How to sow geraniums? Detailed sowing methods and steps

1. In April, buy seeds from the market, and try to choose varieties with better quality that sprout and bloom easily and are easy to care for. Scatter the seeds directly into the flower pot. Water the soil thoroughly before sowing. Then cover the flower pot with a shade cloth and do not let it see light.

2. After 2-3 days, lift the cover, and you can see that the seeds have already begun to sprout white. At this point, sprinkle a little soil over the seeds.

3. After another 2-3 days, small leaves have basically grown. Congratulations, your sowing was successful. The rest of the time is just waiting for the seedlings to slowly grow. When they grow to 3-4 leaves, you can replant and pot them up again!

Now that we have introduced the sowing method for geraniums, let us look at the psychological and physiological effects of geraniums!

Geranium cultivation methods, flower enthusiasts' geranium planting methods

Geraniums like a warm climate and fertile, loose soil. They are drought-tolerant and afraid of waterlogging, and they grow poorly during the hot high-temperature period of midsummer, entering a semi-dormant state. Geraniums have strong adaptability, bright flower colors, and a long flowering period, so they are deeply loved by people. Below is a summary of daily geranium cultivation and flower enthusiasts' experience in growing geraniums, in the hope that it will be a reference for flower enthusiasts.

Geraniums also have strong adaptability, and can grow in all kinds of soil, but grow best in sandy loam rich in humus.

Geraniums like dryness and dislike dampness. In winter, do not water too much; water only when the soil is dry, and water thoroughly each time. When the soil is wet, the stems are tender and soft, which is unfavorable for the sprouting and opening of flower branches. Long-term excessive moisture will cause the plant to grow leggy, the flowering branches to be positioned higher, and the leaves to gradually turn yellow and fall off.

Geraniums need sufficient sunlight during the growing period, so in winter they must be placed in a sunny spot. If there is insufficient light, the stems and leaves grow leggy, the flower stalks become thin and weak, and the inflorescences develop poorly. Flower buds under weak light often do not open smoothly and wither prematurely.

Geraniums like warm winters and cool summers. Keeping the indoor temperature at I0—15℃ every day in winter, and above 8℃ at night, allows them to flower normally. But the optimum temperature is 15-20℃. 5. Fertilization: Geraniums do not like heavy fertilizer; too much fertilizer will make geraniums grow too vigorously, which is unfavorable for flowering. To make flowering abundant, water with a dilute thin fertilizer solution (decomposed soybean cake water) once every 1—2 weeks. Applying 800 times potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution every 7-10 days can promote normal flowering.

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 spider mites and whiteflies, which harm the leaves and flowering branches, and can be killed by spraying with 1000 times 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate.

Pruning branches and pinching: to encourage geraniums with more branches to bloom more, the plant should be pinched multiple times to promote more branching and bud formation. After the flowers fade, the spent flowers should be cut off in good time, and overly dense and weak branches should be cut off to avoid excessive nutrient consumption, but in winter when it is cold, heavy pruning is not suitable.

1. After the beginning of spring, you must build up the roots of geraniums. Without a strong root system, everything else is nothing but clouds. Geraniums must be given sufficient base fertilizer. I use garden soil plus worm castings as the soil for the bottom of the pot, and peat plus perlite on top. At that time there was a promotion, so I bought 20 bags, 5 yuan with free shipping), plus slow-release fertilizer. I also alternately use Bizhuang and sea green essence to drench the roots. I usually prune in autumn and put in base fertilizer when repotting. I feel it works well. The plants grow very robustly, and ones like Red Bowl, King, Mr. Ren, UU Bowl, UA Bowl and so on have grown like small trees, taking up a lot of space.

2. After March, it is time to apply some flower-promoting fertilizer. This is because geraniums do not do well through the summer, and the geranium seedlings I bought died before I even saw flowers. Even if they are going to die, I still want them to show off their elegance before dying, haha. So this year my geraniums have all bloomed quite well. It is now late July, and some geraniums are still blooming brilliantly. This is also the reason I like geraniums. I mainly use Bikaihua; its flower-promoting effect is very good, and I also use a small amount of Huaduoduo No. 28 and the like.

3. In autumn, geraniums must be heavily pruned. This can effectively control the plant shape and promote the growth of many new buds. In the first 2 years, I started heavy pruning, repotting with base fertilizer, and taking cuttings at the end of September, and the effect was very poor. The survival rate of the cuttings was very low, and I wasted a lot of branches. According to the weather conditions here, starting heavy pruning, repotting with base fertilizer, and taking cuttings in mid-to-late October gives better results. This year I plan to do it this way, haha.

