Image: Geranium ‘Balcon Mix’ from Thompson & Morgan
If you’re looking for answers to your geranium and pelargonium troubleshooting questions, you’ve come to the right place. Here are some timely tips on everything from encouraging more flowers to making your plants more compact. Geraniums are easy to grow, and some of the most common problems are easily solved with a bit of additional care. Here’s how to rejuvenate your geraniums.
What should I do if my geraniums aren’t looking very well?
Image: Geranium ‘Rosebud Collection’ from Thompson & Morgan
Are just a few leaves turning yellow or is the whole plant looking a bit sick? If it’s just a few leaves and the rest of the plant is looking robust, then it could be due to a sudden change in temperature. When plants are moved outdoors from a sheltered area, they can have a bit of a ‘shock’ at the change and lose a few leaves.
If the whole plant is looking poorly, take it out of the pot and have a good look at the roots:
- If the roots are nonexistent then I’m afraid it suggests that something has got into the soil and eaten them. This is most probably vine weevil. Have a look for the grubs – although they’re not always obvious to the eye. There are treatments available, so don’t panic. If the plant has any healthy parts remaining, take a cutting to root.
- If the roots are abundant but brown, the root system has died. The most common cause of this is overwatering or a problem with the compost. As before, there is little that can be done apart from taking a cutting from any remaining healthy growth.
- If the roots are lovely and white and there are plenty of them, then your plant has a chance! Looking sick is an indication that it’s not happy about its current conditions. Remember that these plants originate from South Africa so try refreshing the compost, moving the plant somewhere very warm and light and making sure the compost is moist. Finally, give it a feed and usually the plant bounces back to life.
Even when you do manage to get a plant to recover, review your general growing conditions and watering habits to reduce the likelihood of further problems. However, there is no such thing as 100% success rate – we gardeners can only do our best!
What sort of compost should I use to pot up geraniums?
Image: Encierro/Shutterstock
The choice of compost is very important, always go for a general purpose type – but if you have a favourite that works for you, stick with it. Avoid bark based and coir compost for geraniums as they hold too much moisture. And if you do want to try something new, test it on a few plants first!
To determine if a compost is light enough for geraniums, squash a damp ball of it in a tight fist. When you open your hand it should fall away freely and not stay in a tight hard ball. Most modern composts don’t need any additional drainage material added as they’re designed for general use.
Change the compost for container grown plants every year. Geraniums will grow for years if you keep them away from frost, but over time the compost becomes compacted and crushed down from constant watering. The root system of the plant needs oxygen which is less available in tight, hard compost. Freshening it up will not only provide a boost of nutrition, but will also be nice and light so that the plants can spread their roots happily.
How can I stop my geraniums looking too leggy?
Image: Geranium ‘White Rose’ from Thompson & Morgan
Most modern geraniums are bred to have stems with short joints between the nodes. This results in short, bushy plants which don’t need much attention. Exhibitors growing plants for showing will spend a lot of time pinching out the growing tips of their plants to encourage the production of compact bushy growth.
Older varieties and more mature geraniums grow vigorously upward, and can look too stick-like with little top growth. If you aren’t fussed about a show of flowers from your leggy plant this summer, give it a good chop in late spring. If you want flowers over the summer then wait until the main flower display is over.
Use a sharp knife to cut the plant back, and always cut just above a leaf joint in a straight line. The plant will heal over at this point. By cutting the plant back you’re forcing it to send out more growing shoots and it will do this from lower down, making a bushier plant. If you’re nervous about causing harm, start with one plant. You can take geraniums right back to 5 inch sticks and the plant will still produce a load of new healthy growth.
How do I get my geraniums to flower more?
Image: Geranium ‘Tall Dark & Handsome Hot Pink’ from Thompson & Morgan
The ideal flowering environment for geraniums is a warm, light place with good compost that’s kept moist, but not waterlogged. Pots must have drainage holes in them so that they’re not sitting in puddles of water. Geraniums need oxygen around their roots which is why overwatering needs to be avoided.
Giving your plants a regular feed of special geranium fertiliser will significantly increase the number of flowers you get. Feed them every week – the fertiliser contains high levels of potash which encourages flower production. It doesn’t take long and the results are well worth the little effort involved. Having gone to all the trouble of planting out a display, it makes sense to get the best show possible from it. The same goes for all your flowering plants. Use a special container fertiliser for all your potted fuchsias and patio plants, and try a once a year fertiliser for shrubs in the border.
