Today we will talk about a houseplant, the familiar and familiar eye of most compatriots. Its bright inflorescences - white, pale pink, bright red - invariably cheer up, decorating the interiors of a huge number of Russians' dwellings. Learned?
A few scientific terms
What plant is royal pelargonium? Peering into specialized literature, the reader will find that this beautiful flower is also known by other names. It is called pelargonium large-flowered or royal geranium.
The scientific name of the plant is Pelargonium grandiflorum or Regal Pelargonium. Pelargonium is attributed to the family Geraniaceae. It grows, as a rule, no higher than 25-50 cm.
This plant has gained wide popularity as a ubiquitous indoor house flower. This is explained by the presence of a long flowering period and inherent unpretentiousness in care. Amateur flower growers propagate the royal pelargonium quite easily and efficiently thanks to the use of cuttings.
What kind of flower is this?
Europe met geraniums around the middle of the 18th century. The first samples and seeds of the royal pelargonium were brought to the inhabitants of the European continent from South Africa. A variety of new varieties were subsequently developed on the basis of them. Among other species, breeders of that time created large-flowered royal pelargonium, the main decoration and distinguishing feature of which were beautiful large flowers.
Such a plant looks, as a rule, in the form of a small compact bush, which is essentially a hybrid. If you grow a bush at home, it comes out small, dense and incorporating several branching fragile stems.
The leaves of the royal pelargonium can be of various shapes and sizes, depending on its variety. The length of the petioles of geranium is approximately equal to the length of the leaf blades. A number of varieties of pelargonium have rounded leaves, the edges of which have a slightly lobed shape.
What do Royal Pelargonium flowers look like?
A geranium flower grows on a thin long stem covered with a spherical shape with umbrellas. Sometimes you can see a single large flower of bright color. The color of pelargonium (again, depending on its variety) can be white or one of the many shades of red or pink.
If royal pelargonium is grown at home, it usually turns out quite undersized. The leaves in their upper part are of a rough texture, having serrated outlines. The edges of their shape are wavy.
Most of the varieties of plants grown under indoor conditions have cone-shaped flowers in an amount of about 10 pieces. They appear at the tips of young branches or from stems. The inner region of the petals is most often a darker shade. The outer part is often decorated with dark lines.
If the owner of the plant provides the royal pelargonium with proper quality care, he can rightfully enjoy its flowering from the earliest spring to the end of summer.
Pelargonium: care features
Normal development of the plant at home is impossible without creating favorable conditions for it. The flower will feel most comfortable when placed in a space full of fresh air. Some owners grow geraniums not only indoors (room). This flower can be planted on the balcony, in the garden or on a terrace closed from rain and wind.
If you place the pots with the plant on the windowsill, take care of the presence of ventilation for it. This is due to the fact that the plant needs not only an optimal temperature regime, but also a certain air humidity.
Lighting conditions
As for the level of illumination, the requirements made by geranium to its owners are as follows:
- Lighting should be maximum. At the same time, in the summer, plants must be partially obscured. For those specimens that are grown outside the house, it is necessary to provide shelter from atmospheric precipitation. An indispensable condition is the availability of protection from direct sunlight.
- In winter, the place where pelargoniums are grown should be lit and cool enough, with a constantly maintained temperature of 10-14 degrees Celsius. Only in this case does the plant form an ovary.
How to water a royal geranium
The presence of proper and regular watering is a necessary condition for the normal growth and existence of the plant. In the summer, watering is carried out twice during the day. The first time - at about 10 in the morning, the second - in the evenings, after sunset. In winter, a single watering daily is enough for a plant.
When it comes to caring for a hybrid royal pelargonium, a number of features should be considered. These plants are focused on a slightly elevated temperature and a slightly higher water consumption. When irrigating adult bushes, one should adhere to a certain scheme: at one time, more than 50 ml of water should not be poured.
The soil should be slightly soaked, but excess moisture should be avoided, as the likelihood of rot and infection increases. It is here that most often lies the answer to the question of why royal pelargonium does not bloom at home.
Talk about temperature
The optimum temperature for growing pelargonium is 18-25 degrees Celsius. Exceeding it is not recommended. A plant can be seriously affected by drafts. In order to avoid all these troubles, gardeners are advised to acquire the necessary devices: a thermometer and a hygrometer, and sometimes a weather station.
When the plant "falls asleep"
Between October and March, royal pelargonium is at a dormant stage. The main thing at this time is to prevent the earthen lump from being overdried. Particularly difficult care at this time of year, the flower is practically not needed. In advance, before it enters the dormant stage, weak leaves should be cut off. The remaining flowers and shoots are cut in length by a third.
These measures are designed to provide the flower with the maximum opportunity for future growth and oxygen production. Another definite plus of the pruning procedure is improved resistance to pests and diseases. Pelargonium should be watered at this time only when the situation requires it. The temperature during the winter "hibernation" should be maintained at about 10-14 degrees Celsius.
