Geranium is a beautiful perennial plant that can be grown at home and in the open field. It was for the decoration of flower beds that garden geranium was developed. It has many varieties that differ in color of flowers, leaf shape and growing features. In this article we will look at the process of planting garden geraniums in open ground, as well as caring for them.
How to plant a plant?
Before you start planting garden geraniums, you need to decide on the time, choose the right place, prepare the material and planting pits.
- When to land?
Garden geraniums need to be planted in early spring or early autumn. If the landing activities are held in the spring, then do it in May, when the ground warms up to 15-18 degrees Celsius.
- Ground requirement.
Garden geranium does not like clay and loamy soil. You need to choose a place where fertile soil prevails, without stagnation of groundwater in order to avoid rotting of the roots. In addition, the place should be well lit with shading at noon.
- Material used.
For planting garden geraniums, you can use seeds, rhizomes and seedlings. It is best to purchase seedlings with a closed type of root system, as they have an excellent survival rate in the ground.
- Landing process.
An adult plant has long roots with side shoots, so this must be taken into account when making the planting pit. The following requirements are imposed on it:- It should not be shallow - 20 cm deeper than the length of the seedling.
- At the bottom, be sure to lay a layer of small stones, broken brick or gravel. This will be a drainage layer, the thickness of which will be 3 cm.
- On top of the drainage is necessary to lay the nutrient mixture, consisting of peat, sand and rotted compost, taken in equal proportions.
When all the preparatory activities are over, you can proceed to the landing:
- The plant must be simply lowered into the planting pit and sprinkled with earth.
- Between seedlings need to keep a distance of 20-30 cm.
- After planting, the plant must be plentifully moistened, and a mulch made from peat or bark.
An adult plant has long roots with side shoots, so this must be taken into account when making the planting pit. The following requirements are imposed on it:How to care for a flower growing in the open field?
- Temperature, humidity, lighting.
Garden geranium will normally grow and develop at an air temperature of 12 degrees Celsius. It is very demanding about lighting, because without it its growth and flowering will stop.
With a lack of light, the leaves will also begin to fade. But direct sunlight is also unacceptable for it, otherwise a burn will form on the sheet plate. Garden geranium normally tolerates dry and moist air, but does not like spraying.
- Watering.
It is necessary to moisten the flower regularly, but watering should be moderate. Waterlogging should not be allowed, as this is fraught with the development of root rot. But the drought for the geranium is destructive, because because of this, it will stop blooming, and its leaves will wither. Moisturize the soil better after the upper layer has dried out. Use for this settled warm water.
- Top dressing.
In abundant food geranium does not need. Most of the time, she needs ample compost and peat, which were introduced before planting in the pit. Excess nutrients introduced into the soil will have a bad effect on flowering.
Before the buds bloom, you must use a feed containing phosphorus. The use of potassium compounds (once every 2 weeks) during the formation of inflorescences and with active flowering will allow to obtain large and lush inflorescences.
- Pruning.
Geranium must be cut to obtain a thick bush, so that it gets a compact and decorative look. In addition, pruning has a preventive purpose, as it helps to protect young shoots and leaves from diseases. To do this, remove all dried flowers and leaves that are so attractive for gray rot.
Features of the Himalayan species
This type of garden geranium grows in the form of a bush, which height is 30-60 cm. The plant blooms in May-June in the form of blue inflorescences. Some subspecies have buds of light blue, purple-blue, and blue with a purple eye.
Planting and caring for this plant is carried out according to the scheme presented earlier.
A photo
Then you can see the photo of geraniums.:
Breeding
Garden geranium propagated by cuttings and seeds.
Seeds
Planting work must be done at the end of February., following the procedure below:
- Prepare plastic cups that fill with nutrient primer.
- Moisturize it slightly and plant seeds on the surface of the earth, slightly deepening it.
- Cover the container with the cut plastic bottle and place in a warm room.
- In order for small plants to sprout as quickly as possible, additional lighting should be considered.
- After 2 months, sprouts can be planted.
Cuttings
This method of reproduction is the most popular, and it carries out as follows:
- To get the cutting, you need to cut the tops with 3-4 leaves, and then place them in a container with water.
- Once the roots are formed, they should be planted in pots with nutritious soil.
- You can cover the cuttings with glass jars for 3-4 days.
Possible problems and illnesses
When the color of platinum leaf has changed, it dries out, and blackening is present near the root, this indicates damage by pests or diseases.
Symptoms of the disease:
- leaves turn yellow and wither when watering is violated;
- the stems expose the bottom due to lack of light;
- spots and rot occur when infected with fungi.
Of the plant pests strike:
- Aphid - for the struggle to use when watering 20 g ash extracts per 1 liter of water.
- Whitefly and mites - for their destruction it is necessary to use biological insecticides.
- Caterpillars - these pests must be collected manually.
Garden geranium is an unpretentious plant in the care of which even inexperienced flower growers can grow. It is possible to cultivate a flower in a pot or on a bed, and a wide variety of subspecies allows you to create a mini-greenhouse without too much difficulty.
