Peculiarities of care for ampelnoe pelargonium at home

Geranium is a kind of symbol of childhood, with its pleasant sensations from having a comfortable stay in a cozy parental home. For almost the entire year, with the exception of a few winter months, she is able to carry some sort of peaceful joy with her flowers. Wherever you look, various varieties of this plant are blooming everywhere, creating an aura of peace and warmth with its beauty.

Genus description

About geranium or pelargonium, have known for a long time. In its present form, pelargonium was known in Holland as early as the 16th century.

Her appearance was then perceived as exotic, but later in the XVII-XIX centuries, geranium became one of the most popular plants, having more than a thousand different varieties.

She gained particular fame in England. Caring for her is not difficult: she practically does not get sick, she doesn’t need to water often and plentifully, not too nutritious land can come to her, tolerates drought tolerantly, she has a high degree of survival.

Pelargonium is not only able to fill the air with a fragrant aroma, but also to purify it.These flowers are very suitable for making decorative compositions.

Ampel species

There are many types of pelargonium: royal (intended for growing on the windows of apartments), zonal (can grow as a houseplant, and in flowerbeds, areas, balconies), large-flowered, English, fragrant with carved leaves, a variety with the smell of nutmeg, orange, apple and many others.

Of particular interest today are ampelous species of pelargonium. It is this pelargonium that is intended for hanging gardens; it can curl and hang beautifully. The ampelous geranium is very famous and grown most often of all other types of ampelous plants.

The flowers of its different varieties and species differ in size: from large (approximately 6 cm) to small (1 cm).

In their form, they also differ: they are simple and terry with a significant number of petals.The flowers are in the shape of an asterisk or a cactus, located on the long legs of the peduncle. They gather in inflorescences in the form of an umbrella, each of which has up to 30 flowers that can bloom for 5-6 days.

The colorful variety is simply amazing: pink, burgundy, red, purple, white, fringed, with specks and dashes, two-tone and many other shades. Ileum leaf - one of the brightest representatives of ampelous pelargonium.

The length of the hanging shoots of ileum geranium can reach 1 m. This is one of the characteristics that distinguish the ivy geranium from the usual one, in which short stems grow straight up.

In ileum pelargonium, smooth leaves are harder than those of the ordinary one, with its soft, slightly terry leaves. Ivy geranium flowers are larger and much brighter than normal.

It is much more magnificent and more beautiful than usual due to the multitude of growing climbing and flexible shoots.

The best place in the garden and on the balcony

Pelargonium ampelnaya is very famous and has a number of features for growing and caring at home. It helps to transform the veranda, balcony or garden, turn them into a heavenly colorful place.

Bright saturated green leaves of geranium with a border or white veins look great without flowers, and when lush blooming in a variety of colors and shades of the plant becomes just amazing and fascinating.

The purpose of Ivy Pelargonium is to grow unequivocally in the open air in the summertime in various hanging baskets in the amber form, and also to be planted on a flower bed in the garden. She is pleased with the look of others.

Lighting

Ampel pelargonium is a very light-loving and light-sensitive plant. For the better development of pelargonium, a lot of light is needed, if there is no light, then pelargonium will never bloom, but only its stems will grow in height.

But it should be noted that she does not really like hitting the direct rays of the sun, the best for her is diffused light.

Temperature conditions

It is necessary to grow ampelous pelargonium in a fairly warm place. The optimum temperature is not lower than 18 ° C. It should be noted that this plant is not afraid of a strong cooling, but a light frost can be destructive for it.

When grown in open space, pelargonium must be placed in a place where gusts of wind would not break its shoots and fairly gentle twigs.

Grow Pelargonium

Pelargonium can reproduce each and at home, this process is quite simple and not time consuming. There are two ways: cuttings and seeds. But it should be noted that the second one is more laborious.

From seed

Pelargonium is quite possible to grow from seed, but it is quite a complicated process with the need to observe many nuances that experienced growers will most likely be able to handle.

Sow the seeds in the ground at a depth of 1 cm from February to mid-spring. After that, the soil is moistened with a spray bottle, not from a watering can. Now, the planted seeds must be removed in a warm place with additional lighting and can be covered with a film, constantly removing the condensate until the germs appear.

