All about blood red geranium

Blood-red geranium belongs to the plants of the Geranium family. This is a rather spectacular perennial with dense foliage, which turns red in winter. That is why the culture got its name. The first mention of it dates back to the 16th century.

Regardless of the specific variety, all representatives of the blood-red geranium have communication botanical options.

• Root system represented by a long, knotty rhizome.
• Branched stem fork type, length varies from 25 to 60 cm, covered with white villi.
• Sheet plates divided into 5-7 parts, each of them, in turn, is also divided into 3 more parts. The leaves are green.
• Fetus has the shape of a crane beak, brown, tasteless, contains seeds.
• Flowers presented in shades of pink, each consists of 5 petals with a diameter of about 4 cm. In most cases, the inflorescences are semi-double, but there are also simple varieties.

Let's dwell in more detail on the types of blood-red geraniums, suitable for cultivation in a wide variety of natural and climatic zones.

• "Striatum" Is a rather spectacular variety that blooms in summer from June to August. During this period, the bush is covered with beautiful flowers of pink and purple color. The plant is popular with landscape designers and can decorate any site.

• Alan Blum Is another common cultivar that is distinguished by truly luxurious flowers of light pink color with textured dark veins. Adapted for growing in different climatic conditions, unpretentious in care.

• Canon Mills characterized by delicate flowers, petals are pale pink, double.

• "Max Fry" - this is a real hit among domestic gardeners: the plant is extremely unpretentious and able to withstand adverse weather factors. The flowers are light pink with pronounced dark veins. Max Fry can be the perfect decoration for any flower bed.

• "Horizon" - amazingly beautiful geranium, characterized by a fairly long flowering, which makes the culture ideal for any garden landscaping. The flowers are bicolor with white eyes. The bush is compact, so this geranium is ideal for growing in small flowerpots and hanging planters.

• Bulls Eye - one of the most unpretentious geraniums, most often recommended for planting at home.

• "Min Choklit" differs from many other blood-red varieties with its two-colored leaf plates and a pronounced mint aroma.

• "Tornado" Is the only weaving variety considered to be the ideal plant for vertical landscaping. Has a pleasant lemon scent. The plant looks very impressive due to highly overgrown thin hanging stems, it is characterized by lush, abundant and at the same time long flowering.

The varieties are also particularly attractive Album, Elke, Pink Summer as well as Vision Violet and Meadow Geranium.

Blood-red geranium belongs to unpretentious plants, nevertheless, some rules of caring for them should be followed.

Plants of this species prefer well-lit, but at the same time, places protected from direct sunlight. Drafts and gusts of wind should also be avoided. The ideal option would be a room with large windows facing south or east, or a glazed loggia. In open ground, illuminated areas near fences and other vertical structures are suitable.

No special indoor climate is required for blood-red geraniums. The plant grows and develops successfully in standard living conditions: at a temperature of 18-24 ° and a humidity of 55-65%. In winter, the plant easily tolerates some cold snap, but if the temperature drops below 12 °, the plant will die.

The frequency and amount of watering is directly dependent on the season. So, in spring and summer, the plant needs frequent and abundant watering, with the onset of cold snaps, the amount of water should be reduced. It is very important to prevent the earthen coma from drying out and waterlogging of the soil: both have the most adverse effect on geraniums, leading to the wilting of the flower.

For irrigation, it is advisable to use soft water: filtered or settled. Hard water contains a lot of calcium salts, which are harmful to geraniums in large quantities.

In the spring, the plant needs fertilization: before entering the growing season, top dressing helps to activate the growth of green mass and the ejection of peduncles. It is best to use ready-made mineral preparations; it is highly undesirable to introduce organic matter (compost or humus).

To maintain the health of the bush, it is periodically necessary to carry out sanitary pruning: remove damaged and dried branches, remove faded buds and yellowed leaves. To stimulate the growth of young shoots after flowering, the main stem is shortened by about a third. This will allow the plant to enter a dormant phase and gain strength for wintering. Molding is carried out at the beginning of March. To do this, pinch the tops of old shoots to stimulate the growth of lateral ones.

If there is such an opportunity, then it is better to move geraniums into open ground for the summer. For planting, you should choose sunny areas, loam or sandy loam will become the optimal soil. It is better to plant seedlings with a step of 40-50 cm from each other. When organizing watering, it is important to avoid waterlogging. Weeding and removal of weeds is carried out only during the adaptation period on a new site. Before the start of the cold snap and the first frost, the shoots should be cut off, the flower should be dug up and moved back to the pot.

Blood red geranium does not require constant transplants, but still experienced flower growers recommend carrying it out as the plant grows.

The substrate must be loose and light with high air and water permeability. Each new pot should be 1–1.5 cm larger than the previous one. The transplant is carried out according to the following scheme:

• a new container must be disinfected, drainage must be laid out and sprinkled with fresh soil mixture;
• the plant is watered abundantly, and then carefully pulled out together with an earthen clod and transplanted into a new pot;
• all the voids formed are filled with new soil and compacted;
• after that, it remains only to water the flower and leave it in a warm place for adaptation.

The easiest way to breed blood red geraniums is this is the division of the rhizome. When the plant grows too much, it is dug up and divided into several parts so that each contains a formed root system and at least 1 bud. This is usually done in early spring or early fall.

Seed propagation is carried out in March or April. The first seedlings can be seen in late spring. Flowering with this breeding method can only be observed the next year. This method is most often used by botanists for breeding new varieties.

Geranium is a fairly resistant plant, but if the rules for caring for him are not followed, the florist may face a number of problems.

• The most common is considered yellowing and further shedding of leaves. These factors directly indicate excessive watering, when, as a result of stagnant water, the roots begin to rot, and the ground part of the plant does not receive the moisture and nutrients it needs. To save the geranium, you need to remove the affected areas and provide fresh air, as well as adjust the watering. If these measures are not taken in time, then waterlogging of the earth causes blackening of the leg, and in this case it will no longer be possible to save the geranium. The flower is cut at the root and transplanted into a new sanitized pot.
• The appearance of dryness at the edges of the sheet plate indicates a lack of moisture, and the falling of the lower leaves should be a reason to move the container with the bush to a more lighted place.
• Quite often, blood red geraniums become the victim of aphid attack, spider mite and whitefly. If these insects are found, the plant should be sprayed with a strong infusion of chamomile as soon as possible, and after 2-3 hours, rinse with warm water. If the measures prove to be ineffective, then it is worth using insecticidal preparations.

Novice growers are often faced with a situation where geranium does not bloom. There may be several reasons.

• The room temperature is below 18 ° or the plant does not have enough light. In this case, you should move it to a warmer and lighter window sill.
• Geranium needs nutrients. Transplanting into a new substrate or feeding will help.
• The pot is too bulky. In such a situation, nothing needs to be done, just wait a while until the root system grows and fills all free soil layers.
• Necessary pruning of the plant is not carried out. Do not forget that it is the regular procedure that is considered the key to the abundant flowering of geraniums.

How to care for geraniums, see below.