Caring For Geraniums At Home In Winter: Watering, Feeding And Other Aspects

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Geranium in the apartment: how it winters

"You have a geranium on your window": everyone remembers this phrase. However, the flower that stands on the windowsill at home can be correctly called pelargonium: Geranium is a forest species, Pelargonium is domestic. But what conditions should be created on the windowsill in winter? After all, indoor geranium (after all, this name was stuck behind it among the people) is a guest from South Africa. Therefore, it is not very easy to winter, special care is needed.

How to care for geraniums in winter

It is not difficult to take care of geraniums, but in winter it is uncomfortable, it should be handled gently, without causing unnecessary stress.

Preparing for winter

What is “winter” for geraniums? This period for her lasts from November to February, and during these months she should not be very warm: the optimal temperature should not be higher than 16-18 ^o C. There should not be a sharp drop, the temperature is lowered gradually, on cloudy days, and the amount of watering is also reduced. If geranium blooms in autumn, a gradual transition to winter will not even affect this process, and new shoots will slow down their growth.

During preparation for winter, geraniums are thoroughly cut off so that the bush is well ventilated and illuminated in winter. This is done to remove about half of the green mass:

• at the end of September, those peduncles are removed on which the flowers did not have time to bloom (at the same time, some owners cut off the flowers, transferring the plant to a state of almost complete rest);
• pinch off or cut off drooping and yellowing leaves;
• the shoots are shortened by cutting them just above the forks.

Many growers send geraniums in the winter in a highly pruned state.

Illumination

Geraniums also require good illumination in winter. On a sill facing south, the sun is usually enough as long as it shines during the day, but in the morning and in the evening, backlighting is needed: daylight hours should last about 12 hours. For this, cold glow fluorescent lamps, or better phytolamps, are placed at a height of 10-15 cm above the bushes and turned on as the intensity of sunlight decreases.

Temperature and humidity

At night, the air temperature where the flower stands should not be lower than 10–12 ^o С, during the day it should be slightly warmer. With a more severe temperature regime, the plant can shed all the leaves, and under critical conditions, it can die. Drafts are unacceptable.

The air should not be too dry, which happens next to the radiator. However, the issue is almost always solved simply: by installing an open wide vessel with clean water next to the pot, and only in the driest regions air humidifiers may be required. It is impossible to spray geranium with water in winter.

If the geranium is left with flowers, it will withstand them, but in this case it is especially important to create sufficiently humid air: even wet rags on the battery will help with this

Watering, top dressing

Winter watering is carried out very moderately: in the morning, once every two weeks. Top dressing is also necessary in winter, once every 3-4 weeks. To do this, it is better to take special compositions for geraniums available in flower shops. In their absence, complex fertilizers with a low nitrogen content are suitable (often such an inscription is located right on the front side of the package with the preparation). Watering is carried out before and after fertilizing.

Pruning

Since the flower enters the winter in a pruned state, in winter it is only necessary to remove the wilting and yellowing leaves, as well as, if they were left, flowers. At the same time, there are a few varieties that have specificity in this matter. For example, variegated varieties are almost never pruned in the fall, but pruned at the very end of winter, in preparation for spring. Ampel varieties can be pruned at any time of the year as they grow excessively. If after a while the places of the cuts turn black, they must be updated.

Transplant, reproduction

It is impossible to transplant geraniums in winter, but in preparation for winter, in October, it's time for this. When transplanting, choose a small pot and always replace the soil. Large bushes at this particular time can be divided into parts and planted in separate pots. Each division must have sufficiently strong roots.

It is convenient to transplant geraniums precisely in preparation for winter.

It is possible to cut geraniums in winter. To do this, cut off the upper part of a strong bush, which contains at least 2-3 leaves, sprinkle the cut with crushed activated carbon and plant it entirely in neutralized fresh soil. Although, of course, you can first root the cutting in a jar of water.

Before the geranium wakes up in the new season

With the end of winter, geraniums are gradually being prepared for the new season. At the end of February, the shoots that have grown over the winter are pruned, the flower is fed with carbamide or ammonium nitrate. With the onset of longer days, the additional illumination is canceled and the temperature is gradually increased to 22-26 ^o C.

Proper calm wintering will give geraniums strength to bloom magnificently in spring.

Geranium is an unpretentious flower, but without qualified care it grows poorly and hardly blooms. It is especially important to do everything according to the rules with the onset of the winter period. Geranium, which is carefully looked after, grows well and blooms luxuriantly.