Geranium plants will grow tall and thin if not pruned regularly. Through pruning, the geranium will experience continuous growth so that it looks bright and bushy. Plus, you don't have to remove the pieces from the pruning; You can use it to grow new geranium plants. The following article will describe how to know the right pruning time, the correct pruning method, and how to plant new cuttings.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Knowing the Pruning Time
Step 1. Prune the geraniums as soon as you bring them home
When you buy a new pot or plate geranium, pruning it as soon as possible will encourage it to grow thick. This step is not necessary if you are satisfied with the shape of the geranium and just want to move it to another pot or plant it in the garden. However, if you are willing to sacrifice some blooming, you will get better yields in the growing season.
Geraniums come in two varieties: "native" and "regular." Real geraniums are perennials, so pruning them is a good investment. Common geraniums are annuals, and pruning is also a good thing to do, but since the growth won't last more than a season, pruning is not strictly necessary
Step 2. Prune the geraniums in preparation for winter
Once the growing season is over, pruning a geranium can help it stay healthy and dormant during the winter months. To do this, wait for the flowers to wilt and the stems to thin in late summer or mid-fall. This way, the geranium will store its energy in the winter and re-grow once the weather has warmed up.
- If you live in a temperate climate with cold winters, you can keep your geraniums outdoors.
- In colder climates where the soil freezes, transplant the geranium into a pot and keep it indoors during the winter.
Step 3. Prune the overwintered geraniums in the spring
Geraniums will continue to grow through the winter by growing long, slender branches. They don't look very attractive, and therefore, geraniums should be pruned right at the start of the new growing season. This will encourage it to grow thick and beautiful as the weather warms up.
- If you are keeping your geraniums outdoors during the winter, prune them in late March or early April when the weather has warmed up.
- If you keep your geraniums indoors during the winter, wait until the soil is no longer frozen. You can slowly acclimate your geranium to the outdoor weather by placing it outside on warm sunny days. At night, put the geraniums back in the room. Once the last frost has passed, you can plant the geranium in the ground or put it in a pot outdoors.
Part 2 of 3: Using Correct Pruning Techniques
Step 1. Check the plants
Observe the plant from various angles so you can identify the problem areas. Look for areas that don't have a lot of leaves, parts that are wilted, and those that aren't balanced. Decide if you should prune the geranium for a healthier and more attractive shape.
- Pruning will encourage the growth of new stems and flowers, so pruning at a certain point will not always leave gaping parts.
- If there is a lot of wilting of the plant body, you will need to do some drastic pruning. Geraniums will survive as long as the main stem is still green. However, it can take several weeks before the leaves and flowers will appear again.
Step 2. Prune the wilted flowers
This pruning method is an important technique to encourage plants to produce new flowers. Trimming wilted petals will allow the geranium to focus its energies on producing new petals. The pruning will also make the stalks more visible so you can better observe the part of the plant you are working on. You can prune geraniums whenever the petals wilt; this is a quick way to keep plants healthy without the need for special equipment.
- Grasp the flower stalk at the base of the petal with your thumb and forefinger.
- Pinch the stem and pull it out with your thumb, then remove the withered petals.
Step 3. Remove withered leaves
The next step is to remove the withered leaves and stems. This pruning will prevent the plant from depleting energy to keep it alive. Use scissors to trim wilted stalks to the base. This is an important step to take in the spring to encourage good growth in the growing season. In addition, you can still trim wilted leaves any time of year.
You don't need to try to save leaves that appear to be wilting even if they aren't completely dead. Instead, do the pruning and allow the plant to produce strong new stalks
Step 4. Prune healthy flower stalks
In spring, pruning healthy flower stalks will encourage the plant to produce more flowers. Find the base of the flower stalk, then use hand scissors to trim it at the base. This treatment will activate the dormant shoots and you will notice new growth in no time.
If you don't want to make a drastic cut, thread the flower stalks up to 0.6 cm above the nodes, which are rings around the stem of the geranium. New growth will emerge from the node
Step 5. Prune the skinny stalks
A “skinny” stalk is one that has grown long and tall without producing leaves, or has only a small amount of foliage. By trimming the weedy stalks almost to the base of the plant, you will encourage it to produce new growth at low altitudes, resulting in a bushier appearance. Use scissors to cut the stems close to the base, 0.6 cm above the lowest node. Save the cuttings to use as cuttings.
At the end of the growing season, trim back about 1/3 of the plant in this way to prepare it for winter dormancy
Part 3 of 3: Growing Crop Cuttings
Step 1. Trim the bottom of the plant cuttings
Lift the cuttings upright and look for the lowest nodes. Prune to 0.6 cm below the node. Make sure you know which side is up and which side is down because the cutting will not grow when planted upside down.
Long pieces can be further divided into smaller ones. Make sure each piece is trimmed exactly 0.6 cm below the node
Step 2. Remove all the leaves except the one at the very top
Each cut won't be able to support the entire leaf at first, but leaving one leaf will help the growth process. Remove wilted or dry leaves and try to leave one healthy leaf at the top.
- If there are no leaves on the cut, you can still plant it.
- If the cut has one large, healthy leaf, use scissors to divide the leaf in half, with one part still attached. A cut will not be able to support a leaf surface area that is too large.
Step 3. Fill a small pot with potting soil
You can use plastic or ceramic containers. Use one pot for one small cutting you want to plant.
Step 4. Plant the piece
Use a chopstick or a pencil to make a hole in the potting soil, then insert the piece with the bottom first. The cut ends, including the leaves, should be above the ground. Lightly pat the soil surface around the cut.
Step 5. Water and wait for the cutting to take root
After a week or two, the roots will form. A few weeks later, new shoots will appear. You can move it to another pot or plant it in the ground outdoors.
