What to do when a newly bought geranium has yellow, whitish, dry leaves?

Nowadays, besides spending boring times on leisure and entertainment, quite a few people choose to cultivate flowers and plants, brew wine and tea to refine their character, but growing flowers is also a deep field of knowledge. Below let's talk about what to do when a newly bought geranium has yellow, dry leaves? And how long to wait between waterings!

I. About the geranium

1. Geranium is actually just its Chinese scientific name; it is also called yangxiuqiu, shilaxhong, rilanghong, yangkui and so on. Geranium is an ornamental flower native to southern Africa, now widely cultivated all over the world, and even more common in Europe.

2. The height of the geranium is generally 30 to 60 cm, the stem is upright with obvious nodes and short soft hairs, its leaves are ovate or broadly triangular, and both the leaf blade and the petiole have soft hairs; the flower colors of the geranium include red, orange-red, pink and white, and it generally blooms from May to July, and from June to September bears fruit of about 3 cm.

3. Besides its high ornamental and decorative value, as a medicinal material the geranium also has effects such as stopping bleeding, detoxifying, promoting urination, antibacterial and deodorizing, and the extracted oil also has effects such as beautifying, calming the nerves and repelling mosquitoes.

II. What to do when geranium leaves turn yellow, or turn white and dry up?

For friends who have never cared for a geranium before, when a newly bought geranium turns yellow, or turns white and dries up, they may not know how to start, so below we explain in detail how to solve yellowing, whitening and drying of geranium leaves!

(1) Causes and solutions for geranium leaves turning yellow

1. Geranium leaves turning yellow caused by scorching sun and insufficient light: the growth of plants mostly needs sunlight, but if exposed to the sun for a long time (especially in summer) the water in the leaves will be evaporated and the leaves will be scorched and turn yellow and dry; on the contrary, if the geranium is placed in a dark environment for a long time without sunlight, photosynthesis will be affected, and yellowing and drying of the leaves will also occur.

Solution: if the light is insufficient, just move the geranium to a place with plenty of light and remove the yellow leaves and dead branches, and as the light is replenished it will generally slowly recover on its own; if the yellowing from scorching sun is not serious, you can move it to a cool, ventilated place and properly replenish water, but if the scorching is so severe that the plant is nearly dead, you can only dig it out and plant a new geranium. Of course, it is best to take shading measures in advance, especially during the high-temperature and blazing sun of summer.

2. Geranium leaves turning yellow caused by too little or too much water: the existence of life cannot be separated from water, but it must be an amount that meets the needs of growth. For the geranium, if too much water is given, the soil in the pot will become too wet with poor air permeability, thus causing root rot and leading to yellowing and drying of the leaves; if it is often not watered, the plant will not have enough water and the leaves will turn yellow and dry, and in serious cases it may even lead to the death of the plant.

Solution: if too much water was given, remedy it according to the actual situation. If the situation is mild and there is not much water in the pot, you can put the potted plant in a dry, ventilated place to let the water evaporate, or use dry newspaper and peat to absorb the water; if it is lack of water, just water it enough.

As for watering, remember that in fine weather you can water about once every three days, in rainy weather water once a week, in summer you can water every day in the morning or evening, and in winter water once at noon every ten days to half a month. Specific watering should be based on the wetness of the soil in the pot: water when it is dry and do not water when it is moist; in addition, do not give too much water each time, and decide according to the size of the potted plant.

3. Geranium leaves turning yellow caused by too high or too low temperature: the growth of every plant has its own suitable temperature, and too high or too low will not only affect growth but also cause yellowing and drying of the leaves.

Solution: the geranium is a plant that likes warmth and humidity, so in summer it should be placed in a cool, ventilated place, and if yellow leaves have already appeared, a certain iron solution should be sprayed; in winter it should be placed indoors and kept at a temperature above 8 degrees, and then there is basically no problem.

4. Geranium leaves turning yellow and dry caused by improper fertilizing: too much fertilizer for the geranium will cause root burn and root rot, thus causing yellow leaves and drying; on the contrary, insufficient fertilizer will cause malnutrition of the plant and thus yellow leaves and drying.

Solution: if there is too much fertilizer, you can adopt the method of flushing with water to dilute the fertilizer, and if the situation is serious, change the soil, remove the rotten roots and replant; if there is too little fertilizer, properly add fertilizer, and applying diluted fertilizer several times will do.

5. Geranium leaves turning yellow and dry caused by pests and diseases: the invasion of pests and diseases will destroy the plant tissues and nutrition, causing yellowing and drying of the leaves and even death.

Solution: pests and diseases such as gray mold, leaf spot and red spider mite are relatively common, and targeted spraying of chemicals should be carried out for prevention and control.

(2) Causes and solutions for geranium leaves turning white and dry

1. Geranium leaves turning white and dry caused by soil alkalization: too alkaline soil will cause the loss of nitrogen and affect the synthesis of chlorophyll, and will also affect the geranium's absorption of trace elements, thus causing whitening and drying of the leaves.

Solution: if the alkalinity is not serious, you can add some rice vinegar and other acids when watering to neutralize the alkalinity of the soil, and if the situation is serious, you can only change the pot and soil for cultivation.

2. Geranium leaves turning white and dry caused by iron deficiency: iron is one of the important elements for plants to synthesize chlorophyll and make leaves green, so if there is iron deficiency, the geranium leaves will also turn white and dry.

Solution: apply an appropriate amount of ferrous sulfate to the geranium, generally once every one to two months, and in addition you can also water it with organic fertilizer liquid after use.

3. Geranium leaves turning white and dry caused by high temperature and scorching sun: high temperature and scorching sun will slow down or suspend various functions of the geranium, thus causing the geranium leaves to turn white and dry.

Solution: place the geranium in a cool, ventilated place, and spray water on the leaves and into the surrounding air.

After reading all this, do you feel confident about how to care for a geranium? Actually, as long as you pay attention to light, temperature, water and fertilizer, and pest and disease control, you can basically grow a pot of vigorous geranium.