It often happens that even with the most careful care of the plant, something goes wrong and the flower begins to suffer. Beginners who grow plants at home are not yet experienced enough to understand all the intricacies of care, treatment of diseases or prevention.
Geranium is a very common domestic plant. It is believed that it is quite unpretentious. But it is not so. Like any living organism, this flower needs care. Caring for geraniums is not very difficult, but you still need to know the main rules. What to do if the plant becomes ill? Why do geraniums turn yellow and dry? Let's try to figure out our today's article.
Soil is too dry
This is one of the most common reasons. Which of us did not forget to water the flower on time? If you leave home for a long time and leave the plant alone and oblivion, the question of why the leaves of geraniums dry becomes a rhetorical one. Plants need clean water in sufficient quantities. In summer, water the geranium more often. In winter, it can do without water longer. But without watering, the plant will not survive. Please note that too dry or too wet soil is harmful to the plant. We will talk about this moment a bit later.
Too much light
It would seem that the reason is rather strange, because everyone needs light. But it is important to distinguish between the effects of the warm spring sun and the scorching summer heat. Geranium is a rather thermophilic plant, but it cannot stand the constant heat. If the flower will be under the sun for a long time, the leaves will certainly turn yellow and curl.
In this case, the simplest thing that can be done is to rearrange the plant in a shaded place. It also happens that a flower begins to suffer in winter, when there is very little sunlight. This is due to space heating. Indeed, very often flowers in pots are on the windowsill above the battery, which is just a source of hot and dry air. In this case, also take care to rearrange the plant away from the hot battery.
Too tight or spacious pot
This also happens. Care for geraniums provides a comfortable arrangement of the flower in the pot. But if it is chosen incorrectly, the plant will begin to suffer.
In a too tight pot, the root system will begin to atrophy, because the roots simply have nowhere to grow. The deciduous part will begin to suffer from this. But too loose a pot also deforms the roots. If the geranium leaves curl, what should I do? Pay attention to the volume of the pot. If necessary, the plant needs to be transplanted. Otherwise, it will constantly hurt and have yellow leaves.
Leaf damage
Why do leaf geraniums dry? Perhaps you just injured the plant. If the edges of the leaves constantly touch the window pane or the hot battery, they are simply doomed to start turning yellow and dry. It happens that a flower is damaged when moving, when moving to another place, if mistreated by inexperience. Therefore, if you decide to start your floriculture with this particular plant, collect enough information on how to perform home care for beginners for geraniums. Note that it is better to tear off completely dry and yellow leaves.
If geranium leaves dry: what to do?
First of all, you need to pay attention to the type and nature of the external manifestations of the disease. If dry spots appear on the leaves of the plant, the problem can probably be fixed by thoroughly watering the soil. If the spots are brown, it is likely that there was too much water in the soil.
If the damage is more like a dent or a blister, it is possible that pests annoy the plant. If the leaves curl and fall, there may be several reasons. This is cold, improper watering, excessively dry air. We need to try to critically assess the situation and provide first aid to the flower: if dry, water it, if it is hot, put it in the shade. Continue to observe the geraniums and you will definitely establish the cause of the damage.
Geranium pruning
If there are still yellow leaves, they must be removed to prevent the disease from spreading to the rest of the foliage. At the same time, you can give the plant a beautiful shape. How to do it right?
To get started, examine the geranium. All damaged leaves and twigs must be carefully removed. You can do this with any sharp tool - the best is a pruner (if you don’t have one, the knife will do too). Treat the tool with an antiseptic and carefully remove the damaged parts.
Next, stop on the most beautiful and healthy stem. If he has lower shoots, cut them off. Remove also the stems nearby. Too high a stalk needs to be shortened a little, cutting off the top. Thus, geraniums will not shoot upwards, but will use up energy for the growth of side shoots and take the form of a beautiful and lush tree. If the plant has too crooked stems, also remove them, leaving small stumps.
When you finish cutting the geraniums, do not forget to treat the places of the cuts with ash, brilliant green, activated carbon or alcohol - in short, any antiseptic that will prevent infection and contribute to the quick healing of the cut.
It is important not to overdo it and not to cut too many stems, because at the same time the flowering time is significantly delayed. If you cut off more than 20 percent of the aerial parts, the plant can spend a large amount of its resource on restoration and not bloom at all. Therefore, if you are pruning in the spring, make sure that after the procedure the geranium is not in a draft, it is watered well and the soil in the pot is not overdried. In addition, mineral fertilizers are very important for the rapid growth and restoration of the flower. How often should they be used? Add them twice a month.
