What is the best way to prune indoor geraniums for the winter for healing. Formation of a beautiful geranium bush: autumn pruning and timely pinching

Pruning is one of the main care measures for geraniums. It stimulates the abundant flowering of the bush and prolongs the formation of buds, forms beautiful crown and plays an important role in the health of the plant. Pelargonium can be trimmed in spring and autumn. If everything is done correctly, on time and regularly, geraniums will delight you with a well-groomed appearance and lush flowering.

Types and methods of pruning geraniums

Without this sanitary procedure, pelargonium will eventually look like an untidy, shapeless bush, will release single buds, or stop blooming altogether. Periodic shortening of the shoots will help form a symmetrical crown of the correct shape and thin out too dense areas.

Pruning turns the geranium into a pretty ball-shaped bush, stimulating the formation of side branches that will not wake up without artificial intervention. In addition, it improves metabolism, lighting and leaf nutrition. Depending on the purpose, there are such types of pruning:

  • the main one - forms a bush and encourages it to active, abundant flowering;
  • sanitary - performed in autumn or spring;
  • pinching - carried out as needed.

Different varieties Pelargoniums need a procedure at a certain time:

  • the zonal variety can be pruned in spring and autumn, as it quickly buds and forms buds early;
  • the ivy-leaved geranium is also sheared twice a year. If the bush is strongly extended during the winter, it is shortened in early spring;
  • royal pelargonium is cut to the level of a stump, but this is not done regularly. The flower does not develop too intensively;
  • variegated geranium is shortened in spring. The same time of year is usually chosen for ampelous varieties;
  • dwarf species form only for decorative purposes.

How to prune geraniums in autumn

The autumn procedure for shortening the shoots is considered more natural than the spring one. From November to February, the plant is in a state of hibernation. Its development is slowing down, but the bush continues to receive nutrients. Maintaining a lush crown in good condition is quite difficult, while pruning makes it easier to overwinter the flower.

Advice. Don't wait for the geranium stem to reach a significant size. Trim young bushes from the first months of their life.

Properly prune geraniums autumn period This step by step guide will help:


Attention! Immediately after this, pelargonium needs abundant lighting, moderate watering and fertilizing with nitrogen.

Features of spring geranium pruning and pinching

Haircut after hibernation, more superficial and gentle. At this time, it is easy to harm the culture and postpone its flowering indefinitely. Therefore, shortening the branches must be very careful. The main purpose of the procedure is to remove shoots that are very stretched or weakened. Also, spring pruning helps geraniums grow greenery and form buds, awaken dormant buds.

You need to execute it like this:

  1. Schedule a haircut for the end of winter or the first half of March. The faster, the earlier the pelargonium will begin to grow rapidly.
  2. Remove diseased, bare, long stems. Each of them should have at least 3 kidneys.
  3. If necessary, use cut cuttings to propagate geraniums. They root well.
  4. Provide Bush good light, normal watering and spraying Epin three times at weekly intervals.

At the same time, take care of pinching - the formation of the crown of a young geranium. Remove the growing point of the central stem. Treat this place with talc or ash. Left without a top, the flower will begin to produce side branches.

There is nothing complicated in the procedure itself, but inexperienced gardeners manage to make mistakes that negatively affect the plant. For everything to be successful, follow these rules:

  • pruning should not be combined with a sharp change in conditions. A bush may not survive two stresses in a row;
  • it is necessary to remove excess crown after withering of all inflorescences. Constantly blooming pelargonium pruned at any time of the year;
  • do not forget about disinfection;
  • it is necessary to avoid intensive watering of a plant that has just undergone a haircut - this is fraught with rotting of the roots;
  • with a forming purpose, pelargonium grown from seeds should be pinched after the 7th leaf, obtained from the cutting - after the 9th or 10th.

Different varieties of geraniums usually bloom from spring to late autumn. Their decorative effect, health and general appearance depend on how correctly and timely you cut and form the bushes.

How to prune geraniums: video

Today there is a large number of various kinds home flowers. But a special place among them is occupied by geranium, which is present in almost every home and public institution. But, unfortunately, not every person knows about the peculiarities of caring for this flower, so it does not fully reveal its beauty. To correct this situation, you need to figure out how geranium pruning is carried out in the spring at home.

Why is pruning done?


Trimming geraniums at home

Pruning a geranium spring period is a must, as it contributes to the following changes:

  • shoots appear on the sides and new rudiments of inflorescences are formed;
  • the plant acquires an even and compact shape;
  • the duration and stability of flowering increases, it becomes more magnificent;
  • high-quality sprouts are formed for plant propagation.

The peculiarity of this type of flowers is the absence independent formation lateral stems, but dormant buds are present in almost every node. Pruning geraniums in the spring at home helps to awaken these buds, form a new stem and lay flower buds.

In addition, when pruning geraniums in the spring, weak and elongated stems are removed. Such a haircut is performed shallowly, since the flowering of the plant can be delayed. This is due to the fact that even pruned shoots that were rooted in the spring bloom much faster than a radically trimmed mother shrub.

Preparing the plant for pruning

Before pruning geraniums for lush flowering, the plant must first be prepared. The rules of preparation depend on the place where the flower grows.


