How to grow royal pelargonium at home?

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Pelargonium, often called geranium, is a small bush with beautifully carved leaves and bright inflorescences. An unpretentious houseplant in the cold season grows wonderfully on the windowsill, and with the onset of summer it migrates to the veranda or garden. Pelargonium royal, unlike other representatives of this genus, requires special growing conditions. For the flowering of this plant, lighting, soil moisture in the pot, and air temperature are important. And only after fulfilling all the whims of the beautiful "queen", it will be possible for a short time to admire the flowers of amazing sizes and amazing beauty.

Royal geranium on the windowsill

Features of Royal Pelargonium

The birthplace of royal pelargonium (Pelargonium Regal) is South America, so the plant loves a hot climate with high humidity. Indoor pelargonium is a bushy plant growing from 30 to 60 cm in height, and differs from other geranium species in large inflorescences and unusual folded leaves.

Large flowers, like umbrellas, are gathered in spheres. The size of one flower can reach 7 cm, so sometimes this type of geranium is called large-flowered (Pelargonium grandiflorum). With proper care, the houseplant blooms from early April to late August. Depending on the variety, the flowers can be simple and double or have a very different color - from white to dark purple. Plants with multi-colored petals look very attractive.

The leaves of the royal pelargonium, as well as the flowers, are rather large, rough to the touch, with a curly jagged edge. The plant does not exude the specific smell inherent in ordinary geraniums.

A pot of king geraniums by an open window

Summer care

Unlike the usual geranium, which does not require special attention from a grower, royal pelargonium is extremely whimsical and capricious. To provide this plant with comfortable conditions and ultimately enjoy the view of beautiful flowers, you need to try hard: choose the right place, water and feed on time.

Large-flowered geranium loves a lot of sun and light, so the lightest windows are assigned to it indoors. If the flower is left in a shaded place, its stems will stretch out and become bare, the intensity of flowering will decrease, and the already set buds will wither and fall off. With all its love for warmth, pelargonium does not tolerate heat at all, therefore, on hot summer days, the plant must be shaded and protected from burns.

Royal Pelargonium should not be planted in the garden or on an open veranda, as the plant is very afraid of drafts and cold winds. Under natural conditions, large-flowered geraniums will not bloom or will die altogether, therefore this beautiful plant is grown exclusively in residential premises or on closed loggias and verandas.

In the warm season, royal pelargonium requires abundant watering and does not tolerate drying out of the surface soil layer in a pot. You can water directly into the ground, but you should not allow strong waterlogging of the soil, since root rot is possible.

Important!

If the air in the room is too dry, geraniums can be sprayed with warm water, and care must be taken that the moist parts of the plant are not exposed to direct sunlight.

Like any home-grown geranium, royal pelargonium loves to be fed occasionally. As a top dressing, you can use ready-made complex fertilizers for flowers with a high content of potassium and useful trace elements. It is better to feed the plant in summer and spring, during the period of active growth and flowering. To prolong flowering, it is necessary to remove wilted peduncles in a timely manner.

During the summer heat, the plant can be attacked by aphid or other harmful insects, so you need to periodically examine the leaves and stems in order to come to the aid of your pet in time.

Blooming royal pelargonium

How to care for royal geraniums in winter?

With the onset of autumn, the flowering of royal pelargonium ends. Now the plant must rest and regain its strength in order to please the florist with beautiful flowers again next year. It is necessary to take care of the plant in winter in a completely different way than in summer.

Geraniums are placed in a cool place with good lighting. The optimum air temperature for winter storage of pelargonium is + 15 ° С. Watering should be sharply reduced, the soil should be moistened just enough so that the plant does not dry out at all. All feeding stops.

Before the start of the sleepy period, it is recommended to remove the remaining buds, flowers and cut off the shoots by 1/3. Such treatment of the plant stimulates the formation of flower buds, and the lush flowering of pelargonium after the winter rest will be ensured.

Different varieties of pelargonium

Pelargonium transplant

All varieties of geraniums quickly grow both the aerial part and the root system, so plants sometimes need a transplant. Typically, this houseplant is transplanted once every two years.

Important!

If the clod of earth taken out with the plant from the pot is completely penetrated with roots, the pelargonium must be transplanted.

