Geranium or pelargonium - it's incredible beautiful plant, often grown at home. Pelargonium has a delightful color of lush flowers; it fits perfectly into any interior and fills the house with comfort and warmth. Geranium is an unpretentious indoor plant, but you need to care for the flower at home correctly so that it has an excellent appearance. Proper care includes: replanting, temperature, lighting and watering. Every time you transplant geraniums you should use required composition soil for its cultivation.
What soil is needed for indoor geraniums?
Pelargonium is not picky about soil, but you need to know some recommendations. Geranium loves well-drained and loose soil. Flower soil can be purchased at flower shop, any substrate for flowering plants is suitable indoor plants. Professionals usually use universal primer and add the necessary components to it.
To this mixture you need to add washed river sand, vermiculite and perlite. All the ingredients should be mixed, and the soil for planting indoor pelargonium is ready.
When choosing an all-purpose soil, you need to make sure that it is free from insect mold. Also, such soil should not cake into a lump. The soil must contain peat, then your plant will develop and grow well. You can buy special soil for geraniums in the store.
You can also prepare soil for pelargonium yourself at home. To prepare it, you should use the following components:
Geraniums are transplanted at home when the root system has grown greatly and occupies the entire space of the pot. In other cases, replanting is performed when the flower is flooded or if the pelargonium does not bloom.
Indoor geraniums are usually transplanted in the spring.
before active flower growth begins.
To properly transplant a plant, you should follow some rules:
1. First, at home, you need to prepare: soil, a suitable flowerpot and a waterer. If you do not want to change the pot, then it must be treated with bleach. Pour bleach into a container and leave it for a while, and then rinse well with water.
2. It is necessary to take care of high-quality drainage, which is laid out at the bottom of the pot. As drainage, you can use brick chips, finely chopped polystyrene foam or fine expanded clay.
3.You need to carefully remove the flower from the old tank without damaging the earthen ball. If you can’t pull the plant out, you can use a knife and carefully separate the soil from the walls of the pot.
4.After the geranium has been removed, it is recommended to carefully examine root system for rot and disease. If there are damaged areas, then they need to be removed using scissors.
5.The plant must be planted in a new pot, and soil should be added to the empty spaces.
6.The flower needs to be watered and placed in a shaded place for 1 week. You just need to water the flower at home correctly so that there is no overflow. After 7 days, the plant should be installed in a place where there is good lighting and warmth. Geranium loves bright and diffused light.
7.Feeding should be applied only two months after transplantation.
The plant can be grown at home in a pot and box. If you use boxes for growing pelargonium, then the distance between the bushes should be at least 20 centimeters. This is important rule. You need to select the size of the container depending on how much the roots have grown. If the diameter of the flowerpot is incorrectly selected, then in this case it will be quite difficult to control the growth.
It is best to purchase small pots, 2 cm larger than the previous one. In such a container, geranium will feel great and bloom beautifully with bright and beautiful flowers. The height of the tank should be about 12-15 cm. If you correctly transplant indoor geraniums into fresh and nutritious soil, and then provide proper care, in this case the flower will bloom beautifully and delight the eyes of its household members.
Soil is the nutrition of plants; not a single flower can exist without suitable soil. One of the main tasks of the gardener is to choose the right substrate, because it is the key to health and lush flowering pelargonium.
For pelargonium you need loose soil, which allows water and air to pass through well and has weak or neutral acidity (pH 5.5-6.5).
Most suitable composition soil:
Important! Young plants need lighter soil than adults with a developed root system.
You can lighten the soil by adding peat, sand, perlite, and vermiculite. To increase air permeability, you can add sphagnum moss or coco soil, and crushed coal to prevent rotting of the roots.
The earth mixture can be purchased ready-made or prepared independently. If you choose store-bought soil, you should add chopped moss or humus to it., and to maintain moisture - peat.
You can independently prepare a soil mixture for pelargonium by mixing peat and perlite in equal parts, or one part peat and sand and 2 parts turf.
For normal development flower soil should be moderately nutritious - due to large quantity fertilizers, the plant begins to grow foliage.
Liquid fertilizers should be applied every 3 months, with the exception of winter. Before the flowering period and at its beginning, it is necessary to use fertilizing with a high phosphorus content (about how to water and what to feed pelargonium for abundant flowering, you can find out). Replace ready-made fertilizers You can use a solution of 1 drop of iodine per 1 liter of water.
