How Often to Water Geraniums? Care for Them This Way to Get More Blooms

Geraniums are a common flowering plant. Geraniums bloom densely and come in endlessly varied forms, making them highly sought after by flower enthusiasts. Many people think that watering a geranium is an easy task before they start growing one, but that is not actually the case. Watering geraniums requires mastering a great deal, and a single careless mistake can cause problems for the plant, and may even cause it to die.

How to Water Geraniums (How Often to Water)

1. According to weather conditions

When the weather is clear, water evaporates quickly and the potting soil dries quickly too, so you may need to water once every two or three days, and sometimes every day; on cloudy and rainy days, the air humidity is higher, water evaporates slowly, and the potting soil will not dry out even after a week, so no watering is needed.

2. According to seedling size

Large seedlings with lush branches and leaves have a high rate of evaporation from their leaves and absorb water quickly, so the soil dries quickly and they are generally watered once every 2-3 days. Weak-growing small seedlings evaporate less and have a weaker ability to absorb water, so the soil naturally dries more slowly and watering can be reduced accordingly.

3. According to pot size and material

Large pots hold more soil and dry slowly, while small pots hold less soil and dry quickly; clay pots and ceramic pots have good breathability and dry quickly, while plastic pots and porcelain pots have poor breathability and dry slowly.

How to Care for Geraniums in Winter

1. Control temperature and ensure light

Geraniums like warmth and fear cold, so necessary cold protection measures should be taken in winter to avoid frost damage. Keep the room temperature at 15-20°C, and it must not drop below 10°C at night. If the temperature is low, the plant will grow very weakly, flower bud differentiation will be slow, and it will bloom little or not at all. But the temperature also must not be higher than 25°C, as this will affect its growth.

Usually place the flower pot by a sunny window so it can receive sufficient light. If light is insufficient, the plant will grow leggy, which will likewise affect blooming. In severe cases, the flower buds will wither, and it will also affect blooming the following year.

2. Moderate water and fertilizer

Geraniums fear wetness and tolerate drought. In winter, water evaporates slowly, so watering must be done even more carefully. Usually water once every 5-7 days, keeping the potting soil slightly dry. When watering, pay attention to the water temperature; it must not be too cold. If watered too much in winter, the leaves will fall off, flower buds will grow poorly, and the roots may even rot and the plant may die. Routinely spray the leaf surface with clean water to keep the leaves clean, allowing photosynthesis to accumulate nutrients.

To make geraniums bloom in winter, you need to provide them with sufficient nutrients. Apply a dilute liquid fertilizer once every 10 days, or water with fermented rice-washing water.

3. Pruning and pinching

To encourage geraniums with more branches to bloom more, the plant should be pinched multiple times. Pinch lightly before flowering to promote more branches and flower buds. If it blooms in winter, promptly cut off the spent, withered flowers, and cut off dead branches and thin branches to avoid consuming too many nutrients. However, since winter temperatures are lower, pruning should be light, so the plant does not recover too slowly.

How to Prevent Geranium Root Rot

1. Choose suitable soil

The quality of the soil determines the root growth of geraniums. Choose a sandy loam rich in humus, with good drainage and good permeability. The roots will grow robustly and have relatively strong resistance, so even if care is not proper at times, they will not easily rot.

2. Be careful when repotting and transplanting

Geraniums need to be repotted or moved into a larger pot every autumn, and this is the cause of large-scale root damage. So when doing this, keep the trowel farther from the root system to avoid cutting the roots off; you should know that every wound is fatal to the plant.

3. Water correctly

Correct watering is the key to preventing root rot. Do not water too much normally. During the peak growth seasons of spring and autumn, you can water a little more appropriately, but the potting soil must not become waterlogged. In summer, when temperatures are high, watering must be strictly controlled; as long as the potting soil is not very dry, try not to water, especially at noon, when watering will instead harm the plant. In addition, during the plum rain season in many places, the potting soil must not be exposed to long-term rain or become overly damp. You can collect rainwater for watering, but pay attention to the amount.

4. Prevent and control pests and diseases

Nematodes are the main pest causing geranium root rot. When planting, it is best to use artificial media such as perlite and vermiculite, or sterilize the soil. Also, promptly pull out and burn diseased plants when found.

How to Care for Geraniums to Get More Blooms

1. Fertilize reasonably

Sufficient nutrients lay the foundation for geraniums to bloom. Blooming consumes a large amount of nutrients, so when growing geraniums, you need to apply more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer; this way they bloom more and the colors are vivid.

2. Prune in time

During the small seedling stage of geraniums, you should start pinching, so the plant will grow many branches, which will increase the number of blooms.

3. Ensure suitable light

Generally, you can give geraniums 5 hours of light per day, which can promote blooming.

Although geraniums grow quickly and have very strong ability to sprout branches, making them look very easy to grow, growing geraniums is actually relatively difficult. Whether watering or fertilizing, you need to master certain techniques, and they require even more careful attention from flower enthusiasts.