How to care for geraniums at home to bloom: how to make a plant, and also what needs to be done for the appearance of lush and plentiful buds for the whole summer?

If you were presented with either you bought a flower like geranium, but don’t know how to care for it, or it grows for some reason, but still does not bloom, then you will need our recommendations. What actions should be taken so that the buds begin to bloom, and the flowering is plentiful and long?

You will find the answers to all these questions in our article. Also watch a useful video on this topic.

What is this plant?

Geranium is a flowering plant with fragrant leaves., which is grown for decorative purposes or for the extraction of essential oil. Interestingly, this flower has another name - the crane.

ATTENTION: The appearance of both names is explained by the fact that the Greek word "geranion" is translated as "crane", and the fruits of these plants themselves are similar to the beak of this bird.

Many are used to the fact that geranium grows in pots at home, and often grows well and blooms, since it is a fairly unpretentious plant. However, this flower feels great on the street both on the open balcony in the flower tub and in the open ground.

Moreover, it is often found in the wild - in the mountains, in the tropical zone. Sure, different types of geraniums grow in houses in flower pots and in nature, because all over the world there are more than 400 species, and only in Russia can you find 40 of them.

Growing Features

If you chose geranium to decorate your interior or front garden, you did not lose, because geranium blooms beautifully, often and for a long time, thereby contributing to creating coziness in the house and giving freshness and beauty to the garden.

If the location of the flower allows him to receive a sufficient amount of light and sunlight, as well as if he is properly looked after and do not forget to water, then the inflorescences will bloom one after the other almost all year round, delighting the mistress with their obedience and responsiveness to proper care.

When and how many blooms?

This, of course, depends on what type of plant you have chosen for yourself. Mostly geraniums bloom from early spring to mid-winter. It also happens that they give inflorescences all year round, without ceasing even in winter.

But how is this obtained? Of course, a single blossoming flower cannot remain fresh for such a long time as on the first day of its appearance. Sooner or later, it fades, but at the same time other inflorescences bloom, and later a new one will also appear on the site of the lost flower. That is why withered buds do not spoil the overall picture, and their change occurs imperceptibly. In more detail about when, how and under what conditions the geranium blooms, you will learn in this article.

The necessary conditions

First of all, in order for plants of this species to bloom magnificently, it is necessary to properly care for it at the appropriate time of year:

Winter, as a rule, is a period of rest for her. Therefore, if you want her to blossom in spring and summer, she will have to put her in a cool place in winter and provide her with light watering.TIP: In case the window sill is the usual place for this plant in your house and there is a battery under it, it makes sense to move the pot to another place (away from the battery) in the winter, for example, to the balcony.
In spring, geraniums should be transplanted. Why this is to be done in the spring is explained by the fact that in winter she “sleeps”, all processes slow down, and she takes root for a long time, and sometimes even dies.
In summer, geranium blooms, and spends all its efforts on the appearance of new inflorescences, so a transplant at this time can also adversely affect the condition of the plant. But in the early spring before the buds appear, when it “comes to life”, it can best endure changes, including transplantation.
In the summer, it is recommended to find a flower in a place where it will receive plenty of sunlight. In addition, a stronger watering will favorably affect the flowering rate than in winter, but moderate.

But these measures may not be enough for the flowering of geraniums. It will also contribute to a better and longer flowering if you perform the following actions:

As the flowers dry, remove them in time.
In winter, keep the plant at a temperature of 10-15 degrees on the balcony or on the windowsill closer to the glass.
Provide adequate lighting, while avoiding direct sunlight, which can burn leaves.
In winter, with a lack of light, place under artificial lighting for several hours a day.

If the lighting turns out to be so strong that the geranium gets sunburn, or, on the contrary, is not sufficiently necessary, then most likely it will bloom anyway. However, not as long and beautiful as it would be with decent care.

Instruction manual

Consider in detail what to do a grower to achieve lush flowering plants. First you need to choose the right pot size. If its size is too large, then geranium will spend all its forces on the development of the root system. Maybe new leaves will bloom, but not inflorescences.

If the geranium does not bloom for a long time, then the reason may be just that. Therefore, in this case, so that it finally bloomed, it is recommended to transplant the plant into another, smaller pot. And after a period of adaptation to new conditions, your efforts will be rewarded with the appearance of beautiful flowers. Attention!