Where should I plant geraniums for the best results?
Image: Geranium Summer Lovers Collection from Thompson & Morgan
Geraniums love warm, sunny positions but will still do very well in areas of part shade. Spread your geraniums around through beds and borders, avoiding deep shade and waterlogged areas. Perfect for containers, geraniums are an easy way to brighten up your whole garden, including hanging baskets and window boxes. Unlike other plants, they don’t flag in the heat, so they’re especially good for drought-prone areas. For the best results, ensure they’re kept moist and receive some sun each day.
I hope we’ve answered your geranium plant questions and concerns. For more information about growing and caring for pelargoniums, head to our geraniums hub page for more help, tips & tricks! Share your geranium photographs via our social channels using the hashtag #YourTMGarden.
I have a planter along the front porch of my south facing home. I always like to fill it with red geraniums. The first few years that I lived here the geraniums did very well but over the past number of years they haven’t been doing well. I’ve tried everything I can think of. Enriched the soil, put the plants in pot liners, tried different varieties, fertilize, don’t fertilize. The strange thing is that I always put a few of the plants I purchase in pots in my back garden and they thrive there. Is it possible that the south facing location is too hot? I thought geraniums loved heat.
Hello Lorie – No your Geraniums (Pelargoniums) will love a hot, south-facing site, the position is ideal. You say you have enriched the soil, but have you actually changed it completely? If you have had the same soil for a few years that could be a problem. Is there good drainage in the bottom of your planter? Have you checked the plants for signs of disease? Are there vine-weevils in the compost?
If you mean they are simply not flowering well then you may be overfeeding them. Pelargoniums do not require lots of nitrogenous fertiliser, feed them with high potash feeds such as tomato fertiliser. Good luck!
I have 4 Rozanne perinnial Geraniums. Put them in last year.
This year each has red vines. Not sure what to do.
Thank you
Hello Ken. I’m not sure what you mean by ‘red vines’?
Can you tell me what is wrong with my geranium and how to help it? Can I send a photo somehow?
Hello Debbie, unfortunately there’s no way to send photographs, apologies!
hello, I live in S. California, USA, geraniums thrive here, I’m had some of mine outdoors up to 20 years, it seems the more mature, the leaves get bigger and bigger every Spring, up to 4+” across and the amount of flowering decreases. Smaller leaves seem to produce more and better flowers. Thoughts?
Hello Dave. If you are feeding them with high nitrogen fertiliser then you will get bigger leaves at the expense of flowers. Use high potash fertilisers such as tomato feeds instead.
Hi, I would be grateful if you could tell me what is going on with my pelargoniums. They have been doing well for years but in the last two years I have noticed that some of the flowers don’t develop any colour and instead a green curled “growth” develops. This is not on every blossom and so at first I cut off the offending branch. Then as the problem spread, I pulled up the affected plants and threw them in the bin (not the compost). Have you heard of this condition before. I have tried looking it up but cannot find any information.
Thank you for your help.
Hello Gaynor – I’m afraid I’m not sure what the cause of this problem is although it’s possibly a viral disease. Pelargoniums are vulnerable to quite a few. I would certainly recommend that you practise good hygiene and thoroughly disinfect all your pots before planting any more. Ensure that you use fresh compost.
What are the long, stem like things growing out of the dead flower bud of my geranium? Should I pick them off when this happens? TIA!
You are looking at the remnants of the flower, where the seed will form. Once the flowers have faded you can simply trim the entire stem away. at the base of the plant.
My scented geraniums are not flowering. Planted outdoors in potting soil, in a container that has a water reservoir in the bottom. They get plenty of sunlight, but haven’t flowered. Is the problem the water reservoir in the bottom…any ideas as to why they’re not blooming. (pelargonium sweet mimosa)
They may simply need a bit more time. If they are growing well with plenty of healthy foliage then they will flower when they are ready to.
I have two established Anne Thomson geraniums in my raised bedwhich sits above a rill. They have both flowered abundantly all summer and Have been dead headed regularly. One is fine but the other one now has red dry looking leaves and no new buds have appeared. What has caused it and, more importantly what should I do about it?
