Can Geraniums Repel Mosquitoes? The Latest Answer Is Here

Geranium, also known as fancy hydrangea, fish geranium, zonal geranium, and ivy-leaved geranium, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Pelargonium in the family Geraniaceae. It is native to southern Africa and widely cultivated around the world. It has strong adaptability, bright flower colors, and a long blooming period, making it suitable for indoor display, flower bed arrangements, and more. Let us take a look below at whether geraniums can repel mosquitoes!

Can Geraniums Repel Mosquitoes?

Geraniums can repel mosquitoes. The geranium that can repel mosquitoes is the rose-scented geranium (Pelargonium graveolens). As the name suggests, it is a plant that gives off fragrance, just like night-blooming jasmine, jasmine, and rosemary, as well as the cranesbill, which also belongs to the geranium genus. The fragrance it releases not only beautifies the indoor environment and purifies indoor air, but can also repel mosquitoes. However, scientists have not yet given a specific explanation for exactly why this is the case. Still, we only need to know that rose-scented geranium does indeed have a mosquito-repelling effect.

How to Grow Geraniums

1. Soil: Geraniums require fertile, well-drained soil. For potted soil, you can use 1/3 leaf mold, 1/3 rice husk ash, and 1/3 garden soil, then add a small amount of superphosphate and mix well.

2. Watering: Geraniums are drought-tolerant and afraid of waterlogging. Therefore, during the growing process, control water appropriately. Too much watering and excessive water content in the pot soil will cause leggy growth or root rot. During the vigorous growth and flowering period in spring and autumn, you can water a bit more, but it is still best to keep the pot soil moist. In winter, when temperatures are low and plant growth is slow, water as little as possible.

3. Fertilizing: When cultivating, in addition to applying sufficient base fertilizer, during the growing season, especially at the peak of flowering, apply a thin liquid fertilizer once every 7-10 days. Diluted decomposed livestock and poultry manure is even better, or you can use decomposed cake fertilizer water. 3-5 days before fertilizing, water less or not at all; applying fertilizer when the pot soil is on the dry side is more conducive to root absorption.

4. Light: Geraniums are native to South Africa and prefer sunny, warm, well-ventilated environmental conditions. In spring and early summer, when sunlight is not too strong, you can place the flower pot in a place with ample light so it receives sufficient sunlight. But in the hot seasons of midsummer and early autumn, it should be placed in shade and avoid direct strong light, otherwise the branches and leaves will be scorched.

5. Pruning: To make the plant shape attractive and produce more flowers, if the plant grows too vigorously in spring, you can carry out thinning and pruning. After flowering, promptly cut off faded flowers and overly dense branches. During the dormant period, prune once more, cutting off yellowed old leaves, thinning out dense branches, and shortening overly long branches, so that after the dormant period ends, new branches can sprout and continue to form buds and bloom. In addition, geraniums themselves have a special odor and are rarely attacked by pests. Therefore, no control is needed.

What Plants Repel Mosquitoes?

1. Night-blooming jasmine: Night-blooming jasmine, also known as night jessamine, is native to tropical America. Its leaves are heart-shaped with soft hairs along the edges. Between summer and autumn, clusters of yellow-green bell-shaped small flowers bloom in the leaf axils. When the moon rises above the treetops, it gives off waves of delicate fragrance. This fragrance, however, makes mosquitoes afraid, making it an excellent mosquito repellent.

2. Lavender: Lavender is a small blue-purple flower. Its place of origin is the Mediterranean, and it likes dry conditions. Its flower shape resembles a wheat ear, and it usually blooms in June. Lavender itself has an insecticidal effect. People often make sachets from lavender and place them in cupboards, and some also put it in the bedroom to repel mosquitoes.

3. Pitcher plant: The pitcher plant is a typical carnivorous plant. It has peculiar leaves, and at the tip hangs an oblong “insect-catching pitcher”, with a lid at the mouth that can open and close. There are dozens of species of pitcher plants, and different species have different shapes, sizes, and colors of pitchers. Pitcher plants can be used medicinally and have certain effects on diseases such as hepatitis, stomach pain, high blood pressure, and colds. They are also masters at catching mosquitoes.

4. Geranium: Geraniums bloom in dense clusters, full and round, and can adapt to all regions north and south. In hot periods, place them outdoors in a lightly shaded environment; in cold periods, enjoy them indoors in a bright place. Geraniums have a unique odor, and this odor makes mosquitoes and flies flee when they smell it.

5. Orange jasmine: Orange jasmine is a small evergreen shrub that stays green all year round. Its shape is corymb-like, with many branches, small glossy leaves, and dense white flowers. After flowering, it can also bear red berries, adding beauty to a humble room. If you touch its leaves, you will feel a rich sweet fragrance, and its mosquito-repelling effect is very good.

6. Insect-eating grass: Insect-eating grass is a herbaceous plant of the Asteraceae family. It can grow to about 1 m tall, with small yellow flowers, and a single plant can have hundreds of flower heads. Around each flower head there is sticky liquid, like five extended little fingers, which is very interesting. As long as small mosquitoes land on it, they are stuck, and afterward the insect corpses are slowly digested by it as nutrients for its growth. If dust sticks to it, after a few days it is also digested without a trace. Placing one pot at home catches mosquitoes and absorbs dust.

7. Jasmine: Jasmine has a rich fragrance and is the most common fragrant potted flowering plant. Jasmine is ranked at the top of mosquito-repelling flowers, mainly because jasmine's fragrance is rich and mosquitoes cannot tolerate this rich scent. We can place jasmine in places such as the bedroom and living room, and you can also dry jasmine, press it into juice, and spray it like perfume. Let the buzzing mosquitoes “change color at the smell”.