If the plant grows in open ground, then it is dug up and moved to containers or pots. Then, the plant is given one to two weeks to get used to the new location. In this case, transplantation should be carried out only those flowers, the variety of which the gardener wants to leave for the next year. The rest of the plants bloom as annuals.

Balcony geraniums are also moved to one large container or separate pots before pruning.

Proper pruning of the plant

Before pruning geraniums in the spring, you need to carefully inspect the plant and determine how much it will need to prune its shoots. This is due to the fact that there are several types of this flower and they all have different sizes.

When pruning small geraniums, you need to cut very few shoots and this can not be done every spring. In the presence of a zonal plant species, large shoots are cut by more than 2/3, no more than 5 stems should be left, the rest are cut. Plants of medium size and royal types of flowers are cut to 1/3 of the length of the shoots.


The cut should be made with a sharp sector near the base of the sheet.

Pruning geraniums in the spring at home is done using sharp knife or secateurs. Before use, the tool must be disinfected, this will protect the plants from the penetration of fungal infections. For faster tightening of sections and preventing their decay, they are covered with crushed activated carbon.

When pruning geraniums in spring, cuts are made near the buds at the base of the leaves. It is worth refusing to make a cut in the internode region, since the unused parts of the internodes undergo drying and significantly spoil the appearance of the flower.

Zone type geranium shrubs are pruned very short. It is preferable to leave no more than 5 branches. The length of each of the branches, after trimming the geranium, should not exceed 5 centimeters.

The upper buds of each branch must be outside, not inside. This will allow the shrub to branch and grow in width.

If, after winter, elongated shoots were found on the plant, they are removed. This action is necessary so that nothing interferes with the development of the flower.

During pruning, long, bare and diseased stems are shortened. But these manipulations are carried out in such a way that at least 3 buds remain on each pruned shoot. As a result of pruning geraniums in the spring, branches are quickly rooted, so cutting a plant during this period is often accompanied by its reproduction through cuttings.

Besides, experienced gardeners do not forget to inspect the stems that were cut in the autumn. If the sections of their sections have darkened, then they need to be updated.

Proper pruning of royal geraniums


Royal geraniums can be trimmed according to the technology presented above, but the effect of this procedure will be much more effective if you use a shearing technology created specifically for this plant variety.

In this case, pruning includes the following steps:

  • tools with which the stem will be cut are thoroughly disinfected;
  • garden knife, scissors or secateurs should be in sufficient sharpened to ensure an even cut;
  • having prepared the tools, you can begin to cut off all obsolete leaves and parts of the plant;
  • shoots that do not have foliage are removed near the root, or rather, in front of the first node from the ground (similar manipulations are carried out with too long shoots);
  • the main shoot is pruned, it is cut by a third (if you cut off a smaller amount of the shoot, you won’t be able to achieve a lush and abundant flowering).

Formation of a fluffy bush


Pruning geraniums in the spring for lush blooms involves pinching the tops of the plant. Thus, the main stem stops growing, but the flower continues to develop. This is a great opportunity to slow down the vertical growth of the plant and form a gorgeous crown.

The essence of pruning geraniums for lush flowering is to simply remove the growth point, that is, the top of the flower. As a result, the plant can no longer create shoots from the central part of the shrub and begins to release side branches. As a result, the flower becomes more lush, bushy, takes the form of a ball.


If geraniums were grown from cuttings, then pinching should be done after 9-10 leaves, when grown from seed - after 7 leaves. Be sure to leave those shoots that come out of the bosom of a pair of upper sheets.

If you wish, get a low bush from mini-varieties of geranium round shape, rooted plants are allowed to pinch already at the primary stages of growth.

Pruning geraniums in spring for lush flowering should be done with clean hands so as not to infect the flower with infectious diseases. To process the shoot, you should use talc or ash.

Spring pruning of geraniums to form a standard plant


During pruning of the described plant, it is quite possible to form not only a spherical shrub, but also stem tree. The height of the latter will reach 1 meter. Outwardly, the flower will look like a blooming and branching ball, placed on a thick and high shoot.

In this situation, you will have to perform steps slightly different from the standard pruning of geraniums:

  • It is necessary to choose a type of flower that is distinguished by the presence of a dense and high-growing stem.
  • The shrub is tied to a support.
  • The main trunk must not be pinched or cut. It must grow up.
  • From side shoots you need to get rid of completely.
  • No more than 6 shoots should be present on the main trunk, the remaining processes are cut.
  • After the plant reaches the required height, you need to pinch its top.
  • On the side shoots of the top, you need to remove the edges, immediately after 4 buds, thus forming the shape of a ball.

The first flowering of the buds of the standard plant is carried out only after a year. At the same time, the process of forming the top should be carried out on a regular basis, young shoots should be continuously pinched.

The main mistakes in the spring pruning of a plant

In order for the pruning of geraniums in the spring at home to be successful, no mistakes should be made during the procedure, otherwise the plant can not only slow down growth, but also die.

