Many new kinds of this popular pot plant have been developed, the best know of which is the zonal type named for the markings in the foliage. Mainly, leaves are the green, but the colorful zonal sub group called fancy leaf geraniums sport variegated foliage. Ivy leaf varieties, another group of geraniums, perform masterfully in hanging baskets. The scented foliage types give you nutmeg, peppermint, lemon, rose, or other fragrances to enjoy.
Ball shaped heads of colorful small blooms arise on tall stalks. Zonal kinds come in pink, red, salmon, and white ivy leaved geraniums range from rose carmine to white.
Geraniums are high light intensity plants; they thrive in a south or southwest window. Since they have thick, succulent stems, geraniums can withstand some drought. But for healthy, vigorous growth and blooms, water plants every time soil surface becomes dry. Drainage must be good; they resent waterlogged soil.
New geraniums are commonly rooted by taking three to five inch growth cuttings from healthy mature plants. Select medium mature shoots rather than too soft or too old and woody ones. Make a slanting cut just below a leaf to expose more regenerative cells for rooting. Remove lower leaves. Since geraniums are fleshy stemmed, there is no need to rush to place them in a rooting chamber. You can spread them out for a day or two to dry before sticking them in moist rooting medium such as half and half perlite acid [eat mix. Dipping the dried cut ends in root inducing powder first will hasten rooting. Plain water is risky for rooting cuttings, since fleshy stems may rot. Keep rootings out of direct sun.
In six weeks plant the rooted cuttings in 3 to 4 inch pots. Use a potting mixture of three parts garden loam, one part perlite or sand, and one part peat moss or compost. After several days, move into stronger light. When plants are established, cut tips back to induce denser growth. When roots fill pot, shift plants to inch larger containers.
Geraniums bloom best when slightly pot bound. Without a daily dose of at least three or four hours of sunshine, your plants will become leggy and refuse to bloom. Pinch back tall stems after blooming to promote branching.
Don't feed your geraniums unless they have stopped growing or the foliage is pale. Even then, use only a small amount of any water soluble fertilizer. Summer plants outdoors. When you bring them back into the house, isolate for a few weeks to check for plant pests such as whiteflies.
