Reproduction of geraniums at home, when to plant, so that it blooms in summer
Content:
The magnificent geranium blooms can be enjoyed all year round. Geranium planted on the street becomes an excellent decoration for any flower bed. This perennial is valued for its large caps of inflorescences with a pleasant smell, unpretentious care and the possibility of easy reproduction of a vending specimen.
Geranium propagation
Breeding geraniums at home won't be a hassle
Geranium, like other flowers, propagates in two ways: using seeds and vegetatively. Breeders are advised to do this in spring or autumn. Midsummer is considered the most unfavorable time for reproduction.
How to propagate geraniums at home
If the royal, ampelous or ordinary geranium grows at home in flower pots, then it can be propagated:
- cuttings in September;
- sheets when you cannot get a stalk;
- seeds, which are best obtained from a specialist gardening store.
How does geranium reproduce at home? The method is chosen empirically depending on the variety. Some gardeners, having prepared several cuttings, root them using various methods for checking.
Seedling pots are chosen in small sizes with a volume of 50-100 ml. The best temperature for growing is 15 to 22 ° C warm.
Cuttings
How to propagate geranium by cuttings? From an old geranium bush, it is possible to get up to 10 new cuttings, which will be an excellent planting material for flower beds in the garden. Cutting completely retains all the features of the variety, the color of the leaf and flower.
How to cut geraniums correctly? For seedlings, a straight cut is made just below the leaf scar near the base of the shoot or the crown of the shoots with the first two internodes (8-20 cm). It is better to choose branches that do not have buds. The lower leaves are removed at a distance of 2 cm from the cut. This procedure can be combined with spring pruning of strongly elongated tops or excessive shoots.
How to root shoots in the ground
Before planting, the cuttings are kept in the air for a couple of hours so that the cut site dries a little. For vegetative propagation of geranium by cuttings at home, you need to prepare:
- water for irrigation;
- a pot with a drainage hole;
- strong seedlings of culture;
- scissors;
- nutritious soil;
- a root formation stimulant, for example, "Kornevin";
- fungicide (sulfur, activated or charcoal).
How to plant a geranium with a shoot without roots, so that it takes root? To eliminate decay, the cut is treated with a fungicide. Cuttings of royal or velvet varieties in water may not give roots, so it is better to root them in the ground. For germination, the stem cut is buried 2-3 cm into the pre-moistened soil and tamped with light movements from all sides.
Growing geraniums from cuttings in the ground
The plant is placed in the shade with a temperature of 20 degrees for 3-5 days and then taken out into a warm and bright space. In the first days, the leaves may wither a little, but after a couple of days they will restore vitality. Watering is carried out through the bottom, starting from 3-4 days.
After 10-14 days, the separated part of the plant will dissolve new leaves and take root.
What kind of soil does geranium like
It is best and fastest to root the cutting in a mixture of sand and peat, or perlite. The soil should be neutral or slightly acidic, without signs of mold and insect larvae. It is possible to use a ready-made earthen mixture or make the soil yourself.
Soil components for geraniums:
- leaf humus - 2 hours;
- sod soil or peat - 2 hours;
- sand - 1 tsp;
- charcoal - 1 tsp;
To prepare the land mixture, you need to mix all the components and ignite in the oven at a temperature of 20 ° C. Also, two or three days before planting, it is allowed to dilute a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and spill the soil with it, or use boiling water. Such techniques will help get rid of putrefactive microbes, and the roots of the plant will be protected from harmful bacteria.
Rooting geraniums in water
This method uses opaque glasses, water and activated carbon. Cuttings are separated in the same way as for rooting in the ground, dried and immersed in water by 1-2 cm.
Growing geraniums from cuttings in water
The containers are placed in a shaded place and the water is periodically changed, not allowing it to evaporate. When the roots grow up to 2.5-3 cm, the plant can be planted in a pot with soil.
Do I need a rooting stimulant
Experienced gardeners advise using Kornevin. However, for geraniums, such compositions are not necessary, since the plant is unpretentious and takes root well on its own. The drugs are usually used to breed hybrids such as tulip varieties. The cuttings are treated with a stimulating agent and placed in peat tablets. Already after 7-10 days, the roots will appear, and the flower can be transplanted into a permanent pot or on a flower bed.
