Instructions on how to properly transplant geranium into another pot and how to grow it from cuttings

The ancestors of room geraniums grew in southern Africa, from which the plant inherited a love of the sun and amazing vitality. For several centuries of breeding, breeders have created more than 300 varieties of perennials.

Subject to the recommendations for care and sufficient lighting, the shrub will bloom from early spring to late autumn. The study of the features of growing geraniums often begins with the question of how to transplant the plant into another pot and when is it needed?

Features of indoor plants

Home geranium is a perennial from the Geranium family (lat.Geraniaceae). The most common type is zoned geranium. It is distinguished by a darker border on round green leaves. More than 70 thousand plant varieties, differing in color and shape of inflorescences, were bred. Royal geranium is one of the most beautiful representatives of the family. Its large bright flowers with a diameter of up to 7 cm are collected in panicled inflorescences. The magnificent hat over the green foliage looks like a royal crown.

Ampel geranium is a climbing species grown in hanging flower pots. Shoots about 1 m long spread along the walls of the pots. There is also fragrant geranium, the leaves of which spread a lasting aroma, and dwarf - a miniature plant that does not require pruning. An unpretentious plant does not take much time for maintenance.

Leaving consists in watering, top dressing twice a month and spring formation of a bush. The only thing demanding geraniums is lighting. She needs sun rays throughout the year. In winter, their lack is compensated by fluorescent lamps.

Watering is performed as it dries, high humidity ruins the bush. Good drainage is needed to drain excess water. The temperature for the content of geraniums is 18-22 ° in the summer and 13-15 ° in the winter. An integral part of care is trimming and pinching. Procedures are performed in early spring. Pinching contribute to the magnificent growth of the bush.

When is it better to plant?

The best time to plant geraniums is February - March.. This is the period before the start of active vegetation, the plant will more easily tolerate stress. When the street temperature rises (the end of April or the beginning of May), you can plant a perennial in open ground (read here how to plant geranium in open ground). The place should be sunny, with loose soil.

For better flowering, compost is introduced before planting. It is impossible to leave a thermophilic plant on the street in winter, in autumn it must be transplanted into a pot.

Digging out the geranium completely or cutting off the top is the choice of the grower. When transplanted, the stem and root system are trimmed (1/3).

TIP: When transplanting from open ground, use the transshipment method. Saved on the roots of a lump of earth will help the plant to take root faster in a new place.

Do not rush to plant a purchased plant in a new container. It suffered from a change in familiar conditions and transportation. Give the bush for adaptation 2-3 weeks, if there is no doubt about the quality of the soil. It is better not to touch the geranium acquired in the winter until the end of February, and the blooming - until the flower stalks dry. At any time of the year, a transplant is performed with a complete replacement of the soil in the treatment of diseases of the root system.

Choosing the right capacity

Which material is better?

A pot is a home for geraniums for a year or two, its well-being and plenty of flowering depend on the right choice. The spacious container is good for building green mass, it will be ideal for some varieties. For flowering specimens, it is better to limit the free volume. In addition, a large amount of soil provokes excessive moisture and rotting of the roots. The material of the pot also matters.

Usually use two kinds:

1. plastic;
2. ceramic.

Each of them has pros and cons.:

• Ceramics - the pot has an attractive appearance, the earth in it dries quickly, there is no stagnation of water. There are also disadvantages - you will have to water the plant more often, salts are deposited on the clay surface. After some time, the decorative appearance of the container is lost.
• Plastic they are chosen for several reasons - it can be raised and moisture determined by weight, it is easier to take out a bush from a soft pot. Affordable value is also a plus when a large collection is grown at home. The disadvantage is that moisture is retained longer, increasing the risk of rot.

Choose light plastic pots, dark ones overheat in the sun, and this harms the roots.

Watch the video about the pros and cons of pots for indoor flowers:

Optimal size

The main indicator that you are guided by when choosing a pot is the size of the root system.

It is difficult for beginner gardeners to correctly assess the state of the roots, therefore general recommendations on types of geraniums are offered:

• zonal - diameter - 11 cm, height - 10 cm;
• royal - diameter - 13-14 cm, height - 11-12 cm;
• miniature varieties - diameter - 10 cm height - 9 cm.

At the bottom of the tank should be openings for outflow of water.

Soil composition

Beginning gardeners should not puzzle over the proportions of the soil. You can buy in the store a special soil, which contains the necessary minerals and nutrients. Its structure is optimal for growing geraniums and pelargonium.

The shrub prefers neutral and slightly acidic soils that pass air well. In special mixtures of "Geranium" the ratio of the basic elements necessary for the growth of indoor plants: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium is correctly selected. On the basis of universal soil, an effective mixture can be made if diluted by a third with clean river sand.

