How to prune geraniums to make them fluffy step by step photo

What determines the fluffiness of geraniums?

Flower growers value geranium, also called pelargonium, for its unpretentiousness, abundant flowering and decorative appearance. When growing it, it is important to know the peculiarities of flower formation: how to prune pelargonium to get an attractive fluffy bush with abundant and long-lasting flowering.

There are several important factors in care that determine how decorative and fluffy a flower will be.

Firstly, this is lighting. Geranium is a light-loving crop. If you do not take care of it and grow it in a lack of light, the lower leaves fall off, the branches begin to stretch strongly, and the stem becomes bare.

A sufficient amount of nutrients during the growth period is an important factor in care. It plays a significant role in the growth of green mass and the formation of a well-leafed fluffy bush. With a lack of microelements, the growth of pelargonium may slow down, the leaves turn yellow and fall off.

The third and most important factor is proper crown pruning. It is necessary to prune pelargonium, as this care procedure allows you to awaken dormant buds and get a fluffy bush. Pruning is also important for setting inflorescences and abundant flowering.

Possible errors and their correction

When pinching geraniums, a very important condition must be observed. You cannot pinch out all the top shoots at once; some of them must be left untouched. The role of these shoots is that they will take on the bulk of the nutrients, preventing new shoots from appearing prematurely.

But if you still unsuccessfully deleted more top points than necessary, don’t worry.

Reference. Remove new shoots, burning these places with brilliant green, until the upper buds reappear in the right places.

What does geranium need for fluffiness?

To get a decorative fluffy geranium bush, it needs to be pruned according to certain rules in spring and autumn. This care procedure stimulates active growth and lush flowering of pelargonium, as the buds on the sides of the main shoots are activated and flower buds are formed.

When caring for a flower throughout the growing season, it is necessary to pinch the side branches above the 4th leaf node; if there are too many of them, remove some of them.

What to do to make the bush grow thicker?

On a note. In order for geranium to grow into a lush bush, its apical bud on the main shoot above the stem node must be pinched.

This stimulates the growth of lateral buds on the lower nodes of the stem. After this event, the seedlings will slow down their growth , but will begin to gain strength. The geranium will eventually take on a beautiful spherical shape due to the appearance of many side stems.

How to prevent the flower from stretching too much upward?

To prevent geraniums from stretching out, pinching should be done at the most important upper point of stem formation. If after this procedure the shoots begin to grow again from the upper axils of the leaves, they must be removed, then allowed to grow a little and pinched back again. During this time, the buds are removed so that the flower devotes all its strength only to the growth of side shoots.

What to do for lush flowering?

Only young shoots bloom in geraniums. Therefore, in order for it to develop quickly and bloom luxuriantly, young shoots must be pinched after the formation of the first 4-5 pairs of leaves. As a result, the remaining strong shoots will begin to actively grow and develop, turning into a lush crown with many flowers.

How to care for geraniums so that they are fluffy

In order for geraniums to be fluffy, they must be properly cared for from the very beginning of cultivation.

When planting geraniums, you need to choose the right size pot. Experienced gardeners do not recommend planting this flower in large containers, as it will not grow and bloom well until the roots have filled the entire volume of the pot.

Geranium comes from the arid regions of Africa, so it can hardly tolerate stagnant moisture. You need to take care of it in such a way that it is better not to top it up slightly than to overfill it. But in summer, on hot days, moisture evaporates more intensely, so it is recommended to increase watering.

Care is as follows: water only with warm water; cold water will cause stress in the pelargonium and cause leaves to fall off. Also, pelargonium does not require spraying; frequent contact with water on the foliage can cause it to turn yellow.

It is recommended to fertilize every two weeks during the growth period. You can use ready-made fertilizers for indoor flowers, apply according to the instructions.

Basic rules of these procedures

For pruning, use only clean, disinfected, sharp tools. It could be a razor, a knife. Pinching is done only with clean hands, so as not to provoke the occurrence of any disease in the flower.
After pruning and pinching, the plant needs plenty of light, otherwise new shoots will stretch.
Branches growing inwards must be removed, as they prevent light from entering and normal air exchange, which leads to the occurrence of diseases.
If there is a large distance between pairs of leaves, then the cut is made immediately above the leaves.
Diseased shoots need to be cut only to the healthy part, capturing 3-5 cm.
It is advisable to treat the sections with brilliant green, alcohol, and an antifungal agent. Untreated cuts can dry out and the bush will look unpresentable.

