Rules for geranium reproduction

The tradition of keeping geranium in the house to us passed from our mothers and grandmothers. The plant is not exotic, but quite beautiful, blooms several times throughout the year, smells nice and has healing properties.

Many housewives try to breed geranium on their own, but do not know how to do it correctly. The plant reproduces both seeds and vegetatively. Vegetative reproduction is carried out either by division of the bush or rooting of cuttings.



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How to reproduce geraniums

1. Growing geranium with cuttings
   Before cutting on an old plant, it is necessary to remove the flower-noses, preventing it from blooming for a month. It is best to do this between April and July. Then you can start harvesting the planting material. Cuttings for planting should be strong and healthy, cut them best from the tops of the stems. Depending on the size of the mother plant, their length can vary from 7 to 15 centimeters.
   
   
   
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   With a sharp knife or scissors, cut the cutting slightly below the knot at right angles. Remove the lower leaves from it, leaving only two or three upper ones. If the leaves are large, cut them in half. This is done so that the plant spends energy on the formation of the root system, and not on the nutrition of the leaves.
   
   Then keep it outdoors for a few hours. For a couple of minutes you can also immerse the cutting in a solution of phytohormones. After that, plant in the ground about three centimeters deep.
   
   As a soil, it is permissible to use a mixture of sod, earth from the garden, humus and sand. Or soil mixture purchased in a specialized store.
   
   
   
   
   
   The container with planted cuttings should be in a well-lit place, but away from direct sunlight. For the first ten days, water and spray the shoots daily. Next, less often. In twenty days, you can transplant the rooted cutting into a permanent place.
   
   Some of the hostess before, How to breed geraniums at home Under conditions by cutting, put cropped stems for several days in the water. But experienced gardeners say that geranium has a high percentage of survival cuttings. Therefore, you can safely skip this stage and not do double work.
   
   
   
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2. Division of the geranium bush
   This is the most traumatic of the existing methods of reproduction of plants. But sometimes it is permissible: when geranium grows too much and it is cramped in one pot or requires transplantation after 6-8 years of flowering in one place in the same soil.
   
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   The day before the transplant, abundantly pour the geranium bush with water. During the transplant, they removed it from the ground, trying not to injure the roots. Then divide by the correct number of shoots. And immediately, without leaving them in the air, plant them in a new place and new soil.
   
   
   
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3. Seed propagation
   This method of reproduction is relevant for those who are engaged in gardening and want to get a lot of young plants at once. Much more than can be obtained by cutting.
   
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   Well calcified the soil and sow seeds into it to a shallow depth of 1.5 centimeters. While they are rising, do not let the soil dry up. About a month after sowing, transplant the sprouts into a permanent place. You'll know it's time to replant when about three leaves appear on each.
   
   
   
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From all three options geranium reproduction It is the most optimal, effective, often used and simple. If you breed geranium just for yourself, and not for sale, we advise you to use it.

About how to care for an adult geranium, read in our separate article. You will also be interested in learning about the benefits of this plant. Follow the links.