3 Most Important Rules for Keeping Geraniums in Winter

Geranium (Pelargonium) is a flower with bright and long flowering. I grow it at home, but most of the bushes decorate my area outdoors, being the center of compositions in flowerpots and hanging planters.

In the fall, I bring garden plants into the house for the winter. I will tell you how I keep the flower until spring, get a lot of planting material and achieve an early start of bud formation.

Pruning

The event is held in late August or early September. What should be removed:

· Peduncles at any stage of development;

· Withered, yellowed and weak leaves;

I cut off the upper part of the plant by 3-5 cm above the branching nodes, leaving no more than 5-6 leaves on each branch;

Sprinkle the slices with crushed activated carbon.

The nuances of pruning: variegated and ampelous varieties I do not cardinally prune, I limit myself to removing weak branches and brown leaves. In late autumn, geraniums cannot be cut off, the stress of the plant will manifest itself in the appearance of numerous weak shoots.

Choosing a place for wintering

Geranium prefers to wait out the cold in bright but cool rooms. The plant stops growing, accumulating strength for full development in the next season.

Pelargonium tolerates warm wintering better if it gets enough light. I supplement the illumination of plants with phytolamps, I try to keep the duration of daylight hours at least 12 hours.

Geranium does not tolerate cold air and drafts, with prolonged airing of the apartment I remove the flowerpots from the windowsill.

Watering and feeding

In winter, I observe a strict limitation of watering geraniums. Remember, a lack of moisture at this time will not cause significant damage to the plant, and an excess can cause rotting of the roots and death of the flower.

I focus on the state of the topsoil in the pot. If I see that it is dry, I wait a couple of days and only after that I water the plant. This happens approximately every 7-10 days.

There is no need to feed geraniums in November-January. This can provoke the growth of frail shoots and the weakening of the plant. Starting from February, I add a complex mineral fertilizer in half concentration to the irrigation water.

Conclusion

In March, geraniums begin to actively form a green mass. This is the right time to carry out cuttings with green shoots. One plant can produce 8-15 young seedlings.

They root easily in water or soil when planted in small pots. Young plants bloom at the beginning of summer and retain their decorative effect throughout the growing season.