When to pinch a plant grown from seeds?

You need to pinch pelargonium from seeds after the first 5-7 leaves appear. This is considered the optimal length of the stem, since if you pinch later, you may not achieve the fullness of the flower.

When a bush has a large number of new side shoots, they also need to be pinched in those places where there are the most leaves. You can pinch the flower until it takes a suitable shape.

Young bushes grown from seeds cannot be pruned.

Features of the procedure at home

It is recommended to pinch pelargonium in February or March, as at this time the plant is preparing for new flowering.
But, if you only need to adjust the volume of foliage and flowering, then you can pinch it both in the summer and in the second half of spring. It should be remembered that pinching slows down the growth of new inflorescences. The pinching procedure is as follows:

First you need to examine the plant and assess its condition after winter. Understand whether pinching will be enough, or whether it needs pruning.
Treat the necessary tools and hands with a disinfectant. Do not pinch the flower with dirty hands.
Then pinch out the elongated shoots. If pelargonium is grown from cuttings, then you need to pinch over 8-10 leaves. And if from seeds, then you need to leave 2 fewer leaves.
Next, small shoots growing inside the flower are removed. The middle of the plant should be free for normal air circulation. If the air and moisture stagnate, there is a high probability of fungal diseases occurring.
If the shoots are affected by the disease, then pinching will be useless. They will have to be cut back to a healthy area.
You need to pinch immediately above the leaf, do not leave excess, otherwise it will spoil the appearance of the pelargonium.

How to prune geraniums to make them fluffy, step by step photos

You need to prune geraniums to form a bush according to the following scheme:

Examine the plant in order to understand which branches stand out from the general mass, are too long, crooked or thin, and what shape you would like to give the flower.

Prepare cutting tools. They should be sharp; you can use a knife with a thin blade or a scalpel. It is not advisable to trim with scissors, as they squeeze too much when cutting and damage the tissue of the stems. Treat instruments with alcohol or other antiseptic to prevent pathogenic microflora from being introduced into the sections.

If there is withered and dry foliage, trim that too. Trim all uneven and damaged branches. Weak side branches need to be pruned, since a bush that is too thick is also bad. Leave only strong, healthy shoots.

If there are small short shoots on the sides at the base of the remaining shoots, then they should be trimmed. Trim long main shoots to 1/3 of their length, and trim secondary shoots at the level of the 4th or 5th leaf node.

Sprinkle all cutting areas with charcoal powder. If you don’t have it, you can replace it with crushed activated carbon tablets. 3-4 days after pruning, it is advisable to feed the geranium with fertilizer containing nitrogen. This feeding will help the geranium recover and increase its green mass.

ATTENTION! To form a fluffy bush, one-time pruning is not enough. You need to take care often and, most importantly, regularly. During the entire growth period, it is necessary to monitor the growing branches and periodically pinch them at the level of the 4th bud.

How to cut pelargonium in spring

I will teach you how to cut not only the familiar zonal pelargonium, but also royal pelargonium, star pelargonium, small-flowered pelargonium, etc. When is the best time to cut pelargonium? What is the best way to root: in water or in substrate? You will find out the answer to these and many other questions in our video.

From mid-February to early March, prune the plant and take cuttings. Trim the bare branches to a height of 7-8 centimeters, and plant the resulting cuttings in pots.

Find branches 7-8 cm long with 3-5 leaves.
Cut the cuttings above the bud, making an oblique cut. Let the cutting sit for 2-3 hours. During this time, the cut should be covered with film.
As soon as the cutting is closed, plant the cuttings in pots with soil, water lightly, and cover with a bag, creating a greenhouse effect.

There is a second cutting method.

Cut the cuttings, put them in water, adding an activated carbon tablet to protect them from rotting.
When roots appear, transplant the sprouts into small pots. The smaller the pot, the faster the roots will wrap around a lump of soil, the more abundant the flowering will be.

