Hanging geraniums - which are actually called hanging geraniums - are among the most popular balcony flowers. No wonder, since the vigorous and flowering plants delight every balcony gardener with their lush blooms. To ensure that this turns out as hoped, you should observe a few rules when planting.
The hanging geranium should be planted in a sunny location
Choose the right location and substrate
Before planting, however, the first thing to do is choose the right location and substrate - both are essential for the well-being of your plants. Hanging geraniums need a lot of sun - the sunnier their location, the more flowers you can expect. At the same time, however, the plants should be protected from unfavorable weather conditions. In particular, frequent rain causes the flowers to become unsightly. In terms of substrate, you should choose a nutrient-rich and well-drained soil. Special geranium soil, for example, is very suitable, but you can also mix it yourself:
- 1 part commercial potting soil
- 1 part compost soil
- 1 part perlite (37.51€) (or another clay granulate)
Watch out for the best time
The correct timing of planting is also immensely important for hanging geraniums; they do not tolerate frost and should therefore be planted out at the earliest after the ice saints. Before that, it makes sense to only put the plants outside during the day to harden them off and bring them inside at night. The right temperature is also crucial, because hanging geraniums stop growing at temperatures below 10 °C. The plants prefer a lot of warmth during the growing season.
Make sure there is good drainage
Once the three important questions - location, substrate, time - have been clarified in advance, the hanging geraniums can be planted. The drainage in the planter is one of the most important points, after all, hanging geraniums do not tolerate waterlogging.
- Choose a planter with drainage holes to allow excess water to drain away.
- Thoroughly clean the planter.
- To keep the drain hole from clogging, you can put a fleece over it.
- First fill in a drainage layer several centimeters thick on the bottom.
- (Small) pebbles, expanded clay (19.73€) or clay granules are suitable for this.
- Now fill in the geranium soil.
- Carefully remove the hanging geraniums from their current planters
- and plant them 20 centimeters apart.
- Press the soil down well
- and water the plants thoroughly.
If it is pre-fertilized geranium soil, fertilizing is not necessary for the next six to eight weeks.
tips
Hanging geraniums are often packaged with a supportive plastic rack. In order to free the plant from it without damaging it, you should cut open the struts all around.