The cranesbill (geranium) can be propagated by cuttings, root cuttings or division. Propagation by sowing is also very grateful, for which you can also use seeds you have collected yourself. But be careful: When collecting, you have to wait for the right ripening time, because the cranesbill throws its seeds very far away.
How do I collect and sow cranesbill seeds?
To collect cranesbill seeds yourself, wait for the right ripening point at which the fruit cracks open when touched. Sow the seeds in spring in seed pots with a sand-soil mixture and keep the substrate moist. The plants usually only bloom in their second year.
Collect seeds yourself
Collecting cranesbill seeds is a difficult undertaking. If you collect them too early, they are still too green and not yet capable of germinating. However, if you arrive too late, you can only collect the empty pods, because the plant throws its ripe seeds several meters away - this way they will soon germinate in places where you would never have expected. Birds also really like the delicious cranesbill seeds, so you should hurry up and get ahead of the hungry poultry.
How do I recognize ripe cranesbill seeds?
You can recognize ripe seeds because the fruit pops open quickly when touched - now you can collect!
Sowing cranesbill seeds
You can sow the cranesbill seeds in spring (at best in March / April) and initially cultivate them on the windowsill.
- Fill seed pots or seed trays with a sand-soil mixture.
- Sow the seeds there and only cover them lightly with soil.
- Keep the substrate with the seeds evenly moist.
- Place the cultivation containers in a bright and warm place.
- Cover them with cling film or similar if possible.
- The high humidity promotes germination.
- Alternatively, you can also use an indoor greenhouse (€29.00 on Amazon).
- The seeds sprout very irregularly - some germinate quickly, others take much longer.
- As soon as the third leaf forms, the plants are pricked out.
- From mid / end of May you can go outside.
As is so often the case, cranesbills usually only bloom in their second year. So don't be surprised if your young plants don't want to bloom yet - that's completely normal.
Tip
In various garden forums there are regular exchanges where you can get seeds from various cranesbill species and varieties in exchange for seeds from other plants.
