They are the classics among balcony flowers and are now available in numerous interesting cultivars: geraniums. However, you should not confuse these with the cranesbills (botanically: geranium), because the common name “geranium” is actually incorrect. Instead, they are pelargoniums, which are originally native to South Africa. These can be easily propagated by cuttings or sowing.
How can you grow geraniums yourself?
Geraniums can be propagated by cuttings by cutting off side shoots about 10-15 cm long and planting them in a soil-sand mixture. Alternatively, they can be grown from seeds by sowing them in potting soil and then pricking out the young plants and acclimating them to the outside temperatures.
In late summer: propagate geraniums through cuttings
Are you one of those balcony gardeners who buy new geraniums every year? You can save yourself this expense because the flowers can be easily propagated by cuttings. In this way, you can create numerous offspring from your tried and tested favorite geraniums, which will lavishly embellish your balcony the following year. The best month to propagate geraniums is August.
- Cut or break off side shoots of a geranium that are about 10 to 15 centimeters long.
- These should have neither buds nor flowers,
- because these rob the plant of strength and make rooting more difficult.
- Remove all leaves from the shoot except for the top two.
- Plant the cuttings in a pot with a soil and sand mixture,
- optimally in a ratio of 2:1 (2 parts potting soil or compost, 1 part sand)
- The cuttings should be about one centimeter deep in the substrate.
- Water them vigorously
- and place it in a bright and warm place (e.g. on the windowsill),
- at best in an indoor greenhouse (€29.00 on Amazon).
- Keep the substrate moist
- and overwinter the small geraniums in the house.
From February you can transplant the rooted young plants into larger pots.
Do not use soft shoots
Geraniums should generally not be propagated using soft shoots, but rather half-ripe shoots - you can recognize these by their brown color. Geranium shoots that are still green and young rot quickly and are therefore not suitable for growing new plants.
For those who are patient: Grow your own geraniums from seeds
If you enjoy growing your own plants from seeds, you can grow both standing and hanging geraniums from seeds. You can get the seeds from specialist retailers, but also from hardware stores and garden centers. Start growing in January, but no later than the beginning of February.
Sowing geraniums: step-by-step instructions
- Sow the seeds in potting soil.
- Geraniums germinate in light, so only cover them thinly with soil.
- Place the cultivation containers in an indoor greenhouse (€29.00 on Amazon)
- or cover with clear film.
- Keep the substrate slightly moist
- and ventilate at least once a day.
- The optimal germination temperature is between 20 and 22 °C.
- Pick the young plants into nutrient-rich compost soil.
Tip
Don't put the young plants outside straight away in spring, but rather slowly get them used to the unusual outside temperatures.