Pelargonium foliage will turn red/ yellow as the leaves are discarded by the plant. The cause may be due to aging of individual leaves which is a normal process as new leaves form higher up on the plant. However, if all the foliage is turning red at the same time then this would indicate that the plant is suffering some kind of stress. It would be worth reviewing the growing conditions. Is it too wet, too dry, too hot? Has something dmaged its roots? It is lacking nutrients? Have you fed it recently? There are so many reasons that a plant can be under stress but if you yourself a few questions you can normally gain an idea of the casue of the problem.
I’ve started mine from seed. They’ve grown nicely but have stopped growing. The roots are not coming out the bottom. I’m not sure what to do. I put them outside and almost killed them. They are very small and fragile still.
Hello Dylan. Tender geraniums (Pelargoniums) need warm temperatures to grow – they are too young to go outside – so keep your seedlings somewhere light and warm to grow on – a bright windowsill or frost-free unheated greenhouse is ideal.
My geraniums are dying in the center of the flowers. Can you suggest why? Maybe I am over watering?
If they have recieved a lot of heavy rain/ overhead watering then this can damaged the flowers and make them brown prematurely. They should soon produce new stems so shouldn’t be a concern. Make sure that you water them from beneath the foliage whenever possible.
My geraniums are in a planter and they look wonderful. All of a sudden I have new leaves coming out that are white. What should I do?
Hello Georgiana. It sounds like some kind of environmental stress – possibly light levels – either too bright or not enough light – so check your lighting levels. Sudden changes in temperature could also be to blame – outdoors, this might mean sudden colder nights, indoors, could be exposure to radiators or draughts. Also, ensure that you are feeding your plants regularly to avoid nutrient deficiencies.
My geranium flowers were shredded by hail. I have plenty of leaves
left. I fertilized them and water them according to the moisture meter.
They are also in full sun. Will the flowers come back or am I wasting
my time. Thank you
Give them some time – if they are healthy plants then they may well recover!
Hi Sarah,
My geranium plant is a year old and doing well, but recently the stem of plan is turning white while the above branches are green.It is getting flowers and leaves are looking healthy but I am worried about the stem.
This might be powdery mildew. Pelargoniums are quite prone to this on their stems. Its certainly worth keeping an eye on and if necessary, spraying the plant with an appropriate fungicide. You should also improve ventilation around the plant and avoid water from above as this can exacerbate the problem.
My geranium blooms lace leaves opening on the bloom before the bloom fades. I’ve never had this problem before.
Dear Team. I’m in despair with my lady Plymouth scented pelargonium. It is in a pot and is on a west facing U.K. windowsill, but it just grows very tall, I mean 90cm tall, with very long stemmed leaves and about 6cm gaps between leaves on stem. Then the leaves go brown and come off and I’m left with a long stem with no leaves but a bunch at the top getting longer and longer. Yet I have another same scented pelargonium and that is nice and bushy also on the same windowsill, being watered at the same time. Are there two different types? I hate to throw the ugly tall ones away only because they smell so nice, but really! Cutting them down doesn’t seem to help, they just grow back long and very forlorn, as am I. Thank you for your help and suggestions.
I know that it may seem a shame to throw it away, but if you prefer the habit of the other one then why not take cuttings from the bushy plant and discard the straggly one. If you have tried cutting them back etc, then it may simply be that this is a particularly leggy strain and wont ever be as you want it to be.
Hello,
Bought six new geraniums this year (very dark crimson; sorry I don’t know the name). Planted in new pots (with extra drain holes drilled out) with a mixture of potting soul, perlite, and peat moss. They are I have lots of blooms that are opening beautifully. However, the measure blooms turn almost black in the center and almost appear as though a slug has crawled over them. I have sprinkled diotamaceous earth on top of the soil, and cut said blooms off. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Something has clearly been nibbling them. If you are able to identify the culprit then this will help to prevent further damage. Slugs and snails will usually leave a tell-tale silvery trail, but caterpillars such as sawfly larvae are harder to spot as they are very tiny. I would recommend that you inspect the plant in close detail to see if you can find any pests. A contact insecticide may help if you can spot any present. If the damage is from sawfly then these are usually present in May and September so the damage shouldn’t be so bad throughout the summer months and the plants should rapidly outgrow any damage that you are finding now.
