Thanks to its delicate flowers and fragrant fragrance, pelargonium is one of the most popular indoor plants. And one of the most important questions arising from amateur growers is how to feed geraniums for lush, long and abundant flowering?
About this and many other things you will learn from this article, which is worth reading to everyone who is going to grow pelargonium.
General rules for watering
Pelargonium prefers drought rather than excessive moisture. The plant is recommended to water rarely, but plentifully. So how to water? Optimally - 2 times a week. Excessively moistened soil can cause mold on the leaves of the flower. One of the signs of improper watering - yellowing leaves, withering plant. Potted soil should be slightly damp.
Important! Do not spray the leaves, it can cause burns.
The importance of proper fertilizer
The choice of fertilizer for pelargonium is an important issue. The flower does not need organic dressing. Geranium requires a complex of mineral fertilizers with potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus. Make that necessary in equal portions. But first, the dose of nitrogen is reduced, and the dose of potassium, on the contrary, increases.
When and in what cases need feeding?
In winter, fertilizer flowers are not required.. Room darling is fed only in the spring-summer period. It is enough to carry out the procedure twice a month, an hour after abundant watering.
Patients pelargonium fertilizer can not be.
Pelargonium cannot be fertilized if it has been in bright sun all day. The flower must be pritenit, then water, and only then make the necessary substances. Pelargonium can not be fertilized 2 weeks before transplantation and within a week after it.
What and how to fertilize?
The main rule feeding plants - compliance with the dose of fertilizers. Withered or yellowed leaves indicate an excess of nutrients.
Nitrogen substances need to be made only after trimming.
- In order to prevent the burn of geranium roots - fertilizers in liquid form should be applied only after watering.
- After adding minerals, the earth under the plant needs to be loosened.
How to feed for the formation of buds?
For abundant flowering, the culture must be fed with mineral fertilizers. One-component dressings are required - nitrogenous, phosphoric, potash, iodine.
Reference! Phosphorus is necessary for the formation of buds. Its deficiency slows down the process. With a lack of potassium stops the growth of culture. Nitrogen promotes the growth of the stem, leaves and roots.
Nitrogen fertilizer is recommended in the spring - during the period of active growth of pelargonium. The most popular nitrogen fertilizers are ammonium sulphate and ammonium nitrate. You can use ready-made mineral compositions with a high content of nitrogen for indoor flowering plants. You can buy them in specialized stores.
To achieve active flowering, you can use vitamins as supplements, which are sold in the pharmacy in the form of ampoules - B1, B6 and B12. Bring them by the method of alternation - the ampoule of vitamin is diluted in 2 liters. water obtained by the solution plentifully watered bush. After 2-3 weeks, another vitamin is used according to the same scheme. Vitamin supplements improve the quality of budding and flower immunity. Apply them preferably in spring and summer.
How to fertilize pelargonium for lush flowering is described in this video:
Folk ways
Sugar - in 1 l. water at room temperature dissolve 2 tablespoons of sugar.For better absorption, you can add any of the EM drugs. These drugs include "Baikal-EM", "Revival".
Eggshell - grind and grind the shell through a meat grinder, pour it with water.We place the container with the solution in a dark place, cover it with a lid and leave it for 2 weeks. The infusion is ready when the liquid becomes cloudy. We part 1 part of egg slurry in 3 parts of water. Thus, the soil is fertilized with calcium.
Wood ash - One tablespoon of ash is diluted in one liter of water.Wood ash is a source of easily digestible plant components - zinc, magnesium, calcium, iron, potassium, milk - add 100 ml of milk to a liter of distilled water. Watering this solution alternate with normal moisture. Milk has all the important elements for a flower - phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium, etc.
Iodine. One of the most important and necessary elements for geranium is iodine. It is required for lush flowering. The flower responds well to such dressing - the buds become bright and are laid faster.Use iodine as a fertilizer should be very careful not to burn the roots. Make sure that the iodine solution does not get on the leaves or the stem of the plant.
In 1 liter of thawed, rainwater or water separated from the tap, add 2-3 drops of iodine and mix well. You can also add 1 ml of hydrogen peroxide to the resulting solution. First, water the flower with ordinary water. Then pour the solution strictly at the edges of the walls of the pot. The frequency of such dressings - once in 3 weeks, from May to September.
Sugar - in 1 l. water at room temperature dissolve 2 tablespoons of sugar.
Eggshell - grind and grind the shell through a meat grinder, pour it with water.
Wood ash - One tablespoon of ash is diluted in one liter of water.
Iodine. One of the most important and necessary elements for geranium is iodine. It is required for lush flowering. The flower responds well to such dressing - the buds become bright and are laid faster.What if you did something wrong?
- Excess fertilizer can lead to the development of root rot. And with a deficiency of nutrients, geranium leaves lose their elasticity and brightness.
- If a room darling does not bloom, then perhaps a flower pot is too large or there is a surplus of nitrogen fertilizer in the soil.
- Over-feeding of pelargonium provokes an increase in the mass of green leaves, and in the meantime the flower stalks weaken.
Recommendations - gently remove the flower from the pot, carefully shake off the ground and make sure that there is no rotting of the roots. After it, transfer the geranium to another pot that is optimal for the root system size.
It is necessary to water a flower after transplant moderately, but regularly.. Provide adequate lighting. Avoid temperature drops and drafts. With the observance of these simple rules in a month pelargonium blooms again.
Houseplants need not only the right care, but timely feeding. Pelargonium fertilizer easy and inexpensive. The main thing is to comply with the measure, do not forget about the mineral complex and water with iodine. And the beautiful geranium will delight you with lush and long flowering.
