Hanging geraniums - which are actually called hanging geraniums - are among the most popular balcony flowers. No wonder, as the plants that grow and bloom happily delight every balcony gardener with their lush flowers. To ensure that it turns out as hoped, you should follow a few rules when planting.
How do I plant hanging geraniums correctly?
To plant hanging geraniums correctly, choose a sunny location, the right substrate and the time after the ice saints. Make sure there is good drainage in the planter, use geranium soil and plant the geraniums 20 centimeters apart.
Choose the correct location and substrate
Before planting, however, you must first choose the right location and substrate - both of which are essential for the well-being of your plants. Hanging geraniums need a lot of sun - the sunnier their location, the more flowers you can expect. At the same time, however, the plants should be protected from unfavorable weather conditions. Frequent rain in particular causes the flowers to become unsightly. When it comes to substrate, you should choose nutrient-rich and well-drained soil. Special geranium soil, for example, is very suitable, but you can also mix it yourself:
- 1 part commercial potting soil
- 1 part compost soil
- 1 part perlite (or another clay granulate)
Price the optimal time
The correct timing of planting is also immensely important for hanging geraniums; They cannot tolerate frost and should therefore not be planted until after the Ice Saints at the earliest. Beforehand, it makes sense to just put the plants outside during the day to harden them off and bring them into the house overnight. The right temperature is also crucial, because hanging geraniums stop growing at less than 10 °C. The plants prefer a lot of warmth during the growing season.
Ensure good drainage
Once the three important questions - location, substrate, timing - have been clarified in advance, you can now start planting the hanging geraniums. Drainage in the planter is one of the most important points, after all, hanging geraniums cannot tolerate waterlogging.
- Choose a planter with drainage holes to allow excess water to drain away.
- Clean the planter thoroughly.
- To keep the drain hole from clogging, you can place a fleece over it.
- First fill a drainage layer several centimeters thick on the ground.
- (Small) pebbles, expanded clay or clay granules are suitable for this.
- Now fill in the geranium soil.
- Carefully remove the hanging geraniums from their current planters
- and plant them 20 centimeters apart.
- Press the soil well
- and water the plants thoroughly.
If it is pre-fertilized geranium soil, fertilizing is not necessary for the next six to eight weeks.
Tip
Hanging geraniums are often packaged with a supportive plastic frame. To free the plant from it without damaging it, you should cut the struts all around.
