Actually, the colloquial name "geranium" for the popular balcony flower - from a botanical point of view - is incorrect, because the experienced gardener understands "geranium" to mean the cranesbills that are native to us. The lush red, pink or white flowers that bloom from many balconies are actually called geraniums and originally come from southern Africa. But no matter what you call your favorites: They need to be fertilized regularly so that they bloom beautifully all summer long.

Geraniums are heavy feeders and need a lot of nutrients

Feed geraniums with liquid fertilizer

Geraniums, as the pelargoniums should be called here for the sake of simplicity, are really heavy feeders and therefore need good "food" in the right proportions on a regular basis. The fertilizers used should focus on magnesium and potash rather than nitrogen - lots of nitrogen stimulate leaf growth, but not flowering. For this reason, specially tailored, liquid fertilizers for flowering plants are also ideal for geraniums - or you can use geranium fertilizer right away.

Geraniums should be fertilized less and more frequently

When fertilizing geraniums, the rule of thumb is that the plants should be fertilized more frequently - and therefore in a lower concentration - than less often (and then in larger doses). The more frequent fertilization supplies the plant with nutrients continuously and at the same time prevents the sensitive roots from being burned by too strong (because caustic) fertilizer.

Insider tip for geraniums: fertilize with blue grain

Blaukorn is a real insider tip for geraniums and other flowering plants. In fact, this tried and tested fertilizer is an excellent fertilizer for geraniums - provided you use it in the correct dose. Blueseed is very strong and can therefore burn the roots in an overdose and cause the plants to die off so quickly. The following dosage has proven itself:

  • Dissolve one tablespoon of blue corn in 10 liters of water
  • and water your plants with it once a week.
  • Don't overdo it with the watering,
  • but only water as much as the plants really need.

Grandmother's household remedies: coffee grounds & Co.

However, before you run to the garden center and buy fertilizer, it is better to save the coffee grounds from your breakfast coffee - these are ideal as a natural fertilizer for geraniums and many other balcony plants. Coffee grounds contain just the right composition of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus and can be given once a week together with the irrigation water - or simply distributed like compost in the root area of the plants.

tips

Be careful not to wet the leaves or flowers when watering and fertilizing the plants.

Category:

Indoor plants