Fertile soil for a comfortable existence of geraniums is made of three components, taken in equal parts:

• leaf or turf land;
• peat;
• sand.

Soil from the street contains a large number of harmful microorganisms. Before its use, disinfection is carried out. The earth is heated in the oven or shed with potassium permanganate.

IMPORTANT: In order not to risk the plant's health, it is worth scalding the pot and minerals for drainage. Heat will kill fungal spores.

How to transplant?

The main reason for planting geraniums in a new pot is an overgrown root system. The lump of earth is completely braided by roots, they begin to stretch into the drainage holes.

Transplantation occurs according to the standard scheme.:

1. A new capacity is selected more than the previous one by 2-3 cm.
2. A layer of drainage material (gravel, broken ceramics, expanded clay) is necessarily poured at the bottom.
3. The most gentle method is transshipment. The soil needs to be watered, then the lump is easier to separate from the pot.
4. The bush is placed in a new container with old soil, free space is filled with fresh soil. The soil is compacted.
5. For a week, the usual bright lighting is replaced by diffuse.

Watch the video on the correct transplant of geraniums:

Growing from cuttings

Planting geraniums with cuttings is performed during propagation, rejuvenation of the bush or saving the plant from the disease.

The process consists of several stages:

1. Cut the stalk 7-10 cm long from the top of the young shoot. Do not grab the woody area, there will be no roots from it.
2. Leave the shoot for 2-3 hours to tighten the cut with a film.
3. Prepare the substrate by mixing peat, sand and perlite in equal proportions. The mixture will turn out friable and moderately moisture-consuming.
4. For planting, use small pots or plastic cups with holes cut at the bottom.
5. Prepared substrate is collected in each container and moistened from the spray gun. Strong watering is not needed. You can pre-spill the soil with a dark solution of potassium permanganate to prevent the spread of fungal infection.
6. The tip of the handle is dipped into the root stimulator "Kornevin."
7. In the middle of the glass with a wooden stick, make a depression under the stalk. The process is inserted into the soil to the depth of the third (removed) leaf. The soil is slightly tamped.
8. The process is placed in a bright place, without drafts, with a temperature of 22-23 °.
9. During the rooting period, watering is moderate, moisten the soil after drying by 1/3. The greenhouse is not needed. Excess moisture provokes a black leg.
10. After 2-3 weeks, the root will grow, and a new leaf will appear on the handle.
11. The cuttings are transplanted into a pot with geranium soil. Be sure to drain at the bottom. After the appearance of 5-6 leaves, pinch.

ATTENTION: Do not plant cuttings in large diameter pots. It is better to take a container of 8 cm, and after a year transplant in a new container. To make the geranium look beautiful in a pot, it is planted in the center. It is necessary to monitor the direction of the branches, those that grow inward are cut off. Pinching the growth point allows you to form a lush bush.

Watch a video about propagation of geranium by cuttings:

We offer you to read about another method of planting and growing geranium, a shoot without roots, in this article.

"Flowerbed" of flowers at your home

Is it possible to plant several geraniums of different colors in one pot, is it worth experimenting? Yes, no doubt. Plants with the same irrigation and maintenance conditions can be grown in a common tank.

For 3-4 bushes you will need a pot with a diameter of 22-25 cm or a box. A variety of colors - white, orange, red or in another combination looks elegant and attractive.

On a windowsill or in the fresh air, such a flower bed looks better than individual flowers. Worries about the loss of color features are in vain. Transplanting and rejuvenating the bushes with cuttings will preserve all the qualities of the mother plant. Therefore, if you are looking for options on how to plant a plant beautifully, it is worthwhile to dwell on this simple method.

A little competition between geraniums stimulates lush flowering.

Follow-up care

After planting, the geranium should adapt. It’s not scary if she loses a few lower leaves. It is not exposed to direct rays, but kept in a light shaded place. Watering is necessary after 1-2 days, as the soil dries. At this time, the moisture balance is especially important: overflow will lead to decay, and a drawback will lead to drying. The plant is kept at a constant room temperature.

Top dressing in new soil will not be needed for another 2 months. Geranium negatively reacts to excess fertilizer. Before flowering, a complex of minerals with phosphorus and potassium is introduced. Fertilizers necessarily dissolve in water, application to dry soil leads to burns of the roots. In winter, feeding is not necessary, and watering is 1-2 times a week.

Geranium is unpretentious and grateful neighbor. It pleases with lush flowering, spreads a healthy, soothing scent throughout the room. She does not need to pay much attention, even spraying and washing the leaves is contraindicated. It is enough to put it in a suitable pot, carry out spring pruning, water on time, give a lot of light and air.

Watch the video: How to Propagate Geraniums from Cuttings (April 2024).