Geranium has been appreciated by mistresses and gardeners for several centuries due to bright elegant inflorescences and a long flowering period, which lasts from March to November (it can vary due to different environmental conditions, quality of flower care, as well as climatic factors). Why is geranium not blooming? To stimulate lush flowering, you need to study the rules of care and the recommendations of experienced gardeners who will help to rectify the situation in a short time.
Types of geraniums
Geranium is a plant that was brought to Russia from South Africa. This fully explains its unpretentious nature. In his homeland, the climate is quite harsh, with sharp changes in temperature and strong winds.
Initially, there were several varieties of geraniums, but later, using the hybridization method, botanists developed many varieties with different forms of peduncles and a rich palette of shades of petals.
Room
The most popular type of geranium for home growing. Of all the species - the most unpretentious and can grow not only indoors, but also on the street: on a flower bed, terrace, greenhouses and beds.
Traditional indoor culture, its smell repels flies and other domestic insects
Royal
It has a branched bush shape, a wide peduncle and a wide variety of shades in the inflorescence. Unlike other types of pelargonium, royal requires special care and attention.
Many gardeners plant street varieties to repel pests on the site
Ampelic
The level of unpretentiousness is close to room, but has a slightly different structure of the stem and branches. It is often used for planting in hanging planters, decorating greenhouses and in combination with other decorative elements. The flowers are small, exquisite.
Ampel geranium is a favorite of landscape designers, thanks to its elegant look, it solo perfectly in wall compositions
Terry
It differs from other types of geranium in the shape and texture of the petals. They are terry to the touch. This variety does not like getting wet - it can provoke rotting of a flower.
Geranium purifies the air in the house, destroying harmful bacteria, has a phytoncidal effect
Pinkish
Pelargonium hybrid, resembling small roses in appearance. It grows successfully from seeds and blooms profusely in the first year of life.
Aromatic pillow with dry leaves of geranium will help cope with insomnia.
Tulip-shaped
Flowers in the peduncle of this species of geranium are larger than those of the rest. Outwardly resembles a tulip flower and that is why it has such a name.
Ice cubes with geranium juice will help maintain youthful and firm skin
Why geranium does not bloom and what to do
Despite its unpretentious nature, geranium still requires compliance with a number of conditions that the flower grower must provide her if he wants to receive abundant flowering. Factors that influence this process should be examined.
Clay soil
Geranium prefers loose, “fluffy” soil, and if clay is present in the flower pot, this will be the main reason for the lack of color. Ideal soil composition for geraniums:
- 2 pieces of land from the garden;
- 1 part of sand;
- 1 part humus of any origin.
Important! Instead of humus, you can use a dry cow cake. In this case, the plant will receive more nutrition than from crushed humus mixed with the total mass of soil.
A cow cake is placed on the bottom of the pot with perforation, and the rest is covered with a mixture of sand and earth. The cake will actively absorb water and get wet, as a result of which the return of organic substances for food will be released gradually.
Also, the land may be unusable and compressed due to the prolonged absence of a plant transplant. It is advisable to update at least the upper part of the soil at least once a year.
Shoots stretch up
If the flower actively extends upward, but the buds do not begin to form in any way, then the point is the size of the pot. This is especially true of a plant grown from seeds, because flowering should begin in the first year of life of geraniums.
The body of the plant (stems and branches) grow in proportion to the roots. And flowering will begin only when the root system fills the entire volume. Reduce the size of the pot, transplant or plant several bushes in one pot. In cramped conditions, pelargonium will cease to stretch and immediately begin to bloom.
Lush greenery growth
It is recommended to transplant the flower into a small pot with loose soil.
After wintering, in February or March, the plant must be cut to stimulate flowering, especially if it is thickened and the geranium does not bloom, but grows wildly. Repeated processing of the crown and pinching of excess leaves and shoots is possible. This provides a relief of nutrients to the plant and promotes the formation of peduncles.
Insufficient lighting
Geranium is whimsical regarding light. In order for it to actively grow and give color, it needs an abundance of sunlight. If your plant is in a darkened area, transfer it to the light, and it will give you the first buds.