Among the common mistakes flower growers make when pruning geraniums, the following are distinguished:

  • If throughout the winter the plant was at home, and the rest of the time it plans to keep the flower on the street, then before pruning, you need to let the geranium get used to temperature changes. If, immediately after taking the plant outside, you start cutting it, then there is a high probability that the flower will turn yellow. Changes temperature conditions are stressful for any plant, and if at this moment you also start pruning geraniums, then the plant simply cannot withstand such an attitude.
  • When working with garden tools they always need to be cleaned, washed and wiped dry, and in the case of cutting elements, they must also be disinfected. If the tool is not processed and an infection is introduced into the plant, then it will not be able to cope with the disease, since pruning is accompanied by a decrease in immunity.
  • After pruning geraniums in the spring for lush flowering, you should not carry out abundant watering of the plant, otherwise it root system exposed to the black leg. The plant should be watered infrequently and a small amount water, but abundant evaporation of moisture from the surface of the soil and drying of the earthen clod by more than 40-50 mm in depth should not be allowed.

Geranium care after spring pruning


After completing the pruning, the geranium must be placed in a cool room. The cut area is treated with cinnamon powder or powdered activated charcoal.

After pruning, the plant does not require special care, but it is recommended to reduce the frequency of watering so as not to provoke the death of the flower. It is important to provide geraniums with high-quality diffused lighting.


To accelerate the formation of young dense growth, it is recommended to feed the plant with nitrogen fertilizers.

During the spring pruning of geraniums, you need to remember that this procedure is stressful for the plant and at the end of it, the flower will need special care for several weeks, including optimum temperature air and watering. It is imperative to ensure the ventilation of air in the soil, otherwise the roots of the plant may be susceptible to decay.

Dacha, plants, cooking, health, do it yourself

As a rule, manipulations associated with changing the shape of a plant, removing extra parts, are carried out after the plant has overwintered or before this period. Geranium pruned late autumn, in early spring or in winter. Yes, that's right, winter pruning of the flower is also carried out. The important thing here is simply to know when to prune geraniums in winter so as not to harm them.

For pelargonium winter period- this is a dormant period, but under certain conditions (microclimate in the house, care conditions), preventive pruning is carried out at the end of February. However, it will be better if you do this before December or early spring. Before wintering, the shoots are shortened by a third. Don't be afraid - proper care and the content of the flower will ensure the development of new shoots. Pruning before the dormant period is mandatory, but it is important to take care of the pelargonium in early spring. It is not necessary to shorten the stems so radically, but you should not hesitate with this either. Removing old parts of the plant will inevitably harden new buds.

How to properly prune geraniums, you will be prompted in a gardening store. But nothing difficult this process no. Follow the following guidelines and everything will go smoothly. Pruning geraniums at home requires certain preparations. First, disinfect the instrument.

Choose any method: ignite, boil, treat with alcohol. The tool (usually a knife) must be sharp. To avoid the possibility of infection, it is important to wear gloves, wash your hands well with soap and water. If the plant long time was in the fresh air, he will need some time to acclimatize in the room in which he will spend the winter. After two weeks, pelargonium can be cut off.

Pruning geraniums for the winter must be carried out after the plant has completely faded. This measure will help pelargonium save vitality and nutrients for the development of young shoots. First, inflorescences and stems that have faded and wilted are removed. Dried, diseased and beginning to wither leaves are also removed. In parallel, you can shape the crown to your liking.

Inspect the pelargonium and cut off the parts that need to be corrected. Remove any stems that are too long from the lower node. In the event that you want new shoots to appear from the place, cut off above the node. New shoots will very soon hide the void near the stem. As noted earlier, in autumn the stems are cut by a third, but since homemade pelargonium continues to grow in winter, after the appearance of the fifth bud, the plant should be pinched.

Be sure to note that not all varieties of pelargonium need autumn pruning. Amphipelous or zonal varieties can wait until spring, unless you want to correct the shape. Variegated varieties are generally not recommended to be cut, so as not to provoke prolonged stress in the plant. Miniature pelargoniums require only a little intervention, but royal geraniums are trimmed quite boldly. Sections heal quickly and give new young shoots.

Pruning a geranium in the spring may be necessary if you haven't taken care of the flower in the fall, or if the plant has grown too big over the winter. High-quality spring pruning is the key to the emergence of new healthy shoots and the formation of flower stalks. Of course, pruning a flower will delay the flowering process, but will contribute to an increase in its intensity. The color should be cut in early March.

Plant big size it is not recommended to prune strongly: it takes not so little time for the growth to recover. You can cut off the extra, in your opinion, branches so unsuccessfully that the pelargonium will not bloom at all. Limit yourself to removing too long, damaged, diseased shoots. Bush small size form as desired, while leaving at least two buds on the stem. Don't forget to inspect stems cut in the fall.

If the cuts are blackened, they should be updated.

Do not rush to throw away cut shoots. Use them to breed a flower: healthy shoots will make excellent cuttings. In addition, geranium leaves are often used to make folk remedies. It is useful to prepare decoctions and infusions that help with headaches and joint pains, problems with the digestive system.

After pruning, geraniums should be placed in a cool room. The cut surface is treated with cinnamon powder or finely ground charcoal. Special care for the plant is not required. It is important to reduce the number of waterings so as not to harm the flower. In order for the flower to quickly acquire young dense shoots, the flower needs to be fed with fertilizers containing nitrogen. It is important to take care of good diffused lighting.

Regular trimming of pelargonium is necessary not only for aesthetic reasons. When excess, dry and diseased shoots are removed, free space is formed. A thinned bush is well ventilated, the risk of infection with fungal diseases is significantly reduced. The shape of the plant becomes more neat, orderly and attractive. The mass of shoots becomes smaller, but the number of inflorescences and their quality increase.