A necessary condition is the presence of drainage, which can be used as expanded clay, vermiculite, or pebbles.
Choosing the right flowerpot for pelargonium is no less important than correct soil. The appearance of the flower depends on the container.
Note! The material of the container can be changed, but it is necessary to adjust the entire flower care regimen.
The size of the flowerpot for pelargonium should not be large; it blooms only when the roots are cramped in the pot. In a large flowerpot, pelargonium will not bloom until the root system fills its entire volume. Optimal size containers – 10-15 cm in height and 12-14 cm in diameter. The presence of perforations for drainage in the flowerpot is mandatory.
When transplanting pelargonium into a new flowerpot, its diameter should be greater than the previous one by a maximum of 2-3 cm.
At home, the plant can be grown in wooden boxes, in this case, the distance between the bushes should be at least 20 cm.
Boarding order:
With the onset of warmer weather, pelargonium can be planted outside in soil that matches the characteristics of the one used when growing at home. it is important to use the right soil, choose a pot suitable size and ensure proper . If all these simple conditions are met, pelargonium will respond with lush and beautiful flowering.
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Pelargonium - perennial Geraniaceae family. It has branched stems with leaves on long petioles. Blooming pelargonium has a spectacular appearance thanks to large variegated or solid flowers of rich pink, purple, white. It has no equal in terms of duration and abundance of flowering.
Many pelargonium lovers remember very well how they used to grow it in infertile soil. At the same time, the pelargonium grew and bloomed normally. Therefore, it is believed that the choice of soil for this indoor flower doesn't really matter.
But experienced gardeners know: one of the main tasks is to choose the right soil mixture for each plant. Soil is the food for plants. Not a single plant can live without soil.
As diverse as the world of plants is, so diverse is the environment in which they grow, including the composition of the soil. Currently, you can purchase special soil in which pelargonium will thrive and bloom beautifully, but it is better to prepare good soil yourself.
The following soil composition is required:
Pelargonium is quite picky about the features of the flowerpot. Appearance this plant directly depends on the right choice containers.
What to pay attention to:
If pelargonium grew for a long time in a plastic pot and felt great in it, it is advisable to transplant it into a plastic one (?). At the same time, the previous growing conditions will be maintained. However, there is a drawback - the soil dries out quickly in a plastic flowerpot.
The material of the pot is not critical and can be changed. In this case, it is necessary to remember that both the watering regime and the care regime as a whole will change.
Important: Pelargonium blooms only when the roots in the flowerpot become crowded. If a plant is transplanted from a small pot to a large one, the flowers will not appear until the roots fill the entire volume.
You can find out more about why pelargonium does not bloom.
Be sure to have a drain hole at the bottom of the pot.
As the pelargonium grows, it may require another transplant into larger pots.
Every year in March, young pelargonium plants are transplanted into fresh soil. At the same time, they are heavily pruned, leaving 2-5 buds on each shoot. Thanks to this, low, lush, abundantly flowering specimens are subsequently obtained.
Overgrown pelargoniums are replanted only if necessary - when the pot becomes cramped. After the threat of frost ends, pelargonium can be taken outside or planted in flower beds (5 plants per linear meter) into the soil with the same characteristics as at home.
Adult pelargonium plants are picky about replanting, so it is better not to disturb them unless absolutely necessary.
The transplant procedure is as follows:
Advice! loves space. At home, you should not place it very close to other plants, especially those that are larger in size.
not very complicated. When breeding it, it is necessary to form the correct soil, select a small flowerpot, and be careful during the planting process. By following the basic rules, you can get beautiful plants, which will delight you with spectacular flowers and a pleasant aroma.
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Blooming geranium on the windowsill in Soviet time was considered philistinism. Modern man rejects such ideas, so you can find pelargonium in almost every home. It blooms profusely and beautifully throughout almost the entire year, it is unpretentious, useful - what more could an owner wish for? The rules for caring for geraniums are simple, but they exist and must be followed. Experienced flower growers share tricks for growing healthy pelargonium. For harmonious development, it is important to replant the plant on time and correctly.
There is nothing particularly complicated about the rules for caring for geraniums. But it is necessary to highlight the basic requirements for the conditions of growth and flowering of the plant and comply with them. The main thing to remember is that geranium is a drought-loving plant. After all, pelargonium is a guest native to Africa. It copes better with a lack of moisture than with its excess.
