Can Geraniums Be Grown Indoors? Detailed Guide to Container Cultivation
Geranium is a widely cultivated flowering plant with richly varied flower colors and a long blooming period. Grown in pots, it 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 with, but do you know whether geraniums can be grown indoors? Let's take a look below!
Can Geraniums Be Grown Indoors?
Geraniums are not suitable for being kept indoors long term. Geraniums belong to the conifer-type plants; if too many are placed indoors, they release a rather strong pine-like scent that affects one's appetite, makes pregnant women feel nauseated, and can even cause allergic reactions in some people. In fact, it is not only geraniums: flowers such as tulips, night-blooming jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum), lilacs (Syringa oblata) and elderberry (Sambucus) also cannot be kept indoors long term. Friends who grow these flowers must pay close attention: if you have these flowers, by no means keep them indoors all the time, as it is very bad for your health.
Are Geraniums Actually Toxic?
Geraniums are not toxic. The geranium itself is non-toxic, but its pollen easily causes allergic reactions in people with sensitive skin, so whether it is "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; the scent is somewhat like a rose and somewhat like mint. Not only is it non-toxic, it can also help regulate hormones, stimulate lymphatic detoxification, balance the skin's oil secretion, and has a deep cleansing and astringent effect; it is also a very good insect repellent.
Geranium Container Cultivation Methods
1. Soil: Geraniums are also highly adaptable and can grow in all kinds of soil, but grow best in sandy loam rich in humus.
2. Watering: Geraniums like dryness and dislike dampness, so in winter they should not be watered too much; water only when the soil is dry, and water thoroughly. When the soil is wet, the stems are soft and tender, which is unfavorable for the sprouting and opening of flower stems; long-term excessive moisture causes the plant to grow leggy, the flower stems to sit higher up, and the leaves to gradually yellow and drop.
3. Sunlight: Geraniums need ample sunlight during the growing period, so in winter they must be placed in a sunny spot. With insufficient light, stems and leaves grow leggy, flower stalks become thin and soft, and the inflorescence develops poorly; flower buds under weak light 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 them to bloom normally. But the optimum temperature is 15-20°C.
5. Fertilizing: Geraniums do not like heavy fertilizer; too much fertilizer makes geraniums grow excessively vigorously, which is unfavorable for flowering. To make them bloom profusely, water once every 1-2 weeks with a thin fertilizer solution (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 have poor ventilation and are too damp, they are prone to leaf spot disease and flower blight. Once discovered, attention should be paid to ventilation, 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 flower stems; they can be sprayed and killed with a 1000-fold dilution of 40% omethoate emulsion.
7. Pruning: Pruning branches and pinching out growing tips. To prompt geraniums with more branches to bloom more, the plant should be pinched several times to encourage more branching and bud formation. After the flowers fade, the spent flowers should be cut off in good time, and overly dense and thin, weak branches should be cut away to avoid excessive consumption of nutrients, but in winter when it is cold, heavy pruning is not advisable.