This video will show you when is the best time to prune geraniums.

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When is the best time to prune a geranium for lush flowering?

One of the most important techniques for caring for geraniums is crown pruning. Shaping the plant by removing excess shoots not only helps to heal the bushes, but also makes them look neater. In addition, without constant pruning of the shoots, it is impossible to achieve beautiful and lush flowering.
After cutting off the elongated tops, numerous lateral buds wake up on the stems, leaves grow on them and many peduncles form.

The best time to prune geraniums at home

There are many opinions about when to prune geraniums, what time of the year is most suitable for this? It is difficult to answer this question unambiguously, since it all depends on many factors: the variety, the condition of the plant, its age, the purpose of pruning. In general, flower growers and gardeners believe that bushes should be formed regularly, as needed. It occurs especially sharply when the shoots begin to stretch too much, lose foliage and, accordingly, external attractiveness. Basically, these are cosmetic pinchings of the apical parts.

Deeper pruning should be done once or twice a year, depending on how fast the flower grows. At the same time, a natural question arises, when is it better to prune geraniums: in autumn or spring, if cardinal regulation of its growth is planned? Most right time for this procedure - autumn. See an article about propagating geraniums using cuttings, leaves and seeds.

They reduce the temperature to + 5- + 12 ° C, reduce watering, stop feeding the plant, but keep it in a well-lit room. If the plant still tries to bloom in winter, then the inflorescences are immediately removed. Such a little trick allows you to get in the spring beautiful flowers. The fact is that cutting geraniums in the fall means ridding them of almost half of the shoots that have grown strongly over the summer. She is given a great opportunity to take a break from summer flowering and gain strength without spending them on “feeding” extra stems. In addition, such a procedure will allow the plant to lay more buds, from which healthy leaves and flowers will form in the spring and summer. Knowing this fact, it is no longer necessary to figure out when to prune geraniums so that they bloom in summer, looking for this information on flower growing sites and forums.

Regarding when to prune geraniums and in what month, the answer is quite simple - immediately after flowering. Different varieties cease to please with flowers in various terms. Therefore, at what time to cut geraniums in the fall, the flower itself can tell, ceasing to throw out inflorescences. But, as a rule, this period lasts from late August to early autumn.

In autumn, geraniums are subjected to significant pruning. Before cutting geraniums at home, old, dried stems, inflorescences and leaves are removed. Shoots "looking inside" are cut out so that they do not spoil the shape of the flower and do not obscure its basal part. Then healthy branches are cut off by about a third. The minimum number of leaves that should remain on the shoot after cutting is 2 pcs. But it is better if there are about five or seven of them. You should not be zealous in picking off the leaves, as they supply the root system with a lot necessary elements. Only completely dried, wilted, yellowed or deformed foliage is removed.

The autumn period is the best answer to the question: when to cut geraniums for seedlings, since seedlings planted for the winter will not only have time to take root well during the snowy period, but also branch out. So autumn is the best time when cutting geraniums into cuttings is doubly beneficial: with the advent of spring, young plants will immediately bloom, and the remaining cuttings after spring, re-pruning can be used to further obtain new indoor flowers.

Geraniums are pruned in autumn, greatly elongated over the summer. Before you properly cut the stretched geranium, you need to carefully examine the plant and choose from two options: either remove too long shoots completely, or leave a small part of them at the root. The first option is suitable if the layering is sufficient for further flower formation. Then the elongated stem is cut completely near the lower node. If there are too few stems, and new shoots are needed that will begin to grow in place of the cut one, then the stretched geraniums are cut just above the very first node from the ground.

Before cutting geraniums for the winter, it must be borne in mind that it is easily exposed to putrefactive processes. To avoid infection on freshly cut parts, pruning is carried out either with clean gardening gloves or thoroughly washed hands. The tool must also be processed. Secateurs or scissors are pre-drenched in boiling water or wiped with alcohol. The cut is made at an angle of 90 °, at a distance of at least 0.5 cm from the internode.

After pruning, the shoots are treated with ground wood or activated carbon.

There is a lot of controversy about whether geraniums should be pruned in the spring. But the controversy boils down to the following: to decide when to prune geraniums in the spring, and whether it is worth doing it at all, each grower should individually for a particular flower. During the winter period, the plant could grow strongly, especially if the conditions necessary for "rest" were not met.

If this happens, then the plant needs spring pruning. True, after it, flowering will begin later, but will not be inferior in quality. For an experienced grower, it is not a big secret when to prune geraniums in the spring - the timing suitable for this operation is the last days of February - the first two weeks of March. This is the period when it is time to cut the geraniums into cuttings in the spring, since it is not recommended to carry out activities for pruning the shoots later.

Pruning in spring is not as drastic as pruning in autumn. Basically, overgrown shoots are pinched so that the plant spends its strength on laying lateral buds, from which new stems and peduncles will grow in the future.

If all necessary requirements to ensure winter rest were observed, then deep autumn pruning is quite enough. In the spring, the plant will wake up from its winter sleep and begin to actively recruit buds. All the rules for spring pruning completely coincide with the methods of plant formation in autumn.

