How To Prune Geranium Plants

Remove all of the dead and brown leaves from the geranium plant. Next trim away any unhealthy stems. Healthy geranium stems will feel firm if gently squeezed. If you would like a less woody and leggy geranium, cut back the geranium plant by one-third, focusing on stems that have started to turn woody.

When should geraniums be pruned?

Shape the Plant by Pruning. After a perennial geranium has spent the season in bloom and begins to die back, you'll want to prune it. This keeps the plant dormant for the winter and also helps it to store energy for spring. Depending on your zone, this might be anywhere from August to late October.

How do you prune geraniums for the winter?

Cutting back in autumn and winter

Using a knife, shears or secateurs, cut stems close to the 'crown' or dormant base of the plant.
If there is any young growth, cut to just above it.
Take the opportunity to remove weeds, digging out those with thick or fleshy roots.

How do you keep geraniums blooming?

Provide the Proper Light

Provide the Proper Light.
Ensure that your flowers are getting plenty of sun. ...
Keep the Soil Moist.
Keep the soil moist but not overly wet. ...
Remove Leggy Growth.
Cut the plants back in midsummer. ...
Feed Your Plants.
Apply a high-potash fertilizer to increase blooming.

How do you maintain geraniums?

Allow soil to dry to some extent between waterings, then water thoroughly. During the winter, water much less, but do not let the roots dry out entirely. Geraniums do best when given a period of dormancy through the winter months, during which they use less water and do not grow much.

How do you prune geraniums after flowering?

Remove the stems right down to just a few centimetres above the ground with the shears, following up with secateurs to trim back any stragglers. It seems a bit brutal, and the plant will look a little bare for a while, but don't worry – within a few days it'll start to recover.

How long do geraniums last?

A common geranium can live for 40 years or longer if it is cared for properly. Over- or under-watering, insects or disease and cold snaps are the most common reasons geraniums die.

Should geraniums be cut back in winter?

Prune geraniums in preparation for winter.

After the growing season is finished, pruning back the geraniums will help them stay healthy and dormant during the colder months. Wait until the flowers have died and the geranium has gotten a little leggy, in late summer or early to mid-fall.

Can I leave geraniums outside over winter?

Geraniums only need to be kept frost free, so are very economical when overwintered in the greenhouse. However, we do recommend that if your heater has a thermostat, set it at 5°C or 41°F. If the stems get the frost then the plant will die and not recover!

Can I keep geraniums in pots over winter?

To overwinter geraniums, bring them indoors prior to frost. If you are growing them in a tub or container and time is at a premium (as it usually is in fall), simply drag the entire pot indoors where they should keep for a few weeks while you tend to other more pressing garden chores.

Do geraniums like coffee grounds?

Just save a little of your leftover coffee grounds and sprinkle them onto the soil, then water your plant as normal. ... Geraniums in particular just love coffee, and so do Peace Lily plants!

Should you water geraniums every day?

All types of geranium require excellent drainage. ... When it comes to watering geraniums and pelargoniums, the same rule applies to both. That is, you shouldn't rush to irrigate these plants every day, since they grow better when their soil dries out between waterings.

Is Miracle Grow good for geraniums?

If you're growing geraniums in planting beds, improve soil drainage and quality by mixing 3 inches of Miracle-Gro® Garden Soil for Flowers into the top 6 to 8 inches of native soil. For best results when growing geraniums in containers, fill pots with light and fluffy Miracle-Gro® Potting Mix.

How do I make my geranium bushy?

In order to keep a geranium compact and bushy and prevent it from getting leggy, it needs to be pruned hard at least once a year. The more regularly you prune your geranium, the better able a geranium is able to keep a pleasing shape. Spindly geraniums can also be the result of poor light conditions.

How do you revive geraniums?

Trim back one-half to three-quarters of the geranium, cutting back the overgrown stems. This severe pruning forces a new flush of compact growth and encourages new bud production. Cut each stem above a leaf or bud so the stem is forced to branch, which results in a fuller geranium.

What is the best fertilizer for geraniums?

Fertilizer For Outdoor Geraniums

Liquid fertilizers are considered by many to be the best since they are easily absorbed by the plants. A 20-20-20 fertilizer (all-purpose fertilizer) will do just fine since it contains three of the essential nutrients that geraniums need: potassium, phosphorous, and nitrogen.

Why do geranium leaves turn yellow?

One of the most common causes for yellowing leaves is too much moisture or overwatering. Generally, on over-watered plants, the bottom portions of geraniums have yellow leaves. They may also develop pale-looking water spots. ... Water or air temperature that is too cool can also result in geranium yellow leaves.

Do geraniums come back every year?

All of these things are a testament to how tough geraniums actually are, but they are an annual, not a perennial, so they do not die back and begin new growth each year, they continue growing from the same plant structure.

Do geraniums spread?

Cranesbill geraniums

Her ability to adapt to a wide variety of conditions makes her so enjoyable to be around. When planting a number of Rozannes in the ground, space them about 30 to 106 cm apart. When planted in the ground she tends to spread out and make lovely ground cover.

Do geraniums bloom more than once?

Unlike their common geranium cousins, hardy geraniums don't flower more when you deadhead, or cut off individual spent flowers. But many varieties of geraniums do reflower after the first burst of blooms if you shear off the entire plant to about 2 inches from the ground after the flowers finish blooming.

Where do you pinch off geraniums?

Pinch off the top 3 to 5 inches of each stem to give the plant a rounded look. Pinch off each stem right above a leaf or a leaf node. The geraniums will quickly fill in as a bushier plant and resume blooming again.

Can I take cuttings from geraniums?

1When should you take geranium cuttings? You can take cuttings any time the plant is actively growing. You may want to take them in summer so you can get new plants started in pots outdoors. You can also take cuttings in fall and grow them indoors during the winter.