You can water geranium every day, two or three times a week, sometimes one procedure is enough for 7–10 days. It all depends on the air temperature in the room in which pelargonium grows. How to determine what needs to be watered? The answer is simple: dry upper layer soil in a pot. Clear signs of waterlogging: withered leaves, lack of flowering, the appearance of mold at the base of the stem and on the ground.
Geranium does not require spraying the leaves. It's bad for her. Protect her from such a test.
The ideal temperature varies from 18 o C to 25 o C. Geranium tolerates extreme heat well. 10 o C or slightly higher - optimal in winter period rest when the plant does not bloom.
Pelargonium loves a lot of sun. In the house, the flower should be placed on the south, southwest or southeast window. Geranium will survive in partial shade, but there will be no vigorous and prolonged flowering.
Geranium loves loosening the soil. But this must be done carefully, to a depth of no more than five cm.
With the right soil, geranium at home needs feeding once a month. For flowering and healthy looking it needs potassium and phosphorus fertilizers. The flower also needs nitrogen. Can be purchased special means for geraniums or use universal preparations for flowering indoor plants.
To prolong flowering, feed the geranium with iodine water once a week (a drop of iodine per liter).
Fertilizer is applied after the main watering, about half an hour later. The soil must be moist so as not to burn the roots. In summer, while feeding, it is recommended to remove the plant from the sun and then keep it in partial shade for another 2–3 hours.
In the spring, all shoots are pruned, leaving no more than 5 growth buds. If time is lost, the procedure can be carried out in early autumn.
Pruning the plant allows you to create a beautiful bush shape and stimulate the formation more buds.
With proper care, geranium can grow and bloom for 10–12 years, maintaining its decorative appearance. How often does it need to be replanted? This depends on the rate of formation of green mass. Fast growth requires annual replanting of the plant, slower growth - once every two years. The usual schedule for updating a pelargonium pot is every 10 to 12 months.
Geranium does not tolerate large space for the roots. If you plant pelargonium in a pot of significant volume, it may even die. It definitely won’t bloom until the roots “master” the entire soil. Therefore, it is better to plant the flower first in a small container, and after a year change it to a larger one. For one root, a pot with a diameter of 10–14 cm is suitable; its height should not exceed 15 cm (ideally 10–12 cm). When changing a container, its diameter is taken into account; the new pot should be 1.5–2 cm larger than the previous one.
The pot should have drainage holes. The appearance of pelargonium roots in them is a signal to transplant into a large container. A container made of unglazed ceramics is best suited. The bush feels good in it, grows and blooms. But there is one drawback: the soil dries out faster in clay dishes than in plastic ones. Therefore, more frequent watering is required.
A pot for geraniums must have drainage holes for drainage excess water 
For geraniums, it is important that the pot is not “to grow”; in a cramped container the plant blooms more profusely 
Each new pot for geraniums should be 1.5–2 cm larger in diameter than the previous one. 
Geranium grows better in ceramic pots - they allow air to pass through well, promoting soil aeration
Geranium is not particularly demanding on soil quality. But for comfortable development of the bush, loose and well-drained soil is needed. The following compositions are optimal:
Indoor flowers are usually picky when it comes to replanting. Plants tolerate such stress better and easier in the spring. Geranium in this sense does not make any special claims. Certainly, spring transplant pelargonium is perceived as natural process after winter holidays and stimulates it to intensively increase green mass and further flowering.
This period covers the end of February, all of March and the first ten days of April. After transplanting at this time, pelargonium will delight with lush flowers until the onset of frost.
Features of transplanting pelargonium after purchase
nutrients
How to plant geraniums without roots
Keeping the future pelargonium bush in water for a long time can cause rotting of the part lowered there. To prevent this, you can put an activated carbon tablet in the container.
Most gardeners do not immerse the cuttings in water, but immediately root them in a prepared pot with an earthen mixture. After pruning, the cuttings are dried at room temperature about two hours. Then they are planted in transparent plastic cups filled with universal soil for flowering indoor plants or peat chips. The type of geranium affects the method of rooting: zonal geranium produces roots faster in water, fragrant - in the ground, royal also prefers soil, but the process is slow.
The dishes with future bushes are placed in a well-lit place, but not under direct sun rays. Ivy and zonal geraniums are ready to be transplanted into a pot in 10–15 days; royal geraniums will take a month. Transparent cups are good because the appearance of roots can be quickly noticed - they reach the walls of the dish in a few days. Another criterion that the procedure was successful is the appearance of a new leaf.
