Closer to winter, like many plants, geranium requires special care for itself, the maintenance of which should be literate, because only in this case in spring and summer can it please the eye with its abundant flowering.
How to organize the correct care of geraniums in winter and spring? How to prune before hibernation and keep the plant at home? Detailed information can be found in the article below.
Features of growth: what happens with pelargonium in winter?
In the cold season geranium begins a period of rest, when it rests from its abundant and almost year-round flowering, and all the necessary conditions for this must be provided.
During this period, the plant slows its growth, ceases to bloom - minimizes the cost of resources in order to gain strength for the new flowering and the resumption of intensive development.
And the flow of the entire geranium growing season will depend on whether the flower is placed in a cool place.
Preparing for the winter: trimming
Preparation for the rest period begins in the fall, and the most important thing to do is to cut the geranium. This will then make a huge difference in how it will bloom. Without pruning, even with all the necessary conditions set out below, such lush and beautiful flowers will not appear on the plant.
Geranium trimming order:
- In late September, absolutely all flower stalks are cut, regardless of whether they have faded or are still actively doing it. This is done in order to help the geranium maintain its reserves of resources for the winter.
- Pinch off or cut off all the leaves that have already turned yellow and faded, or just started to do it. Experienced growers recommend pinching them, and not cut with scissors. In the second case, real sticking roots remain.
- For dense flowering in September, geranium is cut so that the beginning of the branches, or slightly above (3 - 5 cm) node, remains. The upper cut part can be rooted as a cutting.
You need to cut the plant until it loses its beautiful and lush appearance. If the plant is young, it is only pinned., and do it according to the following rules:
- Pinching young plants begins, the code of their height reaches 5 - 6 cm.
- After the geranium grows another 5 cm, then the pinching is done again.
- To achieve a spherical shape, pinching 3 times can be done in a similar pattern.
Wherein pruning can be done both in autumn and in spring, it depends on the geranium variety. For example, zonal geraniums tend to grow, and if it doesn’t bother you, you can not cut it, but it’s better not to touch very small plants until spring.
For variegated varieties pruning is very stressful, so they are better to cut in the spring. Cut ampelnye need only when they grow too large.
Important! To remove flowers and yellowed leaves must be removed in any case, regardless of the variety, while cutting the stem is individually for almost every variety, which differ in size.
For small geraniums, pruning will not play a big role, but for those that are large, this is very important.
How to keep the plant at home and is it possible to clean the basement?
Already in the fall the pot with the plant is placed in a cool and dimly lit place. The southern or northern window sill in the house / apartment is quite suitable for this, since there is scattered sunlight there. And to compensate for the lack of light in this time, you can use fluorescent lamps. The optimal light day is 12 hours.
Such lamps are an excellent way out if it is not possible to place geraniums on a window sill: you can independently build shelves with lamps, thanks to which they can be placed anywhere in the house / apartment. Also, additional lighting ensures uniform development of all shoots (when lighting is not enough, they begin to stretch).
The frequency of watering and the amount of water for this are gradually reduced, because for the winter the plant stores water in its thick stems. Watering is necessary so that the soil was quite a bit wet, and the next watering should be done when the substrate is completely dry.
Extremely It is not recommended to fertilize geranium until the beginning of March. If the plant suddenly began to wither away, you can add fertilizer, but not more than 1 time in a month and a half.
The temperature is better to reduce to 10 - 12 degrees, so for the winter it is convenient to place a flower on the balcony or in the basement. This temperature is observed until the beginning of spring.
Important! Do not flood the plant, especially at low temperatures. It is for this reason that sudden and rapid decay of the roots often begins. It is also impossible to prevent excessive drying of the substrate. In this case, the plant will begin to turn yellow, wither quickly and die off gradually.
Despite the fact that in the cold season geranium should be in the room where the temperature is extremely low, it does not tolerate cold drafts. therefore during any ventilation, the plant should be removed as far as possible from the open window.
Spring care
In early March, the geranium begins to gradually wake up in order to intensively spend its forces accumulated over its entire rest period. For this, the temperature in the room where the flower is located gradually increases. If he was on the balcony, then it can simply be brought into the apartment, and the room temperature is quite suitable for the entire growing season.
In the spring for this plant the rule works, which sounds like: "the more light, the better!". therefore a pot of geraniums is placed on the lighted window-sill in the apartment, and it doesn't matter at all whether scattered or direct sunlight gets there. Only in those days when the sun is especially scorching, can the plant be covered with something.
Watering, like temperature, gradually becomes more. In the spring it needs to be produced about once every few days, and in the summer every day. Water that in the winter, in the summer, must necessarily be at room temperature and settled.
During the growing season geranium especially needs fertilizer, therefore From the very beginning of March it is possible to feed mixtures with phosphorus and potassium once a week. It is necessary to make top dressing accurately, gradually increasing their quantity every time.
Knowing how to properly handle geraniums in its rest period, one can not be afraid that in summer it will not bloom. And to provide these conditions for this is within the power of absolutely everyone, regardless of his skills in floriculture.
