Geranium cutting record: compact and full plant shape, emerald green leaves and many flowers
I don't have many small geranium seedlings at home, so I'll first let the mother plants make their debut as the vanguard, and when the temperature is suitable in March, I'll cut branches from them for cuttings. Actually, geraniums can also be propagated by cuttings in spring. Cutting the leggy branches from winter and sticking them in can maintain the mother plant's shape and also give you seedlings, but it's best to do cuttings early so the seedlings have enough time to grow a bit bigger; small seedlings struggle to get through summer.
The temperature at cutting time was 15-20°C, around 15°C on the balcony. Since the glass of the enclosed balcony is light blue, the light conditions aren't very good, but I felt the temperature was still suitable, so I didn't wait to start taking cuttings.
Method: After cutting off the branches, dip them in B12 solution and let them dry (half an hour). It's said that B12 solution promotes rooting of cuttings, so I generally use it for my cuttings; it's available at pharmacies.
1. Seedling blocks: The seedling blocks were used last autumn, and in the spirit of thrift I continued to use them. Soak them thoroughly with potassium permanganate water, insert the branches into the seedling blocks, 8 cuttings in total.
2. Peat + perlite 1:1: After inserting the branches, water the medium thoroughly with potassium permanganate water, the purpose being disinfection + watering. In addition, potassium permanganate promotes rooting. Using potassium permanganate: soak the base 2cm of the cuttings in a 0.1%-0.5% potassium permanganate solution for 12-24 hours, then take them out and insert them immediately.
These are the 2 geraniums cuttings shown in the picture below. I gave away all the others I took at the same time; these are the 2 I kept for myself. They're growing decently at present. I cut open one of the paper cups and its roots have already grown to the bottom of the cup, so it can be planted out.
After flowering
A friend asked me, how do you grow your geraniums so well, short and plump, do you often pinch the tops, roughly when, and what fertilizer do you usually water with?
I generally pinch the tops when they are small seedlings. When the seedling has 6 leaves, start pinching, just pinch off the tip. Wait until it grows to a certain height and pinch again. Before it's fully grown, don't let it flower; pinch off any buds as soon as you see them. After it grows into a satisfactory shape, then allow it to flower. After that, prune around mid-August in autumn (depending on the temperature at the time). The simplest pruning method is to cut the branches short level with the pot rim, giving the geranium time to recover so it gets through winter well. I don't dare cut too short; be sure to leave some leaves for photosynthesis. The mother plant also shows lignification, but after pruning it will still send out new branches from the bare stems. Usually when I see a bad shape I also do a light pruning to reshape, and the cut branches are just right for cuttings.
Fertilizer: For base fertilizer use bone meal and cake fertilizer. Usually use organic nutrient solution; I've used both general-purpose and flower-promoting ones, alternating them and watering them into the root zone with water. Likewise alternate balanced and high-phosphorus ones. Generally water once a week (I often forget). Stop in winter and summer.