Sometimes individual flower growers do not have time or a suitable place for normal plant care in the winter. In this case, we can recommend the following measure: remove all the plants from the pots, shorten their leading shoots, clean the root ball of each plant from dirt and slightly trim the roots.
Then all the plants are separately wrapped in a newspaper and wrapped with a film on top, after which they are tied and suspended in the basement. In this case, you will be spared the need to care for the flower throughout the long winter.
In March, pelargonium should be removed from the packaging and dropped back into the pots.
Royal Pelargonium: Pruning and Fertilizing
Throughout the entire period when the vegetation occurs, the soil for the flower needs to be applied with liquid fertilizers. The frequency of this procedure is once every couple of weeks. It is not necessary to feed during the winter period (October-February), when the plant is at a dormant stage.
We recall once again that the small compact bushes of this plant bloom most abundantly compared to those that have grown. Sometimes the old lignified shoots form new branches. If your plant has been grown for several years, it should be pruned no more than once a year. In this case, the timing of the procedure is not critical.
About the reproduction of pelargonium
If you want to get a new bush of this beautiful plant at home, you should know the features of reproduction of the royal pelargonium. The process technology is approximately the same for all its varieties. Knowledgeable gardeners do not recommend using royal pelargonium seeds for this. The cuttings method has proven itself much more reliable.
How it's done? Cuttings are harvested in the fall or in the first weeks of summer. They are cut at an angle of 45 degrees below the internodes. Shoots belonging to dwarf varieties are separated at a distance of about 5 cm. For larger varieties, this value is 10 cm.
After receiving the finished cuttings, flowers and lower leaves are cut off from them. The soil should not have high humidity, otherwise the plant may rot. That is why the cuttings should be handled quite carefully. A few days before disembarkation, they should be abandoned from being placed in the aquatic environment. Sometimes a good effect is obtained by drying each stalk for about two hours. Before this, the places of cuts are treated with charcoal.
What to do next
To get a new bush of geranium at home, stock up on a suitable pot of not very large diameter. Put drainage at the bottom - clay shards are used as it, filling the pot in its lower part. A soil mixture consisting of an equal amount of sand and peat is placed on top, then everything is carefully watered.
After this, pre-cooked cuttings of the royal pelargonium are planted. Do not put them in too wet or, on the contrary, very dry ground. Immediately after the planting procedure, watering should be done only along the edges of the pot.
What happens then
As a rule, all pre-harvested shoots planted in a pot take root quickly enough in it. This explains the popularity of the method of propagation of royal geraniums by cuttings. Normally, the first sprouts can be expected after 3-4 weeks. Having found them, you should slightly increase the degree of watering. But this should be done as carefully as possible in order to avoid the substrate getting wet.
After another four-week period, you should begin to harden in the sun the young bushes of the royal pelargonium. Further care for them is practically no different from that produced in relation to adult plant specimens. When the root system is formed well enough, geraniums can be transplanted into soil prepared from compost.
Transplant a plant
King geranium is a fairly compact plant, even with a large number of leaves and flowers. Sprawling root processes can fill and even completely plug drainage holes. Sometimes this is the reason for the lack of flowering pelargonium in indoor conditions.
Geranium should be transplanted no more than once every 2 years. In this case, the earthen substrate must be replaced with a fresh one. The rhizome is cleaned of soil by shaking it slightly, then about half of it is removed by cutting thick long roots and extra shoots. After which the plant is returned to the original pot, pre-filled with fresh soil.
It is best to carry out a transplant in the spring. But if you missed it, it's okay - if necessary, you can do this in other periods related to the vegetation of the plant.
Talk about pests
The most dangerous and most common disease of royal geranium is called the black leg. Its sign is stalks of a plant painted at the ground level in black. You should carefully monitor the flower, since the disease can spread rapidly and affect the whole plant.
The reason for it is most often too high humidity or boggy soil. To prevent this nuisance, you should take care of the optimal conditions for the development of royal pelargonium, including the relative dryness of the air.
Another geranium problem is rust. Affected leaves turn yellow and subsequently die off. In addition to leaves, flowers with shoots are also susceptible to this disease. That is why, having found signs of rust on the leaves of the plant, one should immediately cut off those that were affected. Such a measure serves as an effective prevention against the spread of this unpleasant ailment.
Well, now all our readers know that under this luxurious name, many of us hide the familiar indoor geraniums. A plant familiar to everyone can effectively decorate not only the window sill of an apartment, but also an open balcony or garden plot.
If you take care of creating favorable conditions for the growth of pelargonium, you will be rewarded for your efforts. Otherwise, waiting for the flowering of this unpretentious beauty will be problematic.