The geranium is one of the stars of balconies and terraces and can even be planted in the ground. He blooms profusely May until frost. If you want to reproduce your geraniums to vegetate your outdoor space at a lower cost, there is nothing simpler than opting for cuttings. We get a high success rate if you do it at the right time and respect certain points. Here’s how savvy gardeners make their geranium cuttings successful.
When to cut a geranium?
There is not one, but two times of the year that lend themselves specifically to cutting geraniums, namely:
- The spring : it’s the moment when nature wakes up after long months of dormancy. Vegetation resumes and you can make your cuttings in April in order to obtain excellent results.
- L’summer : from the beginning of the month ofaugust until the end of the month september is an excellent period for cutting a geranium.
Note, however, that we can still propagate geraniums in October/November if and only if weather conditions permit. It must be hot, which is the case when you are lucky enough to experience the summer of Saint-Martin since the summer temperatures last until November. Apart from this phenomenon, it is not guaranteed that good results will be obtained if the first frosts have already appeared.
How to take cuttings from a geranium?
The cutting is a easy multiplication technique and is ideal for inexperienced gardeners. Here’s how to go about cutting a geranium in the best conditions.
- Select a healthy stemabout 15 cm long, with at least 5 leaves and preferably not yet flowered,
- Cut the stem just above a node with a previously disinfected pruner with perfectly sharp blades,
- Remove any buds and remove the lower leaves, those at the top of the stem to be kept,
- Place the cutting in a glass of water for a few minutes,
- Fill a biodegradable cup or a small terracotta pot with a pierced bottom:
- either with a mixture composed of potting soilof peat and of river sand in equal parts,
- either with a special compost for cuttings.
- Plant the geranium stem in the substrate, taking care not to break it,
- Tamp all around the plant,
- Water.
Thereafter, care must be taken to keep the soil moist with regular but not excessive watering.
Successful geranium cuttings every time: tips and tricks
For a cutting carried out during the summer, it is recommended to proceed preferably early in the morning because the temperature is still reasonable.
Cuttings made in the spring should be placed on the inside or in a mini greenhouse until the outside temperature reaches 19 to 20°C. If you choose to cover your young geranium plants, be sure to remove the cover as soon as buds appear. Cuttings taken in summer should be placed in partial shade so that they do not suffer from the excessive heat of the afternoon. But in either case, a period of about ten days is necessary for the young geraniums to take root.
It’s important to store young geranium cuttings during the winter in order to protect them from the cold. We choose a room that is frost-free but not heated, dry and sufficiently ventilated. In the spring, when the sun has sufficiently warmed the earth, the geranium cuttings can be transplanted into the ground or in planters, pots or in suspensions for ivy geraniums.
It is interesting to make several cuttings rather than just one, by taking beautiful stems from one or different stock plants. This will make it possible to have a greater number of new geraniums to flower balconies, terraces, window sills or to create beautiful flowerbeds. It is also the best solution when you want to bring to your garden a multicolored key because geraniums come in many colors, and you can also select them according to their foliage.