Why Geraniums Don't Bloom And What To Do To Help The Flower

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

Why geraniums don't bloom: we deal with the problem and save the flower

Geranium is one of the most popular flowers grown both at home and (in the warm season) in the garden. And if, when transferred to open ground, it blooms in a flower bed in summer, then in room conditions, on a windowsill, it is able to do this for a very long time, almost six months. If geranium does not bloom in time, you should look for the cause of this phenomenon and try to eliminate it.

Why geraniums don't bloom

Under favorable conditions, the flowering of geraniums in indoor conditions can begin already at the end of winter, and if it has not bloomed in March, you should deal with the situation. There are many reasons for the lack of flowering, it is almost always fixable.

Inappropriate pot size

Geranium is one of those plants that bloom normally only when their roots fill the entire container with soil provided to them. Therefore, the desire of novice gardeners to give geraniums excessive freedom is inappropriate: the pot should be of the appropriate size, better a little cramped than too large. If the capacity is clearly large, it is never too late to transplant a flower with a clod of earth into a smaller pot.

Geranium pots should be earthenware and not too large

Unsuitable soil

If "in the wild", in the garden, geraniums more or less normally tolerate almost any soil, then in room conditions it is more capricious in this respect. So, garden soil is most often unsuitable for indoor growing of this flower, because it is too heavy. On the windowsill, geraniums like to grow in a pot with fertile, but light, breathable soil. If possible, it should be bought in a specialized store, otherwise - mix sand, humus and garden soil in a 1: 1: 2 ratio. Previously, the soil brought from the site should be disinfected.

Irrigation errors

Geranium is a completely drought-resistant plant; it tolerates moderate drought more easily than waterlogged soil. With an excessive flow of water, especially in the case of improperly selected soil, the root system easily rots. Water, even if it has passed through the drainage layer and accumulated in the sump, is not drained from there on time, is a favorable environment for the development of pathogens. As a result, the plant receives less nutrition, oxygen, and, in addition, can be infected. Watering geraniums should be very moderate.

When watering, water is poured in a thin stream, without touching the plants

Incorrectly selected temperature scheme

In order for the geranium to prepare well for the warm season and to bloom in time, it must be provided with winter peace. When kept warm in winter, flowering will be a big question. In winter, the flower is kept in Spartan conditions, in the coolest place in the apartment - on the windowsill, closer to the glass.

Lack of nutrients and light

For successful flowering, geraniums must receive enough light, but direct sunlight directed at the pot during the hot season is destructive for it. The owner must maneuver between these circumstances: perhaps periodically changing the location of the pot depending on the weather, or organizing additional lighting.

From the point of view of nutrition, geranium cannot be called a too voracious plant, but it will have a hard time without additional fertilizing: in depleted soil it will no longer be up to flowering.

Incorrect pruning, long absence of transplants

Even with top dressing, the soil is depleted. In addition, the root system of geraniums gradually grows, and even in a properly selected pot it becomes too crowded. Therefore, for normal flowering, geraniums should be periodically transplanted into a new pot of a suitable size with partial replacement of the soil.

Timely pruning is very important for the plant. The main pruning is carried out when preparing the flower for winter, removing up to half of the green mass (unblown peduncles, yellowing leaves) and shortening the shoots almost to the forks. In winter, they hardly do this, but in the spring they again slightly shorten those shoots that branches over the winter. If the aerial part is allowed to grow uncontrollably, the plant may refuse to bloom.

In winter, geraniums are sent thoroughly cut

How to help a flower and achieve flowering

In order for geraniums to bloom on time and normally, it is necessary to create optimal conditions for it, in particular:

• to maintain a temperature of 22 … 27 ^o C in summer, not higher than 15 ^o C in winter;
• carry out pruning on time;
• choose the right capacity;
• observe moderation in watering;
• in dressings, do not be zealous with nitrogen.

Sometimes it is recommended to add iodine tincture to the water for irrigation (only 1 drop per liter of water). Keep the flower in a sunny place, but do not allow the bright rays to overheat and burn the leaves.

If the geranium did not bloom in March, but the owner figured out the reasons and promptly eliminated the shortcomings, it is very likely that flowering will occur in the current season. So, watering a flower in spring and summer should be when the top centimeter layer of soil dries up. When watering, you should try not to get water on the plants, water is poured near the edge of the pot in a thin stream. The excess trapped in the pallet is promptly removed. Water for irrigation must be settled, soft, with a temperature not lower than room temperature.

In spring and summer, fertilizing with a minimum nitrogen content is required twice a month. If you have problems with flowering, it is especially important not to spare money and buy special compositions for geraniums in the store.

Finding a special fertilizer in the store is not a problem

Although pruning in summer is not recommended, in the case of obvious stretching of the stems, it is worth pruning the obviously excess shoots and leaves to save plant strength. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to eliminate the problem associated with the incorrect selection of the pot in the summer: the summer transplant is risky, especially in the presence of buds.

Video: how to push geraniums to bloom

The lack of flowering in geraniums is usually associated with obvious flaws in caring for it, including in winter. Fortunately, the situation can almost always be corrected, and in most cases the first flowers can appear already in the current season.