Important! Despite the fact that geranium loves good lighting, it does not tolerate direct sunlight, which is why at home the plant blooms much longer than in the open.
The royal variety is strictly forbidden to be transplanted onto the street and taken to the balcony. This is the most sensitive form of pelargonium - in the presence of drafts and temperature extremes, it dies.
Excessive watering
Geranium will not bloom if it is poured. Excessive watering leads to rotting of the roots and prevents nutrients from reaching the tops of the shoots. This is the reason for the lack of flowering.
Watering should be done if the topsoil has dried up significantly. In addition, the volume of water should not exceed 200 ml. You should also navigate by the size of the pot, 200 ml is the average value. Geranium also prefers hard water. It is allowed to pour it with water from the tap without first settling and adding softening components.
Interesting! In order for the geranium to bloom quickly, use ordinary iodine. A drop is diluted per liter of water, but you cannot pour more than 50 ml of this solution in one irrigation.
Fertilizer needed
The plant requires top dressing at the beginning of the growing season. This time coincides with the beginning of March, when pelargonium comes to life after hibernation.
Recommended nutrients for plant nutrition:
- Potassium;
- Phosphorus;
- Nitrogen.
Nitrogen is needed in small quantities. Pay attention to its concentration in purchased drugs. It should be no more than 11%.
Experienced gardeners recommend using infusion of wood ash to feed geraniums. 1 tablespoon of the powder is infused in one liter of water for several days. After the expiration of the liquid is drained, and the remaining solution is added to the liquid for watering the plant, 1 tablespoon.
Wintering at home
If the dormant period has not passed properly, geranium will not bloom in March. Hibernation is conventionally designated as the end of November - the beginning of March. At this time, the plant is in a state of deep sleep with a slowed down course of all processes. It is recommended to create special conditions for geranium in these months: the temperature should not exceed 10º-15ºС, and for the royal variety of geranium 12ºС.
Proper wintering and radical pruning of the plant will guarantee its active flowering in the next season.
Disease
All of the above flowering stimulation methods are relevant only in the case of absolute plant health. If the seedling is sick, then no changes in environmental conditions will help to achieve the desired result.
The main signs of the disease:
- discoloration of leaves;
- the appearance of spots on the leaves;
- the appearance of mold and white plaque on branches and roots;
- ulcers, abrasions, etc.
When these symptoms appear, it is necessary to understand the cause of their occurrence and choose the appropriate medicine to restore the flower's health.
Infections can be of three types.
- Bacterial
- Viral
- Fungal.
Determining the source of infection is quite simple - each disease has symptoms specific to it.
- If the leaves dry, this is simply a lack of watering. And if the flowers dried up, gray spots and fluff appeared on them - this is a fungal disease. Watering with a 5% solution of Bordeaux fluid and loosening the soil will help to cope with the fungus.
Gray spots on the leaves and flowers of geranium should be removed immediately
- The appearance of red or brown areas on the leaves indicates fungal rust. To combat the disease, you need to remove dead parts of the plant and treat the geranium with a fungicide.
This disease can be identified by specific rusty spots on the back of the leaves.
- Brown spots in the shape of a triangle appear as a result of a bacterial infection. The affected areas dry and the entire plant withers. Geranium should be transplanted into better soil, treated with fungicide and watered only in the morning.
A large triangle-shaped spot is visible on the sheet, indicating a bacterial infection.
- The carriers of viral diseases are insects, they infect flowers with spotting. The leaves are covered with bubbles and spots, and then fall off. The use of fungicides, observing the temperature regime and controlling soil moisture, controlling insects and removing damaged leaves are effective measures to combat viruses.
spotting is easy to identify by small light spots on the leaves
Video: how to make geranium blossom
Pelargonium is an easy-care flower. Normally, he gives a lot of peduncles, which replace each other throughout the growing season. If the plant does not bloom, you should pay attention to the quality of the soil, observing the rules of care and stimulate flowering by pruning, competent dressing, moderate watering and constant cultivation.
