vegetative reproduction. Cuttings are taken from absolutely healthy plants. You need to take a sharp, clean knife and cut off the top or stem portion with at least one growth point (knot), if it does not, then the plant will not give new shoots. Next, you need to remove the lower leaves, plant the stalk in a well-moistened light soil (preferably a mixture of peat and sand in equal parts) and keep in a good light (but not direct sunlight), and do not allow the substrate to dry completely or excessive waterlogging. With proper care cuttings take root in 2-3 weeks, then they can be moved to a more illuminated place and reduce watering to a minimum.

Another way to keep your favorite pelargonium until next summer is to dig it out with a clod of earth and transplant it into a pot. But this method is not very successful, as the stems gradually stretch and lose beauty, it is better to rejuvenate the plant with the help of the spring cuttings.

So, if all the conditions are met, you will be able to grow beautiful, bright and unexpectedly decorative flowers from the year to year, which is familiar to all geraniums.