Linda Thomas
1. Choose a healthy start. Half the battle is finding a healthy start or seedling. Buy your geraniums from a trusted gardening center. Look for healthy green leaves, no sign of yellowing, dryness, or pests, and choose plants with plenty of budding on them. You don’t necessarily want a plant that is blooming already, but has a show in store.
2. Use more potting mix, less dirt. Geraniums do well when they are in a mixture that consists of more potting mix and less dirt. They really need the nutrients and prefer the airy mixture. Use a mixture of 2/3 potting mix and the rest soil when preparing your pots.
3. Don’t over water. This is a huge mistake people make when taking care of this plant. You don’t want to over water as it can cause yellowing. Instead, water well then allow the pot to completely dry out before you water again. The idea is to water deep, dry out completely.
4. A slow release fertilizer works well. Use a slow release fertilizer after you plant and again a few weeks later. A liquid fertilizer is ideal and will do the work for you. Don’t over fertilize in hopes of getting bigger blooms. Always follow package directions.
5. Give them 4-6 hours of direct sun. Geraniums do love to be warm. They should have at least 4-6 hours of direct sun each day. If you are having trouble getting that much sun in one spot, put your pot on wheels so you can shift it around as needed.
6. Deadhead! Geraniums will not do well and continue to bloom if you leave spent blooms on the plant. Instead you need to deadhead as you see dead foliage as this will keep the plant healthy and make sure it spends its resources where it needs to: on creating new blooms!
7. Bring them indoors. You CAN bring geraniums inside during the cold months and winter season. If you do, they will continue to grow for you during the winter months. Otherwise, it is an annual and will die if left outdoors. If you do plant it in a container, why not try to bring it in at the end of the season and continue to enjoy it?
2. Use more potting mix, less dirt. Geraniums do well when they are in a mixture that consists of more potting mix and less dirt. They really need the nutrients and prefer the airy mixture. Use a mixture of 2/3 potting mix and the rest soil when preparing your pots.
3. Don’t over water. This is a huge mistake people make when taking care of this plant. You don’t want to over water as it can cause yellowing. Instead, water well then allow the pot to completely dry out before you water again. The idea is to water deep, dry out completely.
4. A slow release fertilizer works well. Use a slow release fertilizer after you plant and again a few weeks later. A liquid fertilizer is ideal and will do the work for you. Don’t over fertilize in hopes of getting bigger blooms. Always follow package directions.
5. Give them 4-6 hours of direct sun. Geraniums do love to be warm. They should have at least 4-6 hours of direct sun each day. If you are having trouble getting that much sun in one spot, put your pot on wheels so you can shift it around as needed.
6. Deadhead! Geraniums will not do well and continue to bloom if you leave spent blooms on the plant. Instead you need to deadhead as you see dead foliage as this will keep the plant healthy and make sure it spends its resources where it needs to: on creating new blooms!
7. Bring them indoors. You CAN bring geraniums inside during the cold months and winter season. If you do, they will continue to grow for you during the winter months. Otherwise, it is an annual and will die if left outdoors. If you do plant it in a container, why not try to bring it in at the end of the season and continue to enjoy it?