The pruning technology described above is suitable for most varieties of unpretentious zonal geraniums. But there are flower varieties that are more demanding in care, including pruning. These include grandiflora or royal geranium. It blooms unusually beautiful, and most importantly big flowers, therefore it is often called large-flowered geranium. One flower in diameter can reach from 5 to 7 cm. But their decorative effect does not end there, as often the petals are corrugated, and the colors simply amaze with their diversity. You will not find monochromatic flowers on this type of plant. They are always decorated with some spots, rims, stripes. Outwardly, they strongly resemble petunias.

But such beauty is not without flaws. The main ones are demanding care and a short flowering period. If ordinary, zonal geraniums can bloom almost all year round, then grandiflora will please with its inflorescences only 3-4 months per season. This will only happen if it is properly taken care of. Knowing her capricious character, the owners of the flower are interested in how to prune the royal geranium, so that in the spring the wayward beauty will fully demonstrate all the varietal qualities inherent in it. The first step is to decide when to transplant and prune large-flowered geraniums - in autumn or spring. In this case, only the autumn period is suitable for pruning. Two problems are solved at once - the bush is preparing for wintering and material is being collected for further breeding of the variety - cuttings.


The procedure for pruning geraniums

Before cutting the geranium so that it blooms, it is necessary to disinfect the tool with which the stems will be cut. Scissors, pruning shears or pruners should be sharp to get a clean cut. Next, all obsolete parts of the plant and leaves are cut off. Leafless shoots are removed at the root, in front of the very first node from the ground. The same should be done with too elongated shoots. Then proceed to pruning the main shoot. It is cut by a third, since it is possible to cut a geranium for abundant and lush flowering only by sacrificing just such a part of the stems and leaves.

In winter, it is desirable to provide peace to the grandiflora. In no case is it recommended to carry out pruning in the period December-January. But sometimes it grows into winter time. Faced with this problem, flower growers solve a dilemma: is it possible to prune a geranium in February if it has begun to outgrow? In rare cases, you can cut geraniums in February, but this can hardly be called a full-fledged pruning. Only one overgrown shoot is removed, which spoils the appearance of the flower too much. It is better to pinch the elongated stems, rather than cut them off completely. And the last month of winter - deadline, when the royal indoor geranium is cut, since in April it already releases the first inflorescences. Therefore, starting from the second half of March, pinching and pruning should be stopped for a while.

You can determine exactly when to prune geraniums after winter by looking at the flower. As already noted, grandiflora blooms for a shorter period of time than ordinary varieties. As soon as it fades in summer, further formation of the bush can begin.

Ampel or ivy geranium is distinguished by its unusual type of growth. It belongs to the "creeping" plants, and if it is planted in hanging pot, then the shoots will hang freely from the container, forming a beautiful bindweed with small leaves, shaped like ivy foliage, and beautiful inflorescences falling on the sides of the container. But to achieve a highly decorative flower, you will have to work hard, as it also needs constant pruning and pinching of its climbing stems. The principles of how to properly prune ivy geraniums largely coincide with the rules for pruning simple, zonal varieties.

For her, autumn pruning is also the most useful. It also involves cutting the third part of the plant, cutting out dried, withered and growing shoots inside. In addition, shoots sprouted from the axils of the leaf are cut off. Healthy stems that grow from the root are not cut off.

In the spring, she needs to form the correct crown if the bush has grown and extra layering has appeared. They are cut off, leaving a few buds. Throughout the spring season, the crown is maintained in order by pinching the stem after the fifth leaf. Such a haircut makes the plant more accurate, makes it possible to grow new shoots and peduncles. Often the subject of discussion is the question, is it possible to prune flowering ampelous geraniums in spring and summer?
The answer is simple: only those inflorescences that have already faded and have lost their visual appeal should be cut. The plant does not need any other interventions during flowering.

If you want to get a cutting from blooming geraniums, then this can be done, but only from one escape. At the same time, one should not forget that both sections must be treated with charcoal or activated charcoal (sometimes ground cinnamon can also help out). The cutting should be cut off the inflorescence, as it will interfere with rooting. The cut shoot is planted in the ground, without preliminary germination in water.

pruning flowering plant, one cannot ignore the fact that at this time he is injured, and his beauty and splendor are also lost. Therefore, it is not recommended to cut more than 1-2 shoots. It is better to wait for the moment when it completely fades, carry out a planned pruning and at the same time get a large number of petioles for further reproduction. See the article: Why geraniums do not bloom at home and in the garden: how to fix it?

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Autumn and spring pruning of geraniums for lush flowering

Geranium (pelargonium) for many grows both at home in pots and outdoors in containers or in the ground. Care for each has its own subtleties and secrets. One of these secrets is correct pruning geraniums for lush blooms and a healthy looking flower. Pruning is carried out both in autumn and spring, depending on the goals pursued by the gardener or his capabilities.

My mother told me that in her childhood, geraniums were cut in the fall and placed under the beds. It was a long time ago, because now my mother is already over 80 years old. The beds were fitted with lace valances covering flower pots. There the plants remained until February without watering. So this kind of flower care has rather deep agrotechnical roots.

In winter, geraniums find it difficult to maintain their beauty. For a beautiful full bloom in the winter on the windowsill, they simply do not have enough light. And if they are not illuminated with special lamps, then they will turn into long bare stems with stunted leaves at the top and one or two flowers. I have no lamps, just as there is no place for winter garden, so I will agree with my great-grandmothers and give the flowers a rest.

For the plant to have a beautifully formed lush bush and bloomed profusely it must rest.

