Royal geranium is one of the varieties of the flower pelargonium (geranium). It is considered a fairly common indoor plant, with an origin from the South African parts of the world.
The closest relative to pelargonium at room is considered to be its wild relatives - ordinary geranium (the place of growth of which is, like weeds - any open area, even the roadside), as well as meadow geranium (the place of growth of which are glades of forests, meadows and mountain slopes) .
Being an unpretentious flower, outwardly, having the appearance of grassy or shrubby plants, the royal geranium acquired the name of blooming geranium. This species has a not very enviable difference from its relatives of the geranium species. It manifests itself in a short flowering, which falls in the spring-autumn period, and less often in winter.
But an enviable difference, among several varieties of pelargonium, the royal one is distinguished by its beauty. Being the most spectacular plant from the geranium family, it has rough jagged leaves, and the size of its flowers is quite large than that of other types of geraniums. In connection with this feature, royal geranium acquired a name - large-flowered pelargonium. Her flowers have wavy edges, and unlike their sisters - of other species, they have a brighter color and reach a size of four to six centimeters in diameter, while they have a height of thirty to sixty centimeters.
Royal geranium. Cultivation and care
Propagation of pelargonium of all types by planting stem cuttings or sowing seeds can occur throughout almost the whole year, but this is best done with the advent of spring. Cuttings can be cut from the tops of shoots or from shoots located on the sides of the plant. The length of these cuttings should be at least five, and no more than seven centimeters, with the obligatory presence on the cuttings of two or three leaves.
Before planting, the cuttings must be dried for two hours, and then with the help of crushed charcoal, this section is powdered. After that, you can already plant cuttings of geranium directly in the pot, in which you plan to grow it to the very end. The pot must have a small size, otherwise a weak flowering is inevitable. The land should be ordinary, garden, you can also apply a little sand, or use non-acidic purchased soil.
If your royal geranium, which you care for yourself, requires a transplant from you, you can root its cuttings by resorting to planting in coarse sandy soil. After that, you can transplant it into a pot or container for permanent residence. At the same time, it is necessary that the earth be moist, and watering should be careful - try as much as possible to get to the ground from the edge of the pot, and in no case should you moisten the leaves and the stalk of pelargonium, since it can provoke its slight decay. Especially often, decay occurs at low temperature conditions.
The best temperature for rooting cuttings is considered to be from twenty to twenty-two degrees Celsius. In this case, the cuttings should be left uncovered.
Since royal geranium is considered an unpretentious plant, considerable efforts in caring for it will not be required from you. The main rule will be moderate watering. In winter, it is necessary to ensure sufficient dryness of the earth, and in the remaining periods of life of the plant, it is necessary to maintain a regime in which watering will be carried out as the soil dries.
Flowers are quite demanding of light, so you need to provide sufficient illumination of the place where your royal geranium will grow. If the room is too sunlit, you can cover the plant from direct sunlight.
With such simple care, you can safely have a beautifully growing royal geranium in your apartment.