How to choose the time to prune geraniums

You can prune geraniums in spring and autumn. Spring pruning is considered the main thing in care, since it is it that allows the bush to form a fluffy shape and stimulates lush flowering. It is carried out immediately after winter, as soon as daylight hours increase, usually from the end of February to mid-March.

IMPORTANT! When pruning in spring, you cannot prune more than 1/5 of all shoots, since with such a radical approach, flowering may occur only closer to autumn or in the next season.

To maintain a beautiful geranium crown, during the entire growing season it is necessary to carry out a care procedure such as pinching. It consists in removing the upper growing point, which forces the geranium to produce lateral shoots. It is thanks to pinching the tops that the fluffy shape of the geranium will be preserved.

Autumn pruning can be called sanitary. It is carried out in October, after flowering. It consists of removing dry peduncles, branches and leaves, and shortening excessively long shoots.

If the flowers spent the whole summer outdoors, then in the fall you need to bring them indoors and give them a couple of weeks to adapt. Only then prune, otherwise the geranium will experience stress and may get sick.

How to do it correctly?

The algorithm of actions here is as follows:

Before pinching, carefully examine the upper shoots of the flower and find the growth point on them, the largest upper bud of the shoot, which is responsible for the active growth of the plant. If this point is not removed in time, the begonia will stretch in height, preventing side branches from forming.
Having found the main active bud, pinch it off carefully with your fingers or nails. On denser, woody shoots, you can use nail scissors or garden pruners. When carrying out the procedure, make sure that the neighboring young leaves do not wrinkle, and try not to break the main trunk of the shoot.
After pinching, the shoot does not completely stop growing in height, and after some time it will begin to stretch out again. But thanks to pinching, the side buds will have time to open and sprout new shoots.
Remember that removing the top point of the shoot will cause the neighboring dormant buds to awaken. Therefore, if you do not want shoots to appear in these places, awaken the buds. After the first shoots appear, they must also be carefully removed.

Important points:

When working, you can only use clean, alcohol-treated tools. Secateurs or scissors must be well sharpened so as not to unnecessarily injure the flower. Hands should be washed thoroughly to avoid infecting the geranium with any disease.
If pinching is done with nails, without using a tool, the shoots should not be pulled too much, as this will injure the plant.
After completing all procedures, the flower should be placed in a warm, sunny place. Young sprouts need a large amount of light for rapid and vigorous growth.
If unhealthy, infected shoots appear on the plant, they must be immediately removed along with a 3-4 centimeter portion of the healthy trunk.
Pinching areas must be treated with disinfectants: alcohol, brilliant green or charcoal ash. Otherwise, the cut areas will begin to dry out, and the pelargonium may get sick.

When should you not prune geraniums?

In winter, daylight hours are short and flowers often lack light. You need to take care of the crop a little differently. Sun-loving geranium is dormant at this time. Plant growth is slow.

If you trim, you can get the opposite result of what you want: a sparse crown with thin, long shoots.

This happens because pruning stimulates the growth of shoots, but there are few of them, they grow thin and weak due to lack of light. In addition, during the dormant period, geranium is difficult to tolerate any manipulations in care.

Microclimate

Lighting . Fragrant geranium feels comfortable on a warm and bright windowsill. It is best to choose windows facing south, but direct sunlight is not harmful to the plant, but on the contrary, if there is a lack of it, flowering will be scanty or absent altogether. Hanging baskets and pots are great for growing geraniums.
Temperature . In winter, the plant will feel comfortable if the temperature is maintained at 8-10 degrees Celsius, but in summer it will be 25-30 degrees. In summer, the flower can be taken outside or onto the balcony.
Humidity . Fragrant house geranium has the ability to concentrate water in the stem and leaves. Thanks to this, it does not require spraying and will not tolerate excessive soil contamination. The optimal humidity level for a flower remains 60-70%.

Caring for geraniums after pruning

After spring pruning, which is carried out immediately after the dormant period, the geranium is moved to a more illuminated place. If in winter the flower pot was in a cool room, now you can move it to a warmer place. Gradually increase the amount of watering and begin to fully care for them.

After wintering, the growth of geraniums is activated, dormant buds awaken and young shoots appear. It is very good to treat plants with epin. The drug is diluted according to the instructions; the flowers are sprayed on the foliage three times a month.