The meaning of autumn pruning in preparation for winter holidays. In winter, geraniums will rest from flowering, gain strength and give growth to dormant buds.

What are these dormant buds? Here is the trunk, there is a leaf on it, it grows from a leaf node. When the leaf dries and falls off, a scar will remain in its place.

Just above this scar is the sinus of the sleeping kidney, it is from there that the kidney will hatch under certain conditions.

A young shoot will form from the bud, capable of providing lush flowering of geraniums by May June.

The soil before pruning should not be wet. The plant is left without foliage and will have nothing to evaporate moisture. Wet soil will create good conditions for rot, and the flower can be lost.

  1. How and what to cut
  2. How high to cut geraniums

Proper pruning is done with a sharp tool - a knife, blade, sharp disposable cutter, secateurs. This is important, since a dull blade of scissors or secateurs flattens the stem a little, and it tightens worse.

The cut surface should be even and perpendicular to the trunk, then a film is easily formed on it, which will tighten and dry the cut surface.

The cut should be made 5-10 mm above the sleeping kidney.

They are cut either under the "stump", leaving 2-3 dormant buds, or to a height of 10-15 cm. In the second case, you can get more shoots for spring rooting. So it's more of a matter of reproduction. And geraniums, cut “under the foam, are more often used in the future as an independent updated lush bush.

And so: Autumn pruning is done before being brought into the cold (basement, veranda). They get it in January - the buds wake up and begin to grow, give material for cuttings, cuttings are planted in February. During autumn pruning, geraniums are also cut into pots, in which case they will bloom earlier.

Pots of cut geraniums are stored until January or February in cool places, severely limiting watering or not watering at all.

Why until January or February. December is the month when the light lengths of day and night are compared, this is the time of astronomical winter. geraniums natural light in such a short period is not enough and they sleep. After the winter equinox, daylight hours begin to increase. By January, there will be enough daylight hours to awaken dormant buds. Therefore, the pots are taken out into the light and into heat and begin to slowly water. Water moderately, remembering that while there are no large leaves, the plant will not be able to evaporate moisture.

  • In a dark cold basement at a temperature of 0-10 degrees, without watering
  • On a cold veranda without watering
  • In the room, on the cold windowsill. In this case, you need to water a little, because the air in the room is very dry. Once a month is enough.

Cropped cuttings can be rooted in pots, simply put in water to take root (you won’t believe it, but this method works, many cuttings will have excellent roots by spring), or put at home in vases for beauty, especially since pruning takes place on still flowering plants.

In January, when the day lengthens, the pots are brought into the heat and begin to be watered, having previously pierced a clod of earth in several places.

This geranium was brought from the basement in January

Shoots of such an overwintered geranium (it is called a mother plant) are used as cuttings for propagation or left to bloom on their root.

Preparing ground, balcony and room geraniums for pruning

Now it's Indian summer, and geraniums are in full bloom, blooming so much that you don't even want to think about pruning. Such a beauty.

Geraniums that have grown in the ground are usually dug up and transferred to pots or containers. Before pruning, she is given a week, another to get used to a new place. As a rule, only those plants are transplanted whose variety or color the gardener wants to keep for the next year. The rest bloom like annuals.

If the geranium grew on an open balcony or terrace in containers

Geraniums from the balcony in the same way can be transferred into one large container, or individual pots can be brought in, if there is a place.

home, indoor geranium no need to transfer anywhere. You need to prepare for pruning those specimens that you want to rejuvenate.

Any fall pruning will result in new strong young shoots for lush flowering in late spring and summer.

In the spring, you can plant the resulting shoots in pots or leave them on the mother plant, correcting the shape of the bush, with spring pruning.

Alla Sivak has an excellent video of cardinal pruning of geraniums for lush flowering under a stump and what to do after pruning. In winter, her flowers stand at home in the light, in warmth.

The video is not long, but if you need to quickly, then there is such an opportunity. In the right bottom corner The video has a wheel icon. Click on the wheel, in the drop-down menu, find the word "speed". You can select speed 2 and watch videos twice as fast.

My way to keep balcony geraniums indoors in winter

Every year before the onset of cold weather, and we have it in October or November, I bring my geraniums into the house. This is not easy, because I have about 40 bushes. Therefore, I bring them not for flowering, but for wintering.

They overwinter in a compact form. I roll over a few bushes in a couple of three large pots so that they do not take up much space and put them "in the far corner." Before the far corner was wide window sill behind the curtain. And now it is a large shelf in the corner of the insulated balcony. It's not very bright and not very warm.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a cold dark basement and no wide illuminated window sills. And I don’t want to put it under the beds, as my great-grandmother did, and the beds themselves have changed a lot since then J.

Since there are a lot of flowers, I do not bring in all, but only those that I definitely want to leave as a mother plant to obtain planting material by spring. And from the rest I take cut cuttings and distribute them to my neighbors, or simply put them in jars of water. It sounds rather strange to leave the shoots in the water until spring, but it works for me. By spring, some of the shoots are growing big roots, and I plant ready-made cuttings with roots.

In the "far corner" I water the plants once a month. And so on until January. I start watering once a week in January. Young shoots become plump, I use them as cuttings for seedlings, later they will give a good lush flowering. And also I divide the entire long stem into cuttings and root them too. Read more about this in the article Propagation of geraniums.