The temperature in the room should be within 25 ° C. Planted sprouted plants in the ground for permanent residence is allowed approximately one month after the sowing process.

From cuttings

Most people who want to propagate a plant can do this by cutting geraniums at home. The most suitable period for this is March.

Healthy cuttings are cut, lightly dried for a day, then dipped in coal powder and planted into the soil at a distance of a couple of centimeters from each other, while the soil must be compacted.

Before planting, the land mixture must be disinfected with boiling water or placed in the oven for a while. Plants take root in about a month, if the cuttings were planted in the spring, then in summer you can see flowers on it.

How to care for a plant?

Ampel geranium is an absolutely unpretentious flower, taking care of it at home does not require much effort, and the presented photos and recommendations will help to systematize this process step by step and understand that the plant needs only enough light, watering and attention.

Watering

Pelargonium ampelous loves water very much, but at the same time, it can be fine for some time without it. It can not be sprayed in any case, from which its stems and leaves can fall ill.

Therefore, it is necessary to water the geranium not from above, but from the pallet in order to avoid moisture on the plant itself. After completion of the irrigation process, excess water must be drained to avoid rotting of the roots and over-wetting the soil, from which it may die.

Top dressing

As with every plant, pelargonium will not mind getting a dose of top dressing. This should be done weekly during flowering from March to early autumn.

For feeding, a mineral fertilizer complex is used in a low concentration, and milk diluted with water is also suitable for this purpose.

The most optimal for growing geraniums is light, fertile and fertile (although geranium is not whimsical in this respect) loamy soil, which has a high level of potassium, but less nitrogen.

Potassium, phosphorus and magnesium sulphate - universal feed for geranium. Some growers use iodine solution at the rate of one drop per liter of water, for one time top dressing use 50 ml of this solution.

Organic fertilizer for ampelous pelargonium is not recommended.

Transfer

Transplantation of pelargonium ileum ampelous is one of the important nuances of caring for her at home. Pelargonium is best transplanted at the end of February to the end of March.

Transshipment can be done at any time, excluding short winter months and autumn. To transplant pelargonium, you need to take a pot 1.5-2 cm more for the pot in which it is now.

In the new pot at the bottom you need to pour the expanded clay to be able to remove excess moisture. Then we transfer the geranium together with all the contents, without violating the integrity.

All the voids formed between the root ball and the walls of the pot must be tightly filled up, tamping with earth, consisting of a mixture of turf and leaf soil, peat and sand. After that, the flower must be watered.

Pruning

Often, beginning flower growers are concerned with the question of how to cut geraniums for the winter and whether it should be done at all. Pruning geraniums is very necessary, because it helps the plant to have a neat decorative look, make the flowering process more powerful and get cuttings for reproduction.

Pruning ampelnoe pelargonium must be done before wintering. All shoots and twigs need to be cut short enough. If additional lighting is possible during wintering, the ground part of the plant may not be cut off.

Then regular pruning should be carried out in early spring, after which the plant must be fed. Trimmed with fully or selectively disinfected instruments.

Wintering

Since ampelous geranium is quite thermophilic, for wintering it must be brought into a cool, fairly bright room, the temperature in which will be within 8 ° C in order for it to bloom better in spring.

If pelargonium spends winter at room temperature, pots with plants should be kept away from batteries and radiators. In this case, in the spring, it will bloom much later.

Difficulties in growing

Although ampelous geranium is a fairly simple plant for growing, it is sometimes difficult to avoid difficulties in this area as well.

She, like other plants, with the wrong care is endangered by diseases and pests. The most common ones are gray mold, viral mosaic, caterpillars, harmful fungi, chlorosis.

Here treatment with insecticides can help, it is they who can qualitatively and quickly overcome the diseases of geranium and its pests. Competent high-quality care is the only remedy that contributes to the health of geraniums.

After all, poor lighting, excessive moisture, lack of minerals during feeding can make the appearance of ampelnaya pelargonium unattractive and significantly undermine its health. Now ampelnaya pelargonium is so diverse that you can buy it for every taste. And with skillful cultivation to enjoy its flowering can not only you, but all around, because it is extremely beautiful, unpretentious and thankful for the attentive care of the plant won the love of all florist.