During flowering, any plants spend a lot of energy on forming buds and ripening seeds. During such a period, it is better to take pity on the geranium, increase feeding, and not subject it to additional stress. Otherwise, first the flowers will fall off, then the leaves will turn yellow. The plant may even die. It is recommended to wait for the end of flowering and replant the pelargonium after 5–10 days.
If there is an urgent need to transplant the geranium into a new pot at the time of flowering (the plant was dropped or damaged, the bush became sick), then this can still be done. You need to try to transfer the pelargonium into a new container without damaging the roots or destroying the earthen lump. The flowers will, of course, fall off, but the geranium will survive.
Geranium transplanted into a new pot does not need feeding for the first two to three months. It will take all its nutrients from fresh soil. Therefore, the pelargonium bush requires only timely watering as the soil dries out. It is important to ensure optimal temperatures and correct lighting. After the appearance of new leaves and the growth of the rooted cuttings, pinch the pelargonium so that it does not stretch upward, but bushes.
Before starting work on transplanting or planting geraniums, you need to prepare everything you need: a pot, scissors, soil mixture, a watering can with warm water. If you decide not to use new dishes, and the one in which another flower grew should be soaked for a day in bleach for disinfection or boiled. Then rinse thoroughly in running water and dry. Further actions proceed according to the algorithm:
Geranium feels good in one pot for several years. But a three-year-old plant may already need updating. Rejuvenate the pelargonium bush better in spring, in March-April. To do this, geraniums are pruned, leaving about five growth points on each shoot. This procedure helps to give the bush a beautiful shape and increase the number of buds in the future.
The second way to rejuvenate geranium is to get seeds and grow a new plant from them. It is important to remember that if a pelargonium variety belongs to category F1 (breeding hybrid), then the desired result may not be achieved - the varietal characteristics of the mother plant will not be passed on to the descendants.
The third method is dividing the bush. To do this, water the pelargonium abundantly, after a day, take out a lump of earth from the pot and divide the roots into required quantity copies. Then proceed according to the instructions.
Transplanted geranium is a big sissy. She is exposed to many dangers. They all come from improper care behind the “newborn” flower. Water the plant along the edge of the pot, and not at the root. The soil must be loosened especially carefully and shallowly. The first week after transplantation, active sun is dangerous for geraniums; they need light partial shade.
Sometimes pelargonium leaves change color and lose tone. Why does geranium turn yellow after transplantation? This is the plant’s reaction to the stress it has experienced. You need to pinch them off and remove the inflorescences. After two to three weeks, pelargonium will return to normal. For prevention, you can pour a solution of Kornevin, Heteroauxin. They stimulate the formation of roots.
Geranium is a favorite of many gardeners. Growing it is not an easy task. At proper care you can plant a whole garden of pelargoniums. They bloom beautifully and abundantly, their aroma neutralizes microbes in the room and has a beneficial effect on human vital activity.
Geraniums are quite undemanding when it comes to soil, but there are still recommendations to plant them in well-drained soil.
The soil should be loose. I don’t give preference to a specific brand; I plant whatever I come across, but always in fresh, unused soil.
I use it as a base: I pour it into a large container, for example a large bucket or 30-liter pot, and add river sand, perlite and vermiculite there. I stir. That's it, our soil for planting pelargoniums is ready!
I would also like to add that at the moment there are a lot of manufacturers presenting their products on the market.
The choice is very varied.
Having once bought a high-quality package of soil, without mold, bugs and worms, which the plants will like and, moreover, will not cake into a lump after a while, I consider it a very good purchase.
But this does not mean that in a year this manufacturer will have the same in the same package good soil. I was convinced of this own experience. Unfortunately, the quality is not controlled as carefully as we, amateur gardeners, would like.Since then I trust myself more.
I just buy bags of soil in advance, for example, so that they freeze over the winter before spring replanting.
Of course, it happens that you need soil urgently, then I plant it in freshly purchased soil mixed with perlite and river sand.
But just in case, I put the pot in the quarantine zone for a month for sure.
Well, you never know who will hatch there!
And only then, when the plant has started to grow and looks healthy, does it move to the rest of the plants.
If you are going to purchase ready-made soil, then you need to pay attention to the fact that the composition includes peat.
And it’s quite easy to buy a package that says “For Geraniums”
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