Can Geraniums Be Grown Indoors? The Latest Answer Is Here
Geranium is a widely cultivated flowering plant, with rich and colorful blooms and a long flowering period. Potted plants can accent living rooms, bedrooms, venues and other public places, and can also be used for cut flower production. It is one of the flower varieties many people choose to decorate their homes, but do you know whether geraniums can be grown indoors? Let us take a look together below!
Can geraniums be grown indoors?
Geraniums are not suitable for being kept indoors for long periods. Geraniums belong to the conifer-related group of plants; if too many are placed indoors, they release a rather strong pine scent, which affects people's appetite, makes pregnant women feel nauseous, and can even cause allergic reactions in some people. In fact, it is not only geraniums; flowers such as tulips, night-blooming jasmine, Syringa oblata and elderberry also cannot be kept indoors for long periods. Friends who grow these flowers must pay close attention. If you have these flowers, never keep them indoors all the time, as it is very bad for your health.
Are geraniums actually toxic?
Geraniums are not toxic. Geraniums themselves are non-toxic, but their pollen easily causes allergic reactions in people with sensitive skin, so whether they are toxic depends on the individual. People with allergic skin, infants and pregnant women should still be careful. If there are no allergy-prone people in the home, geraniums are still very suitable for home decoration. Their scent is a bit like roses and a bit like mint. Not only are they non-toxic, they can also help regulate hormones, stimulate lymphatic detoxification, balance skin oil secretion, have a deep cleansing and astringent effect, and are also a very good insect repellent.
How to grow geraniums in pots
1. Soil: Geraniums are also highly adaptable and can grow in all kinds of soil, but they grow best in sandy loam rich in humus.
2. Watering: Geraniums like dryness and dislike dampness. In winter, do not water too much; water only when the soil is dry. When the soil is wet, the stems are tender, which is unfavorable for the sprouting and opening of flower branches. Long-term excessive moisture will cause the plant to grow leggy, the position where flower branches form will move upward, and the leaves will gradually turn yellow and fall off.
3. Sunlight: Geraniums need plenty of sunlight during the growing period, so in winter they must be placed in a sunny spot. With insufficient light, the stems and leaves grow leggy, the flower stalks become thin and soft, and the inflorescences develop poorly. Under weak light, flower buds often fail to open properly and wither early.
4. Temperature: Geraniums like warm winters and cool summers. Keeping the indoor temperature at 10-15°C during the day in winter and above 8°C at night is enough for normal flowering. But the optimum temperature is 15-20°C.
5. Fertilizing: Geraniums do not like heavy fertilizer; too much fertilizer will make geraniums grow too vigorously and hinder flowering. To make flowering abundant, water once every 1-2 weeks with dilute fertilizer water (decomposed soybean cake water). Watering every 7-10 days with a 800-fold potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution can promote normal flowering.
6. Pests and diseases: When geraniums are poorly ventilated and too humid, they are prone to leaf spot disease and flower wilt disease. After discovery, attention should be paid to ventilation, and the diseased flowers and leaves should be removed immediately to prevent infection, and an equal-amount Bordeaux mixture should be sprayed for control. The main pests are red spiders and whiteflies, which harm the leaves and flower branches, and can be killed by spraying with a 1000-fold solution of 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate.
7. Pruning: Pruning branches and pinching off growing tips. To encourage geraniums with more branches to bloom more, the plant should be pinched multiple times to promote more branching and flower bud formation. After the flowers fade, remove the spent flowers in good time and cut off overly dense and weak branches to avoid excessive nutrient consumption, but in cold winter, heavy pruning is not suitable.