Basically, I apply spring pruning of geraniums.

Pruning geraniums in spring has three options

  • Form a houseplant, stretched out after the winter from lack of light
  • Cut cuttings from a plant that has overwintered in the house.
  • Cut cuttings from the mother plant, rested in the dark in the cold.

Due to the lack of light, any geranium will lose its appearance by spring. Cosmetic pruning of elongated stems will help shape the bush. Pruning should be carried out in the same way as autumn pruning, above the leaf bud, only cut off the upper stems.

Friends, do not forget that the video can be watched in accelerated mode. Click on the wheel icon in the bottom right corner of the video and select a speed.

Geranium Stem and Root Pruning Method - Refrigerator Storage - Review:

So: spring pruning Geraniums are made for cutting cuttings from the mother plant for propagation. For the formation of a beautiful bush after the winter torment of plants in warmth without light, to stimulate the growth of side shoots.

Friends, pruning geraniums for lush flowering is a creative process. This was decisively proved by Natalya with her extraordinary reading of an English book on gardening. You can equally get excellent results by pruning geraniums in the fall, storing them in the refrigerator, in the basement or on a cool windowsill, or leaving them in the "far corner" to cut cuttings from warmly overwintered unpruned geraniums.

Guided by common sense, taking into account the length of daylight hours, given that stems without leaves do not evaporate moisture, which means they do not require watering, and knowing what a leaf node and a dormant bud are, pruning geraniums for lush flowering will become a simple and understandable process.

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Geranium or pelargonium is a very popular plant. It can be grown at home or in the garden. There are many varieties of geraniums. Its healing qualities are also valued. But the main quality is unpretentiousness. Plant care is easy. Even an inexperienced florist will be able to take care of her.

The most common is fragrant geranium. Its flowers are usually small, have a pink-purple color and different shape. Incised leaves have up to seven parts. The plant has a strong aroma. Maintenance is minimal. In winter, the plant sleeps, care is not required, only occasional watering.

Royal geranium variety considered the most delightful plant of this genus. It has large flowers and a variety of colors from white to dark purple. The diameter of the royal variety reaches 15 cm, the height is the same. This royal lush flower has large buds of a simple and double shape. Petals are wavy and corrugated, on which you can always see a dark stripe or spot. This is distinguishing feature kind. The height of the stem of the plant can reach half a meter.

How to care for pelargonium?

Geranium is a perennial heat-loving plant that winters indoors. She needs proper home care and regular pruning.

Watering mode In summer, watering geraniums is required abundantly so that the plant does not dry out from the heat. But it is impossible to fill the geranium excessively. Gray mold will appear on the leaves, the leaves will wither, the roots will begin to rot. In summer, watering must necessarily be daily so that the plant can bloom profusely.

Winter is the period of hibernation, when watering the plant is required moderately.

illumination

Geranium loves light. This is her first condition. A sunny window sill is the best place for her. But from direct scorching sunlight, the leaves can get burned. In the garden, it should be planted in a well-lit place, but closed so that there are no drafts and wind. From a long stay in the shade, only small leaves will appear. The plant will not bloom.

Air humidity

Humidity does not play a special role for geraniums. She can carry any atmosphere. But spraying the flower is not recommended. Geranium loves only Fresh air. In summer, it should be in a flower bed or balcony.

Air temperature

The temperature regime for this plant starts at +12 degrees. When the air temperature drops, the stems become bare, the leaves droop, and the geranium will not bloom. The plant will die. In winter, it tolerates room temperature perfectly.

Feeding Pelargonium

Pelargonium does not tolerate when fresh organic fertilizers are applied. Useful nitrogen, phosphorus and potash fertilizers. They are taken to equal parts. Potassium is needed for abundant flowering.

Fresh organic fertilizers must be excluded immediately: their pelargonium does not tolerate. Fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in equal proportions are suitable. Potassium is required for lush flowering. Be sure to comply with the following condition: hot weather fertilizers are not applied. If the soil is dry, then it must first be watered, and then liquid fertilizer must be applied so as not to burn the roots of the pelargonium. In spring and summer, fertilizers are applied at least 2 times a month.

Transfer

Geraniums often do not need to be transplanted. But if the roots have grown very large, then the pot will be small. Roots can be trimmed slightly. If the geranium is flooded, then an urgent transplant is required. A large pot should not be taken. The earth can be taken from the summer cottage by putting drainage on the bottom of the pot. Transplant the plant in the spring.

reproduction

Pelargonium propagates by seeds and cuttings. home care requires propagation only by cuttings. The plant reproduces by seeds only when a new variety is developed. Before planting seeds, the soil is loosened and watered with a solution of potassium permanganate. This will protect her from the black leg. Seeds do not need to be covered with a large layer of earth. The container is covered with a film or glass and left in a warm place until shoots appear. Propagation by cuttings is done in spring. The stalk is placed in a container with water. The room must be warm. After the roots grow back, the stalk is transferred to a pot of earth. After rooting, you need to pinch off the top. Professionals can produce by dividing the bush.

plant pruning

Plants should be pruned regularly. Pruning should be two: in spring and autumn. The pruning rules are simple.

The formation of pelargonium bushes will help:

  • give the bush an even and compact shape;
  • cause the growth of side shoots;
  • make the bush lush and stable;
  • get high-quality home material for planting.