It is also allowed to plant several plants in one volumetric tank. This will not prevent them from blooming properly. Also, if you want to achieve flowering of geranium, you must:

Change the soil mixture at least once a year, due to the fact that the earth loses over time the useful substances in it.
Carefully choose the location of the flower pot. Ideally there will be a place that will be well lit, but at the same time such that at noon it falls into a slight shadow. This will protect the geranium from getting sunburn.
Avoid strong soil moisture. The root system can suffer from this, and therefore, sooner or later the whole flower. It is best watered when the topsoil dries up.
Also avoid spraying water on leaves and flowers, as this can lead to plant disease.
Position the pot away from hygrophilous plants.

The period of "revitalization" in the spring

In spring, the transition period begins, when the geranium "comes to life" after the winter. The vital processes of the plant are accelerated, and therefore it should be watered a little more often than in winter.

In addition, fertilizing is very useful for future abundant flowering of geraniums. Mineral fertilizers are suitable for this.

It is important that the nitrogen content does not exceed 11%. This is fraught with the fact that greens can grow densely, but flowering may not come. As a fertilizer, it is best to use a composition with a significant content of potassium and phosphorus.

IMPORTANT: It is necessary to carry out a geranium transplant in the spring. This can be done both by replacing the soil mixture in the pot, and by transplanting into open ground.

Moreover, if you choose the second option, then the period of spring you need to choose one when the street is no longer observed low temperature. And after the plant is in the front garden, it can be transplanted back into the pot and placed in the house on the windowsill.

What to do to achieve magnificent "balls" all year round?

In order for the geranium to bloom magnificently, it is necessary to carefully care:

Transplant once a year.
Do not overfill or allow excessive dryness of the earth.
Remove faded flowers in a timely manner.
Do not shade or expose to direct sunlight.
Fertilize with nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus mixtures.
Follow the rules of seasonal plant care.

However, not every grade of geranium, even with proper care, can bloom all year round. Like any organism, geraniums have features of the life process that depend on the time of year.

Often during the winter, flowering is suspended so that the plant regains strength until spring (we wrote here about what to do when the geranium has blossomed). But it should be noted that there are species of geraniums that give new inflorescences all year round. For example, zonal pelargonium. Therefore, if you want the plant to bloom all year round, it is not without meaning to acquire just such a flower.

Rules for the care of a crane in the country

So, how to make a plant bloom all summer? First of all, it is recommended to transplant geranium in the country in open ground at a time when during the day and especially at night no cold temperature and frost are expected.

From severe hypothermia, it will not only not be able to bloom all summer, but even die. At the same time, it is best to plant geraniums before the appearance of inflorescences. Therefore, it is best to do this in the spring.

It is necessary to choose a place for landing such that it receives a sufficient amount of light and heat, but at the same time that it is slightly darkened in the hottest time of the day. This is necessary so that direct sunlight does not burn leaves and buds.

It is important to prune old stems in time and remove dried flowers. This will contribute to abundant and prolonged flowering throughout the summer.

You should also periodically fertilize geranium with mineral top dressing.. Nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus are useful for the plant. Following these recommendations, you can enjoy the beautiful flowering of geraniums all summer long. And in order to continue her life, it is best to transplant it into a pot and bring it into the house before the onset of cold weather.

Procedure for the absence of buds

If your geranium for some reason does not give inflorescences, then it can be made to blossom with the help of carefully selected care:

The pot should not be too big. For a small bush, a container with a diameter of 14 cm and a height of 15 cm is suitable.
It is worth watering regularly, but not too often. The flowering of geraniums is better if you forget to water it than do it prematurely.
Do not forget about the annual transplant of the plant, its nutrition and the removal of wilted inflorescences.
It is recommended to allow the geranium to receive a sufficient amount of light.

If you want the geranium to bloom on the street, then you should adhere to the same rules for caring for it as listed above. At the same time, it is necessary to transplant into the ground during the period when the cold has ended on the street.

In some cases, geraniums may bloom but not form new leaves. What to do with this problem is described in a separate article.

Thus, following all the principles of caring for geraniums, you can achieve that it will bloom for a long time and amazingly, delighting you with its beauty every day.