For many years of existence, this flower has become a favorite decoration of houses, apartments and garden plots. In Europe and at all on each balcony you can see bright umbrellas, diluted with green shoots. Despite its unpretentiousness, pelargonium requires careful treatment, so care and other important points, known to any grower, should be given special attention.
Care for pelargonium
Lighting
This beautiful flower feels great in the sun. When the rays envelop its stems, it changes markedly and starts to bloom. The shadow is also not a problem, but in this case you can not wait for flowering. Do not expose the geranium to strong sunshine - this is fraught with the loss of all leaves.
Temperature conditions
A clear advantage of pelargonium over other home colors is that it is not necessary to monitor the temperature in the room. She can safely withstand even short-term swings to one degree.
Watering
In summer the plant requires careful watering, otherwise the leaves will quickly turn yellow and fade. In winter, the frequency of irrigation should decrease.
Humidity of the environment
Despite the African roots, the flower loves moisture. In hot days, it may be small, but because experienced flower growers recommend spraying the leaves with water in the morning or in the evening.
Additional fertilizing
Pelargonium is "fed" twice a week, while using liquid mineral fertilizers. It is possible and more often if the plant has grown more than usual.
Pruning of a flower
At the beginning of the spring period, before the beginning of vegetation, it is recommended to cut off plant shoots, which can later be used for cuttings propagation.
Transfer
The period of life of geraniums is from two to three years, so the need for transplantation, as a rule, does not arise. But the young plant, which only recently took root from the cuttings, is transplanted into a more spacious container in the spring, before the beginning of the vegetation.
Priming
Leafy or turf land with peat and sand additives is an ideal option for geraniums. Do not forget about the drainage of the soil, so that the water does not stagnate.
Reproduction of pelargonium by budding
Given that there are more than 250 varieties of pelargonium, it is simply impossible to talk about the peculiarities of reproduction of each of them in one article. Therefore, a few generalize, given the experience of reproduction of the most popular species.
End of summer or spring period is the most optimal time for reproduction of pelargonium by means of propagation. Individual varieties can be propagated by seeds, but the number of such species is incomparably smaller than those that are cuttings.
For cuttings it is necessary to cut off the vertical shoot in 7-10 centimeters and root in a pot with sand and peat, which should be the same amount in relation to each other. It is important that the mixture is constantly wet. When the roots appear, make a transplant in another container and pinch the roots, which will accelerate the growth of the lateral shoots. Large-color Pelargonium worst succumb to rooting, in contrast to the same zonal (geranium), which can be rooted even in water. Fragrant pelargonium in the water begins to rot, so this option will not work for them.
Reproduction of Pelargonium from Seeds
This type of reproduction is used in the spring. This is done by sowing seeds in a container filled with "light" earth. One of the most important conditions is the temperature, which should be above 20 degrees, but not more than 25. When shoots are shown, the seedlings are transferred to a well-lit room, where the temperature is about 15 degrees. If everything is right, then by mid-summer you can expect flowering.
Even a person who is far from floriculture, with the word "geranium" recalls his childhood and colorful buds of flowers, comfortably located on the windowsill of his parents. Pelargonium brings with it an incomparable, exclusive comfort in every house, in every soul.