In spring, pruning of geranium bushes is less extensive than in autumn. Work starts at the beginning of March. The later the extra shoots are cut off, the later flowering begins. In the spring, only weakened stems should be cut. 2-3 kidneys should remain below.

Geranium (pelargonium) is the most popular inhabitant of our window sills. It is difficult to find a house in which there is no such unpretentious flower. When growing geraniums, pruning is done for its lush flowering. It is required not only for education more peduncles, but also for a beautiful decorative form of the plant. If pelargonium does not shorten too long shoots in time, its lower leaves fall off and the branches become bare. This makes the flower rather unattractive. Many, precisely because the bush becomes “ugly”, throw it away. And it is enough just to remove the old stems in time to maintain the beauty of the plant for many years and admire its flowering.

When to prune geraniums?

No need to wait until the stems lengthen, and the leaves remain only at the top. The peculiarity of pelargonium is that it very rarely gives lateral processes, but there are “sleeping” buds in all nodes. Pruning makes them wake up. This stimulates the formation of shoots, and lays new flower buds.

There are three ways to trim:

  • main;
  • topping;
  • autumn.

The main procedure is carried out in order to get abundant, lush flowering and form a beautiful bush. Autumn pruning is a preventive measure. Pinching is carried out as needed.

Important! Due to the lack of light in winter, geraniums can stretch out a lot, which affects its decorative effect and flowering. But shortening the shoots is not recommended at least until the end of winter. In the last decade of February, the shoots can be shortened by 2/3 of the length. In order to prevent the stem from stretching in winter, it is better to add backlighting with a phytolamp.

The main pruning of geraniums at home is carried out immediately after the dormant phase. best period for this manipulation, the very beginning of spring is considered. At this time, the plant has not yet begun to grow. Therefore, before the vegetative period begins, all the "wounds" will have time to heal.

When the pelargonium fades, it happens autumn pruning. During this procedure, dry leaves and flower stalks are removed. Such manipulations do not affect the future flowering of the bush, but simply has a decorative character. Such an operation is carried out in the middle of autumn. Previously, it was possible only if diseased branches appeared. In such a situation, they are removed so that the lesion does not spread to the entire plant.

Pinching can be done at any time, but not in winter. During this period, the geranium is at rest. The exception is those types of pelargonium that bloom in the cold season.

Important! It is very important to trim correctly and on time. If this procedure is performed late, the flowering of the plant will be late. Or maybe not at all to please with their luxurious inflorescences.

How to trim?

Among indoor pelargoniums there are species with straight and decumbent stems, tall and dwarf, ampelous and shrubs. Each variety requires special attention and a special approach. Therefore, you should know how to properly cut geraniums so that they are always beautiful. But, in any case, the correction of the stems must be carried out for each variety.

Correct pruning:

  1. Stimulates the appearance of lateral processes and the formation of inflorescence primordia.
  2. It will give the flower a beautiful, well-groomed shape.
  3. Will provoke abundant and long flowering.
  4. Allows you to get high-quality planting material.

The perennial plant is adjusted twice a year. Such procedures increase the splendor and duration of flowering. A young flower is not recommended to be cut. In such a bush, the stems are only partially removed to give it a shape.

Important! If the bush is large, it is not recommended to radically cut the plant. This is due to the fact that pelargonium will give all its strength to growing stems and leaves, and inflorescences will either appear late or not at all. In very big flowers just shorten too long without leaves, diseased branches.

When deciding how to prune a geranium so that it blooms, you need to consider the type and variety of the plant. Since improper processing can lead to the death of the flower. Experienced flower growers for such a procedure, it is advised to use a blade or knife with a very thin blade. It is not recommended to use scissors, since in the process of manipulating this object, the stem can be passed, violating the tissue structure at the cut site.

Before cutting a flower, you need to carefully examine it and decide which parts will need to be removed so that a beautiful bush will subsequently form. Properly performed procedure stimulates the growth of twigs and intensive flowering. There will be no “empty” areas on pelargonium without leaves and inflorescences.

Important! In the case when the geranium began to fade, it must be cut off. If after such a procedure the main stem remains green, the flower will survive and new leaves will appear in a few days. When, after all the manipulations, the trunk darkened, began to dry, the flower would die.

Instruction:

  1. First you need to remove dry, fading leaves and flowers.
  2. The cut must be made with a disinfected tool above the leaf node facing the outer part of the bush.
  3. To prevent the stem from rotting, the wound should be sprinkled with crushed activated charcoal.
  4. After the procedure, the flower must be fertilized with a mixture that contains nitrogen. This will contribute to the fastest emergence of shoots.

The plant is cut, leaving only half of its height. Thanks to this manipulation, there will be excellent air exchange inside the bush, and the lower leaves will receive the required light. In addition, the likelihood of fungal infections will be significantly reduced.

AT temperate climate geraniums are planted in a flower bed, and provided that the winter is not too cold, they are left there to spend the winter. In cold regions, pelargonium is transplanted into pots for the period of frost. pruned outdoor plant in the fall, after it has flowered.

Geranium - favorite plant many hostesses. It is able, almost all year round, to delight with its luxurious flowering and does not require special care. Observing simple rules pruning, can make the flower healthier and more attractive. After such a procedure, pelargonium blooms much more abundantly.

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