Other care will be required after autumn pruning. Cold winter is approaching, when the growth of geraniums slows down greatly, or even stops altogether. It is important to properly care to prepare the plant for this period.

Immediately after pruning, geraniums should be fed with nitrogen fertilizers and provided with additional lighting with lamps on cloudy days. This way she will recover faster and gain strength.

2-3 weeks after pruning, the geranium must be moved to a cooler room with an air temperature of +10-140C. Gradually reduce watering to once every 7-10 days, watering as the earthen clod dries out.

IMPORTANT! A little more about how to properly care for it. Spraying after pruning geraniums is not required, as excessive moisture can cause the development of fungal diseases at the cut sites.

How to feed geraniums for lush flowering

A flower needs three elements to bloom lushly - nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

When the winter dormancy period ends, it is better to feed with nitrogen fertilizers. Soon the flower will need green mass.

When the pet begins to prepare for flowering, it will need phosphorus fertilizers. Potassium is added to prolong flowering.

Complex fertilizers

To enhance the brightness of the buds, trace elements are required. Balanced formulations that are sold in stores are suitable for any flowering plant species. These are “MultiFlora Aqua”, “BioMaster”, “Gumi Omi”. They contain all the elements, ranging from iron, boron to humic acids.

Folk remedies

To stimulate lush flowering of all types of geraniums, you can use folk remedies.

Iodine. It will speed up the formation of buds and increase their number: add 1 drop of iodine to a liter of water. Pour 50 ml at the root over the damp soil.
Milk mixture. Alternate watering with a milk mixture (100 ml of milk and 1 liter of water) with watering with clean water.
Baker's yeast. I will help the flower grow greenery, develop a root system, and then bloom magnificently, since after fertilizing with yeast the soil will be enriched with nitrogen and potassium. Dissolve 20 g of yeast in a liter of warm water and let it ferment for 2-3 hours. Top up to 6 liters, you can water every 10 days.

Tips and tricks for gardeners

It happens that a gardener receives geraniums that have never been pruned. It consists of one or two long stems with leaves at the top. In this case, experienced gardeners advise cutting off the branches completely once at a distance of 10-15 cm from the ground. The plant will produce young shoots, and in the future they can be used to form a fluffy bush.

To make the geranium look fluffier, several cuttings can be planted in one pot. But you will need to form such a bush in the same way: prune it in the fall and spring, and during the growing season properly care for it and pinch out the side shoots as necessary.

Preparatory work before pruning

Before you start pruning, prepare:

A sharp instrument. It is convenient to trim the stems with a stationery knife. But it’s better not to cut geraniums with scissors - they will pinch the stems at the cut site.
Disinfectant. Treat the cutting tool with it. Alcohol or vodka is suitable for disinfection. You can simply boil the tool - 5 minutes is enough. Disinfection will prevent infection from entering wounds.
Silicone gloves. Wash your hands with soap and wear gloves to avoid infection.
Coal. Sprinkle the cuts with charcoal. This will promote wound healing.

Before pruning, remove dried and yellowed leaves.

Common mistakes

There are several mistakes that beginners in floriculture most often make when caring for a geranium bush:

Pruning in winter leads to weakening of the plant, development of weak shoots and lack of flowering in the future.
Cutting the stem too high above the leaf node causes the top to dry out.
Drastic pruning, when the procedure is carried out too short and an excessive number of shoots are removed. This leads to a long recovery of the flower, as a result of which the rate of shoot growth slows down, and flowering does not occur for a long time.
Cutting branches very often also prevents the plant from recovering and slows down the development of new buds.
Failure to disinfect the tools used to prune geraniums can lead to infection by harmful fungi and bacteria.

Features of care and cultivation

It is important to create optimal conditions for the healthy growth and development of geraniums, so that they will delight you with lush and beautiful flowering for a long time. Of particular importance is the choice of suitable soil for cultivation. The plant thrives in semi-shaded areas, but loves open and sunny places. The composition of the soil should be neutral or slightly acidic. The root system should be kept away from groundwater.

In the spring, the plant is weeded, the soil is dug up and fertilized with mineral complexes. Wilted leaves must be trimmed promptly. Watering should be regular, but not excessive. In autumn, above-ground shoots are removed, and the soil is covered with a layer of mulch. Organic garden compost and bark are used for this.

