A Detailed Guide to Sowing Geraniums and Their Germination Time

Geraniums can be sown in either spring or autumn, but indoor pot sowing in spring is best. The ideal germination temperature is 20-25°C. The seeds are not large, so do not cover them with too deep a layer of soil after sowing. They germinate in about 14-21 days. When sown in autumn, they can bloom in the summer of the following year.

The above covers the sowing and germination time of geraniums. Below, let us introduce seedling-stage care and the psychological benefits of geraniums.

How Do You Sow Geraniums? Geranium Sowing Methods, A Photo-and-Text Record of Sowing Geraniums

More and more gardening enthusiasts are growing geraniums. For beginners who are new to growing geraniums, they may just buy small geranium seedlings online, but because the seedlings are very expensive, most enthusiasts think of sowing geraniums themselves. Today I will share a gardening enthusiast's geranium sowing record as a reference for those who want to sow geraniums.

Geraniums are one of the most expensive seeds I have bought, 15 yuan for 10 seeds. But that money quickly turned into beautiful leaves and flowers, and it was truly worth it! Sown on March 25, and by today, 4 months later, the conclusion is: geraniums are absolutely an excellent choice for novices to practice with! They germinate quickly, grow quickly, tolerate shade and drought, and are super vigorous, practically like weeds.

March 25, a sunny day, good weather for spring sowing. I sowed 25 seeds of 5 varieties: deep salmon, salmon, appleblossom, white, and a mixed-color ivy geranium. The seeds are very large (of course not as big as nasturtium, but compared with other herbaceous flowers, they are truly big fellows), golden yellow like wheat, extremely beautiful.

March 29. Four days after the seeds went into the soil, cotyledons emerged. Two plump little leaves like bean sprouts, looking extremely sturdy.

April 20. The geraniums have been sown for one month, and the golden yellow seeds have turned into bright green little leaves. Geraniums really are a very beautiful plant. Even without looking at the flowers, just looking at the leaves, their shape and color are already very enchanting.

Round, with wavy edges, a very rich emerald green. An exquisite appearance.

May 26. The seedlings have basically all produced 4 or 5 true leaves. This batch of seeds was especially good quality, with a germination rate of almost 100%, uniform sprouting, and basically consistent growth speed.

I moved the two big ones into black soft pots.

Perhaps like me, many people use transparent disposable plastic cups when sowing, and then wait until the seedlings grow 6 or 7 true leaves before planting them in their final position. This is not very good! Why? Because as the seedlings grow, the root system grows faster and faster, and the roots can be seen through the transparent cup walls. Likewise, light also passes through the cup walls to the plant's roots, which hinders root development. This is called "light pruning." Therefore, once the seedlings can be transplanted, everyone should move them into dark-colored pots as soon as possible. Or, lazy people can wrap the transparent cups with black tape.

Of course, you can also sow directly in seedling plug trays from the start, but each cell is very small, so you have to be very careful. For an easygoing type like me, I used them once and then stopped.

June 28. From the end of May until now, the seedlings' growth rate has begun to slow down. Before, they looked different every day, but this month they have not grown many new leaves. I estimate it is because of ventilation and light. At the beginning I said geraniums tolerate shade and drought, which means they survive extremely easily. But this is not conducive to healthy growth.

References all say that geraniums do not need too much water and should be watered alternately between dry and wet. So while they were on the balcony, I watered them only once a week. (But after I put them outdoors, it rained heavily almost every two days, and they still stayed very healthy!) References also say that geraniums can live in partial shade, but without sufficient sunlight they will not bloom.

My poor balcony, although it faces south, gets almost no direct sunlight in summer. Time to move them. I bought a bunch of small red plastic pots, 2 yuan each, ridiculously cheap. They fit perfectly in the wooden trough outside the window.

Summary: The above is the record of sowing geraniums. I hope everyone will exchange more geranium growing experience.

How Do You Sow Geraniums? An Illustrated Guide to the Geranium Sowing Process

[Common Question] How do you sow geraniums?

[Expert Answer]

Geranium propagation by sowing can be done in either spring or autumn, but indoor pot sowing in spring is best. The ideal germination temperature is 20-25°C. Geranium seeds are not large, so do not cover them with too deep a layer of soil after sowing. They germinate in about 2-5 days. When sown in autumn, they can bloom in the summer of the following year. Seedlings grown from sowing can be selected to breed excellent intermediate-type varieties. Below, an illustrated guide introduces how to sow geraniums.

Geranium sowing

1. Sowing time: a sunny day in spring, good weather for spring sowing. Sow the geranium seeds. Geranium seeds are very large (of course not as big as nasturtium, but compared with other herbaceous flowers, they are truly big fellows).

Geranium sowing

2. Four days after the seeds went into the soil, cotyledons emerged. Two plump little leaves like bean sprouts.

Geranium germination

3. One month after sowing, the golden yellow seeds have turned into bright green little leaves. Geraniums really are a very beautiful plant. Even without looking at the flowers, just looking at the leaves, their shape and color are already very enchanting. Round, with wavy edges, a very rich emerald green.

Geranium seedlings

4. The seedlings have basically all produced 4 or 5 true leaves. This batch of seeds was especially good quality, with a germination rate of almost 100%, uniform sprouting, and basically consistent growth speed.

Geranium

5. I moved the two big ones into black soft pots.

Perhaps like the author, many people use transparent disposable plastic cups when sowing, and then wait until the seedlings grow 6 or 7 true leaves before planting them in their final position. ——This is not very good! Why? Because as the seedlings grow, the root system grows faster and faster, and the roots can be seen through the transparent cup walls. Likewise, light also passes through the cup walls to the plant's roots, which hinders root development. This is called “light pruning.” Therefore, once the seedlings can be transplanted, everyone should move them into dark-colored pots as soon as possible. Or, lazy people can wrap the transparent cups with black tape. Of course, you can also sow directly in seedling plug trays from the start, but each cell is very small, so you have to be very careful. For an easygoing type like the author, I used them once and then stopped.

[Editor's Review] Geraniums have many varieties and are usually grown as annual or biennial flowers. So, do you know how to sow geraniums and how to transplant the seedlings? The editor of First Agricultural Economics above introduced the geranium sowing method for you. The specific steps and process have been described in detail for you, and there are also pictures for your reference. I hope this article is helpful to you.