Instead of throwing away the faded geraniums every autumn - which are actually botanically called geraniums and not to be confused with the cranesbills called "Geranium" - and buying new ones in spring, you can overwinter the flowers and even breed and multiply them yourself.
The easiest way is to grow geraniums from cuttings
Growing young geraniums from cuttings
It is quite easy to grow geraniums vegetatively by planting half-ripe - i. H. Cut off already slightly woody shoots and overwinter them in a bright spot. Shoots that are still green and soft are not suitable for this purpose, as they rot too quickly.
- Cut about 10 centimeters long, half-ripe side shoots from a suitable mother plant.
- This should be robust, richly flowering and vigorous
- As a clone, the cutting inherits its characteristics 100 percent.
- The shoot must have neither flowers nor buds.
- Remove all but the top two leaves.
- Plant the freshly cut shoots in small planters with potting soil.
- Place the planters in a bright and warm place,
- but avoid direct sunlight.
- Keep the substrate slightly moist.
Overwinter the young geraniums in a bright (but not full sun!) place at temperatures between 10 and 15 °C. Water the plants regularly, but not too much, and do not fertilize. Finally, the young plants are planted in nutrient-rich compost in February or March at the latest.
Grow geraniums from seed
Many balcony gardeners are also successful at growing their own geraniums from seed. These should be sown in January or February at the latest. Please note that geraniums germinate in the light and should therefore only be covered thinly with soil - it is best to sift a very fine layer of substrate over the grains.
- Sow the geranium seeds in potting soil.
- At best, place the planters in a greenhouse,
- which you place in a bright and warm place.
- Geraniums germinate best at temperatures between 20 and 22 °C.
- Keep the substrate slightly moist
- and prick out the seedlings as soon as they have four leaves.
Finally, from the beginning to the middle of May, the young plants can gradually be accustomed to the outdoor weather conditions and thus hardened.
Why aren't my geraniums producing seeds themselves?
Balcony gardeners often find that their geraniums rarely set seed pods and these usually remain empty. There are various reasons for this:
- The geraniums are sterile, so they can only be propagated vegetatively.
- Geraniums are rarely visited by pollinating insects such as bees, butterflies or bumblebees.
- Ergo, the flowers are also not suitable as bee pasture,
- since there is no possibility of fertilization.
tips
You can also root geranium cuttings in a glass of water first, instead of planting them straight away. With this method, however, you should regularly replace the water with fresh water.