4. Last year, quite a few geraniums were bitten to death by insects. Learning from that lesson, this year I drench the roots with Huhuashen at intervals.

5. During the growing period of geraniums, pay attention to thinning the leaves, and also promptly deal with yellow leaves, old leaves, and spent flowers. Geraniums just need good ventilation and airflow. After the plum rain season, I always drench the roots with Huhuashen to minimize the damage to the geraniums from pathogens.

6. Watering is also key to growing geraniums. In the past, when watering I would just water regardless, basically once every 2 days. Now I usually listen more to other flower enthusiasts' experience in growing geraniums, and combine it with my own geographical location, weather conditions, and especially the characteristics of each geranium, watering according to the situation. For those geraniums with well-developed root systems and in full bloom, water frequently and water thoroughly. As for some geraniums with average root development and slow growth, that is a different matter. As for watering geraniums only after the soil has dried completely, I reserve my opinion. There was one Red Pandora that dried out completely, and as a result its root system was damaged. Fortunately I discovered it in time, cut off the failing branches, and it has already recovered.

How to plant geraniums? Geranium planting methods and management points

Geranium, also known as zonal geranium, is native to South Africa and is a perennial herbaceous flower. The leaves are palmate with long petioles, the leaf margins are mostly serrated, and the leaf surface has relatively deep ring-shaped markings. The corolla usually has five petals, and the inflorescence is umbel-shaped, growing at the top of upright flower stalks. Because the clustered flowers are dense like a ball, it is also called yangxiuqiu. The flower colors vary greatly among red, white, pink, and purple. The flowering period begins in early winter and lasts until early summer of the following year. Potted plants are suitable for indoor and outdoor decoration; they can also be used as flowers for spring flower beds.

Geranium is a potted flower with very good ornamental effect. The following points should be noted in its cultivation, planting, and management:

1. Substrate: use a good substrate as much as possible, for example 55% to 70% peat, 20% to 25% perlite, 5% to 10% vermiculite, and 5% to 10% ceramsite. Mixing according to this ratio is relatively ideal. Since geraniums are divided into trailing and upright varieties, there will be slight differences in cultivation and management. For example, the pH value for trailing series is preferably between 5.5 and 5.8, while the pH value for ordinary varieties is 6.0 to 6.3. The cultivation substrate should be measured before planting, and measured once every week after planting. If the pH value needs to be adjusted, acidic or alkaline fertilizers can be used.

2. Water and fertilizer management: before cultivation, the substrate can be soaked with a nitrogen fertilizer solution at a concentration of 400 mg/kg, which can promote rapid growth of the plant after planting. Fertilization can also be combined with the first watering, with a nitrogen concentration of 300 mg/kg. Watering is best done in the early morning, and can be done when the soil is slightly dry. But note that excessive dryness will cause yellow leaves.

3. Temperature: from 4 weeks to 6 weeks after planting, the ideal temperature is about 21℃. This temperature can promote rooting, accelerate growth, and extend the branches.

4. Light: geraniums belong to long-day flowers, and growth and flowering are related to the accumulation of light. The more light, the greater the growth and the earlier the flowering. Within two weeks after planting, the light intensity should be maintained at 27,000 to 32,000 lux, after which it can gradually be increased to 38,000 to 49,000 lux.

5. Pests and diseases: gray mold and true mold are the main diseases of geraniums. First, do a good job of prevention, keep the plant growing environment well ventilated, promptly clean up dry and withered branches and leaves, maintain a relatively high night temperature indoors, and arrange irrigation time as much as possible in the early morning, etc. For fungal diseases, the probability of occurrence can be reduced by using a coarse peat substrate and not letting the plant lack water.

Trailing geraniums are prone to edema. When the plant absorbs a large amount of water and cannot evaporate it in time through the leaf surface, this disease is likely to occur. This disease can be prevented through some methods, such as ensuring the plant does not become dry from lack of water when the temperature is relatively high; ensuring sufficient air circulation, with relative humidity below 75%; providing shading treatment to avoid sudden strong light exposure; and regularly supplementing calcium nitrate fertilizer, etc.

The main pest of geraniums is thrips, and many chemical agents can control thrips.