For royal geraniums to bloom, it is very important to choose the right pot size and potting mix. Some growers mistakenly believe that it is better to take a large container so that you do not often transplant a plant. This opinion is erroneous, since geranium primarily seeks to strengthen its root system and continues to grow it as long as there is free space, forgetting about flowering.

At the bottom of the pot, it is necessary to pour fine gravel or expanded clay, which acts as a drainage, since pelargonium does not tolerate stagnant water. The soil should be loose, air permeable and retain moisture. It is best to use a mixture prepared from the following ingredients, taken in equal proportions, as filling the pot for growing royal pelargonium:

  • disinfected garden soil;
  • sand;
  • peat.

During transplantation, thick shoots are pruned and the roots are shortened in half. If an old pot is used for transplanting a flower, it must first be disinfected with bleach.

Pelargonium pruning

Pelargonium pruning

One of the reasons that royal pelargonium does not bloom may be incorrect or untimely pruning of the plant. The buds form at the tops of the shoots, so pinching or cutting off shoots that are too long is enough to increase the number of buds. It is better to do this in July or August.

The formation of the crown of the plant will allow you to get lush flowering in the next season and at the same time give the bush a beautiful regular shape. Cuttings of royal pelargonium obtained by cutting off the tops can be used for reproduction.

You need to cut the plant gradually, trying to injure it as little as possible. After completing this operation, pelargonium should be fed.

Geranium propagation by cuttings

Reproduction

All varieties of royal pelargonium are propagated by cuttings, which root best during the warmer months, in spring and summer. Seed propagation are used only by breeders to obtain new varieties of plants.

To obtain a cutting, you need to choose a strong shoot with at least two pairs of leaves and cut it off with a sharp knife or blade half a centimeter below the node.All leaves, except for the top three, must be removed, and the cut place must be covered with crushed charcoal and left to dry for a day.

You can prepare cuttings in another way. Treat the cut site with Kornevin and plant it in a small container filled with a moistened mixture of sand, leafy earth and peat. The soil substrate can be replaced with peat tablets after moistening them with water.

Plantings are watered with "Fitosporin" to protect young plants from decay, and for 3 days they are placed under the covering material. The optimum temperature for fast rooting of cuttings is + 23 ° C.

If all of the above conditions are met, the rooting of cuttings takes from 8 to 12 weeks, after which the seedlings are placed in a permanent place. In order for the bush to immediately start branching, pinch off the top of the main shoot above the third pair of leaves. The first flowers on young plants will appear next spring.

Royal Pelargonium Flower

Royal Pelargonium varieties

The genus Pelargonium has about 280 different species, the most popular of which is the king geranium. This plant is dearly loved by all flower growers in the world, and therefore more and more new varieties with amazing color of flowers constantly appear. Terry pelargoniums with a wide spherical shape of peduncles are more common.

Here are some of the more popular varieties.

  • Pink Mikado. A compact bush with rich dark green leaves and a fluffy stem topped with beautiful pastel flowers. Pale pink or salmon petals have a dark spot in the center, inherent only in royal pelargonium.
  • Aristo Schoko. This variety of royal geranium is distinguished by a rich bright red color of the petals with a burgundy oval spot in the middle.
  • Barkarole. An inimitable exotic plant species of this variety provides a variegated color of petals bordered with a silver stripe. Inflorescences can be yellow, orange, white and pink.
  • Imperial. The classic version of royal pelargonium is a compact plant with delicate milky petals, decorated with rich pink spots in the center.

Blooming royal geranium

What problems are possible when growing geraniums?

Even with proper care, growing royal pelargonium can cause some problems.

  • Rotting legs. Decay of the plant's legs most often occurs due to excessive watering. If this trouble happens, the flower will have to be removed, and together with the soil, since decay products may remain in it.
  • Leaves turn yellow. If the leaves of the pelargonium begin to turn yellow and dry around the edges, it means that the plant does not have enough moisture, light or space in the pot.
  • Leaves wither. Evidence that the soil is waterlogged.

You should not propagate the plant if it is sick or affected by harmful insects, since all problems will quickly go to cuttings.

Royal Pelargonium reproduces well and does not create any particular problems for the grower if he follows the established rules for caring for this crop. For the flower to please the eye, it is necessary to provide the plant with drainage and good lighting, water on time and do not overmoisten the soil, protect from drafts and direct sunlight.

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