When replanting, you should take into account the long roots of the plant. The hole should be 20 cm deeper than the rhizome. The distance between bushes is about 25-30 cm.

It is worth choosing a place taking into account the rapid growth of geraniums. The plant does not like frequent transplants.

Fertilization is an important part of successful growing. In the spring it is worth purchasing special nitrogen mixtures, and in the summer using complex solutions. What diseases of Geranium are described in detail in this article.

Signs of a plant disease can only appear if it is not properly cared for. Bushes growing in wet and cold conditions are more susceptible to:

the appearance of brown spots on the foliage is eliminated by treating with a fungicide;
Stagnation of moisture at the rhizome can cause gray rot. Affected plants are removed because they cannot be saved;
powdery mildew is eliminated using Bordeaux mixture and removing the infected part of the leaves and stem;
Spider mites are fought with a regular soap solution or a special insecticide. The pest attacks geraniums in hot and dry conditions.

Proper competent care will ensure the health of geraniums and their lush flowering. You should not carry out any procedures in hot weather. The essential oil released by the plant can cause severe skin irritation.

How to plant Buttercup seeds correctly can be understood from this article.
You can learn how to transplant Azaleas after flowering from this article.
How Lavender propagates is indicated in this article here: https://2gazon.ru/ozelenenie/derevo-i-kust/posadka-i-uhod-za-lavandoy-v-otkritom-grunte.html

Answers to frequently asked questions

Is it possible to prune in December?

No, at this time the plant is resting, vegetative processes are slowed down. It is worth postponing the procedure until spring.

Geranium stretches a lot during the winter, how to avoid this?

Place the plant in a cool, bright room and reduce watering.

To get fluffy pelargonium, how long after planting a young plant will it be necessary to form it?

The first shaping involves pinching the top of the young shoot. It should be carried out within 3-4 weeks after planting. Then prune the branches as the pelargonium grows.

Plant propagation methods

The bush is propagated with the onset of autumn or spring. There are two main methods - seeds and cuttings. The vegetative propagation option is more preferable, as it avoids crossing different varieties.

Without transplantation or rejuvenation in one place, the bush can grow up to 8-10 years. Cuttings involve dividing the plant. Part of the geranium is dug up and transplanted into previously prepared soil. She quickly puts down new roots and takes root in a new place. The soil for planting should be enriched with peat fertilizer and compost. It is important to ensure regular, abundant watering.

Geranium cuttings

The method of using seeds for propagation is quite labor intensive. Most varieties are sterile or spread by self-sowing. The difficulty is in collecting the material; the boxes easily burst and their contents scatter. Only freshly collected seeds are suitable for sowing. Flowering will begin only a year after germination.

Possible problems, pests and diseases

When growing fragrant geraniums, the following problems are possible:

Lack of flowering . It occurs due to the plant overwintering at elevated temperatures and bright light.
Blackening of the stem . Occurs when a flower is affected by root rot.
Painting leaves dry . This is a sign of a lack of moisture in the soil. You need to water the flower more often.
Withering of the lower leaves, yellowing and rotting . This is the result of frequent watering, between which the soil does not have time to dry out. To treat a plant, all affected leaves are cut off, and the cut areas are treated with activated carbon powder.
Swellings on the leaves . These are symptoms of excess moisture in the soil. Geraniums need to be watered 2 days after the top layer has dried.
Gray rot . Occurs when water stagnates in the soil.

As for pests, fragrant geranium is affected by whiteflies and aphids. You can fight them with the help of drugs such as Confidor, Aktara.

Geranium is a very beautiful flower, with a delicate aroma and a variety of shapes and colors. The abundance of species and varieties of this plant is amazing. From separate articles on our website you can learn about some of them: the varieties Plenum and Angel, the perennial Peony and the annual Robert, about Rosanna that blooms all summer, about white and black geraniums, the magnificent Max Fry and the fragrant Lemon.

Fragrant geranium is a fragrant and no less attractive plant that actively decorates window sills, loggias, and gazebos. The flower has become widespread not only due to the amazing aroma of the essential oils contained in its leaves, but also due to its ease of care and resistance to diseases.