Looking for a few simple tips and secrets to keep your geraniums healthy, strong – and most importantly – blooming big and bright all summer long?
Not only are geraniums perfect for growing in baskets and containers, they also look right at home when directly planted into flowerbeds as well. And in addition to providing big color with their bright blooms – they also happen to be one of the few flowering plants to rarely be bothered by insects or animals.
But if there is one thing gardeners struggle with when it comes to geraniums, it’s keeping them strong, healthy and full of blooms deep into summer. Unfortunately, all too often, by mid summer, geraniums become leggy and weak – with fewer and fewer blooms as well.
But the good news? It doesn’t have to be that way! In fact, with just a few simple tips, you can have your geraniums flowering strong in a flash – and staying that way all the way into late fall. Here is a look at 2 of the biggest secrets of all to keep your geraniums flowering big this year!
2 Simple Secrets To Keep Geraniums Blooming – All Summer Long!
#1 Fertilizing For Success
If there is one aspect of geranium care that can make a huge difference in plant health and bloom performance, it’s fertilizing. Not just with feeding your plants with a fertilizer, but with what type of fertilizer you give them.
Although they are not tremendous feeders from the soil, geraniums can benefit greatly from a regular dose of energy. Especially for those growing in containers and baskets where they can quickly deplete the nutrients available.
Slow and steady fertilizing is the best course of action when feeding geraniums. Consistent but light feedings are far better than large single doses of nutrients given far apart. This helps to keeps growth on an even pace, allowing the plant to use the extra energy for blooms and not large foliage growth.
With that said, the type of fertilizer is very important as well. For geraniums, it’s all about balance. That means keeping the nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (N-P-K) levels all the same. For best results, use a liquid fertilizer that has an N-P-K ratio in the range of 15-15-15.
Why a liquid fertilizer? Because liquid fertilizers work fast to supply nutrients. They absorb both through the roots and leaves of the plant. Affiliate Product Link: Geranium Fertilizer by EZ-GRO | 15-15-15
The last little secret is to keep the dose on the light side. Mix at about half of the recommended rate when diluting with water. This will allow you to fertilize more often for regular feeding. With geraniums, apply the dose of fertilizer every seven to fourteen days and your plants will thank you with strong growth and big blooms all summer long!
#2 Regular Deadheading – 2 Simple Secrets To Keep Geraniums Blooming
Beyond fertilizing on a light and regular schedule – deadheading, which is the process of removing dying blooms, is absolutely vital to keep your geraniums blooming strong. In fact, when it comes to geraniums, it’s usually the single biggest factor in keeping plants from blooming strong all season.
Without removing the old blooms and stems, the plant continues to burn valuable resources and energy on the failing flowers. Energy that it needs to be available to produce new blooms, shoots and flowers.
As soon as a bloom stem begins to fade and die off, it’s time to cut it off. Be careful not only cut the flower head, but the entire bloom stem back to the base of the plant. This stops the plant from using any energy on the old bloom and stem, and re-directs resources to growing new blooms.
In addition to deadheading, always cut away any fading or damaged foliage from the plant as well. Just as with old blooms, plants use a tremendous amount of energy trying to heal damaged foliage.
Listen In To Our Podcast Below On How & Why To Deadhead Annuals!
Don’t Forget To Pinch Back Your Geraniums – 2 Simple Secrets To Keep Geraniums Blooming
But if you really want to keep your geraniums lush and blooming, you can also practice another type of pruning beyond deadheading which is called pinching back.
Although most gardeners think of geraniums as an annual, they are actually a perennial plant. That is, if you live in the warmer, tropical climates of zones 10 and 11, where winters never see a hard frost or freeze.
But because they have the roots of a perennial, there are a few key aspects to getting them to bloom more profusely when growing as an annual – and that all begins with pinching these fast growing plants back occasionally to create a more compact, robust growth pattern.
Geraniums tend to become quite leggy and sparse if left to grow on their own accord. Especially when they are growing in pots, containers or hanging baskets. With limited soil space, the plants tend to grow outward as fast as they can. For this reason, it’s important to pinch back stem growth to force growth that is more dense and thick.
When To Pinch Back
It is best to start early in the season by pinching back all of the growth on stems back 1/2 to 3/4 of a inch. This can be done easily with a pair of scissors, garden pruners, or even with sharp fingernails.
Pinching back encourages the plant to grow multiple shoots from the pruned stems. Even more mature plants in mid-summer can benefit from a bit of pinching back. It results in a much bushier and healthier plant. And, a plant that can produce many more blooms and flowers.
Water Your Plants For Success! 2 Simple Secrets To Keep Geraniums Blooming
As a final tip – always make sure to give your geraniums the water they need when they need it! As with all plants, watering plays a key role in helping plants to form blooms and flower. A plant stressing from too little or too much water will slow or even stop production of new blooms.
You will need to water baskets and containers more frequently than geraniums growing in flowerbeds. This is due simply to the fact they tend to dry out at a faster rate. But it’s important to not allow the roots of geraniums to sit for long periods in water in either setting.
Check the soil prior to watering using the tip of your index finger. Place your fingertip down a few inches into the soil, if you feel moisture, allow the soil to dry out before watering. You can also use an inexpensive instant soil meter to check for moisture down at root level. Affiliate Product Link: Instant 4 In 1 Soil Meter
Here is to keeping your geraniums healthy and strong – and blooming all summer long this year! For more information on geraniums, see our article on how to save them at the end of the season for next year! See: How To Save Your Geraniums This Fall!
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This Is My Garden is a garden website created by gardeners, for gardeners. Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books and speaking for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. They publish three articles every week, 52 weeks a year. Sign up today to follow via email, or follow along!