When to cut
Cutting geraniums is possible throughout the year. The most suitable are the end of August - the beginning of September. This is a great time for propagation by cuttings, as after cutting off the faded buds, the plants produce good hardy shoots. In winter, survival rate will decrease by half.
When rooting in August and September, newly-baked young plants will take root well, and geraniums will bloom next year in the spring.
Rooting a leaf
With a pointed knife, a leaf with a dense petiole and part of the stem is cut at an angle. It is treated with "Kornevin" and placed in a light substrate of earth or water. The first 3 days of planting are kept in a dark place, and then put on the windowsill. The main thing is that the planted leaves do not get direct sunlight. At the same time, the thermal regime is observed - from +18 to +24 ° C and drafts are not allowed.
Sowing with seeds
The main disadvantage of obtaining gerania from seeds is that it is not always possible to preserve varietal characteristics in this case, and the process takes a long time.Most easily they reproduce the most famous zonal geranium from November to April.
Seed preparation (step by step instructions):
- the shell is removed from the surface (geranium seeds have a very dense top layer, partial destruction of the integrity of the peel helps to accelerate their germination);
- each seed is lightly rubbed with fine sandpaper;
- planting material is processed with phytohormones "Epin" or "Zircon";
- then it is soaked in a weak solution of manganese for 20 minutes (for this, a pinch is diluted with 1.5 liters of water);
- filled with warm water for 2-3 hours.
For germination, it is better to buy a ready-made mixture with nutrients, or make yourself the correct clay substrate from peat, sand, humus (1: 1: 2).
Growing geraniums from seeds
Sowing process:
- a flat container is filled with drainage and soil;
- sow seeds at a distance of 5-7 cm from each other;
- on top, the grains are sprinkled with soil or sand with a layer of 3-4 cm;
- the surface of the earth is moistened with a spray bottle.
The container is covered with a membrane or glass and installed in a well-lit place with a temperature of +23 degrees. Geranium seeds will sprout after 14 days. Young seedlings must be protected from direct sunlight, drafts and drops when watering. After 30 days, when 2-3 leaves appear on the seedlings, they can be transplanted.
What geranium seeds look like
Planting material can be purchased at the store, or collected independently from a pollinated plant. The brown seeds are 6-7 mm long. There are small depressions on the sides of the grains, but they are hard to the touch. When selecting specimens for propagation, soft, deformed and tarnished grains must be removed. Many growers order material from China. For better germination, such seeds must be wrapped in a damp cloth and a plastic bag, and then placed in the refrigerator for 2-3 months for stratification.
When to plant so that geraniums bloom in summer
The development of seeds occurs in any case: both in winter and in summer. Geranium from seeds - when to plant so that in summer it blooms in pots and in a flower bed? It is optimal to start sowing in March, when there is already enough sunlight. Then it is likely to get blooming bushes this year. For a successful summer flowering, the offshoot will have enough time to take root and gain strength. Delaying just a month will move the flowering period of the bushes to the next year.
Dividing the bush
It is recommended to divide the bush in early spring. This method is no less effective than the previous versions of geranium breeding. Usually gardeners use it when the mother plant is overgrown.
So share a geranium bush for reproduction
How to plant geraniums at home
The original houseplant is removed from the pot. All the earth is shaken off the roots by gentle tapping. Next, you need to remove dried and rotten areas of the root system and divide the bush into shoots with roots. They are planted in new soil and watered moderately for the first few days, and then twice a week.
Possible breeding problems
Why does geranium not root when rooting in water? The thing is that the lower leaves of the cuttings should not fall into the water, as they deteriorate, and rot is transmitted to the entire shoot. Such a plant will simply die.
When rooting in the ground, waterlogging will lead to the death of the cuttings, and they will not be able to grow.
When propagating by seeds, without covering the greenhouse with seedlings with polyethylene or a cover, it is almost impossible to ensure a stable temperature in the region of 22-25 degrees.
Do not place containers with branches in direct sunlight. In this case, the leaves will receive severe burns.
Experience shows that with good care after rooting, zonal geraniums can bloom after 3 months, and ivy and royal ones - about 10 months. It should be remembered that excessive application of nitrogen fertilizers leads to an increase in green mass and a decrease in the number of flowers.