Fertilizers for the restoration of geraniums
From time to time, a flower needs not only clean water and care, but also nutrients. Do not be surprised why the leaves of geraniums dry - just the plant needs fertilizer. In order for it to recover as quickly as possible, it is important not to overdo it. According to the rules, fertilizers must be applied in April. Focus on fertilizers with a high percentage of nitrogen. It is this component that positively affects the deciduous part of the plant. But during the flowering period, nitrogen can cause later setting new buds.
If the leaves suffer from diseases or pests, you will need fungicides and insecticides. Some time after the application of these funds, the foliage will begin to recover, and the volume of damage will significantly decrease. For maximum effect, you may need a course of treatment. Sometimes experienced flower growers recommend transplanting geraniums into another pot and using new soil.
How to water this plant?
Sometimes, when asked why geranium leaves dry, a very simple answer can be obtained. These are basic problems with watering. Despite the fact that geraniums love moisture, sometimes it can suffer due to its overabundance. Here you need to have a measure.
When you water your flower, make sure that water does not fall on the foliage and stems. It is best to water the geranium with a small watering can without a diffuser, which will provide a thin stream. It should not be directed to the root of the flower, but to the ground along the wall. If the earth in the pot becomes too dry, the resulting void will prevent the penetration of water to the roots. Watch the surface of the soil. If there are cracks, then the earth is overdried.
How to water geraniums in the winter? Experts give some advice. You do not need to pour plenty of water on the flower at this time, since the geranium is sleeping. Just maintain soil moisture. In spring, geranium will require more water, as it will be needed for the growth of new shoots. Do not water the flower in winter more than once every two days.
With the onset of the warm season, the plant will need more moisture. There can be no concrete and precise recommendations, since everything depends on air temperature and weather conditions. Water the soil as needed. On hotter days, make sure that no cracks appear on the surface, and on cooler and wetter days, geraniums will ask for less water than usual.
When autumn comes, the plant will stop releasing buds. During this period, it is important not to fill the geranium. Depending on the air temperature in the apartment, water the flower several times a week.
If the plant is flooded
It happens that you overdo it in trying to water your geranium well. At first glance, such a plant can no longer be saved. This is not entirely true. First you need to assess the scale of the disaster.
Carefully remove the plant from the pot and examine the roots. If they do not have time to darken, prepare new soil and urgently transplant geraniums. If the roots are dark and soft, unfortunately, the plant cannot be restored.
It happens that some of the roots have not yet rotted. Then cut off the entire damaged part and treat it with an antiseptic: ash or activated carbon. Transplant the flower into fresh soil - in this case, you can hope that not everything is lost.
Geranium Disease Prevention: General Recommendations
Problems are always easier to prevent than to solve. Therefore, the prevention of plant diseases is very important, especially if you are a beginner grower. Consider how home care for beginners is carried out for geraniums. Try to follow simple rules:
- Do not place diseased flowers near healthy ones. Flowers are quite capable of infecting each other, so if some plant is not quite healthy, try to give it a separate quarantine place. Observe it for several days, and if such a need arises, treat the flower with special preparations. If you purchased a new flower, quarantine it. It happens that problems do not appear immediately, and in a new plant, the first damage will occur only when the neighboring flower is already infected.
- When transplanting plants into a pot, do not forget to properly cultivate the soil. To neutralize pests or just play it safe, you can water the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate or hold it a little in a hot oven.
- Try to put the plants in the most suitable place. Please note that the apartment may be drafts. For plants, it is harmful in the same way as for humans. No need to place pots on window sills with hot batteries in too dark or too cold places.
- Do not forget to clean the geranium from dust and dirt, trim dry and yellowed leaves in time. Make sure that mold does not begin to develop on the leaves. Elementary hygiene will bring the plant undoubted benefits.
Conclusion
So, we examined why leaves can dry in this flower. As you can see, all the reasons are very primitive and banal. If you carefully follow all the recommendations for care, the question of why the leaves are dried at geraniums should not arise. Of course, the plants are not immune from possible diseases, but if you take care of the geranium properly, it will certainly delight you with a beautiful and pleasant flowering.