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I buy geranium seedlings at the same shop as my mother-in-law, yet her geraniums are always amazingly in bloom while mine are just “normal” — nothing spectacular. We even use the same fertilizer and have them on the same side of the house. The only difference is in properly pinching back the seedlings and buds. Try it, I can’t praise this simple growing tip enough.
For example, pinching = tearing off the growing tips, i.e. that green center where new leaves form; then they spread nicely outward. My mother-in-law even removes all the buds at the beginning so they don’t exhaust themselves by flowering immediately, and waits until they have grown out nicely — and hers are unbelievably in bloom all season long. People walking past her yard often stop and even take photos of the flowers; it’s beautiful. I pinched the buds from young seedlings for the first time last year and although I was afraid to do it, I must say I’ve never had them bloom more beautifully.
After bringing pinched seedlings home from the store
Pinch off the first buds the same way — don’t be afraid, you won’t lose your geraniums. Quite the opposite, the geraniums will continue to gain strength, won’t be exhausted by producing flowers, and will become bushier and more beautiful.
Pots must be perfectly clean and disinfected
My grandmother always left them to be disinfected in the sun after washing, which I also consider the best idea. It’s very important that the containers you plant into are perfectly clean, free of remnants of old substrate. If they aren’t brand new, wash them with hot water and disinfect them. Rinse thoroughly with hot water again the next day.
How to care for geraniums after winter
Proper fertilizing during summer – you don’t have to use only commercial fertilizers
The main prerequisite for lush window boxes is regular fertilizing throughout the summer. If you buy fertilizer, choose one with a high phosphorus content, which has beneficial effects on flowering. But watch the nitrogen content. It should be as low as possible, because otherwise it can stop the formation of new flowers. Add the appropriate fertilizer to the watering once a week. If you have good quality compost available, water the plants with a strongly diluted leachate from it; many gardeners even say that fertilizing with compost leachate is the best nourishment for geraniums.
watering
Short-term drying of the substrate is not harmful, but if possible keep it slightly moist at all times. However, be careful not to overwater. Simply always adjust watering to the current temperature and intensity of sunlight. The most suitable times to water are in the morning or in the evening when the sun is no longer scorching. Pour water directly at the roots, never on the leaves and flowers. Only on hot summer days can you mist geraniums at night with a spray bottle.
We bring you the best homemade elixir for geranium flowering and also a step-by-step guide on how to revive geraniums in spring and give them strength!
Trick for lush blooming throughout the season:
we need:
- 2.7–3 l of water (standing)
- Yeast – 100 g (I use two and a quarter yeast cubes)
- Sugar – 0.5 cup
procedure:
Dissolve the yeast (it can even be past its best-before date; in that case it doesn’t matter) in a small amount of warm water and then add it to a larger container with standing water along with the sugar. Cover with gauze or another cloth and let it stand — stir from time to time. When the fermentation process finishes (you’ll see it by the bubbles on the surface), the fertilizer is ready. Dose it so that 1 cup of fertilizer is diluted in 10 l of standing water and water the geraniums once every 2 weeks!