I would recommend Bacillus Thuringiensis which you can buy in concentrate form or pre-mixed for caterpillars that suck the “guts” out of geranium blooms. These pests show up every year on my potted geraniums – telltale signs are holes in the buds, and excrement on the leaves underneath, black dots that look like dirt. It’s disgusting but the BT is organic and non-toxic (except to the caterpillars). It’s the only thing that has worked for me and repeat applications are usually needed – one week apart – to keep them away.
That’s really helpful – thanks for your comment 🙂
My geraniums never fully develop into nice fat flowers..don’t come all the way out help
If it has never flowered well then it may simply be that this variety is not a very good bloomer – but you can try giving it a potassium rich fertiliser to encourge better flowering. Also try reviewing its growing conditions to see where you can make improvements by repositioning it, repotting it and watering more consistently where required.
Bought Geranium plug plants transferred them to 3″ pots they have not grown much but have flower stem growing and about to flower, strange?
They may catch up on some growth later – enjoy the flowers for now!
I have a problem with geraniums I just bought. They had loads of beautiful blooms, but the new blooms are weak and not fully blooming. I’m wondering if its because it has too many open blooms that need to be cut back first. (I hate cutting off the flowers and waiting for new ones). Or is it because it came from a greenhouse & is struggling with the colder climate outside?
I think this sounds very much as though they have had a bit of a shock by moving straight outside from a warm greenhouse. We’ve had a very cold spring and it is still surprisingly chilly. Normally you would gradually acclimatise them to outdoor conditions by popping them outside in the daytime and bringing them in at night. I would remove the flowers and put them in a warm sheltered spot for the time being to allow them to toughen up a bit.
The hardy pink geranium I bought last summer is now producing purple flowers. Why is this?
Temperatures and soil conditions can have an effect upon flower colour sometimes. Keep an eye on it as it may well return to normal as the summer goes on.
Hi , I have about ten geraniums around the house , some in warm rooms some cold , in windows that face west or south , and all except one have flowers on over-long stems , 8-10 inches or more . One plant is and has always been more compact in shape with short flower stems , 3-6 inches , but even the plants that I have grown on from cuttings of this plant have long flower stems. They all get watered , fed (or not) the same. Is there any trick to keeping them shorter? I’m not talking about pinching out the tips for an overall more compact plant , I enjoy them spreading out , but the flowers dangling off a foot from the foliage I don’t like so much.
Pelargoniums benefit from plenty of light so I would recomend popping them outdoors in the summer months where they can grow in a more natural environment. In a warm room indoors they will be much more likely to stretch and produce longer stems.
I went away for five days and now my geraniums are slumped over and not looking good. It was warm while we were gone but they were in the sun only in the morning. Can they be saved?
If they haven’t recovered after watering them then they may not recover. Give them a week or two – you will soon see if they are perking up or not.
Hi! I have a potted geranium many years, it was big and healthy. Unfortunately this winter the frost damaged it. I cut back all the stems, they are about 5-10cm from ground level now. However as i was cutting the stems i didn’t see any green in them. I also changed the soil, and cut back damaged/brown roots. I think the roots left were healthy and a good amount. It has been a couple of months since that but there is still no sign of life. No new leaves, nothing. I also gave it some fertilizer recently but nothing…. Should I wait with it or is it dead?
Hello
It sounds as though you may have lost it over the winter. However if you are in any doubt, simply leave it where it is and wait for another month – if it is going to recover then you will see some new growth as the weather warms up. If you see no improvement by May, then I think you can safely assume it is dead.
All the best
Sue
Hi again! It is alive!!! I just saw the first tiny leaves today coming out of the soil. Thankfully I didn’t hurry to throw it out 🙂 Does it need proper watering now, or wait until it has some solid leaves on it?
Thats great news!! I would give it a drink, but don’t soak it. 🙂
Hi, I have two geraniums which have decide to grow prolific tiny almost cruiferous leaves in heads instead of flowers . No flowers for eight months. I live in temperate Australia where geraniums grow like weeds. What can have this?
Hello
Its hard to say what the cause might be without seeing it, but this type of abnormal development is sometimes caused by changes in growing conditions or pest/ viral damage. Sudden changes in the temperature can be a big cause of plants producing abnormal growth. However if the plant has been growing this way for a considerable time then it may be something less obvious such as a virus.
All the best
Sue
My geranium is in a pot and only grows a few leaves with a long stem. Does my geranium have root rot? The roots look dark brown.
Hello
It’s always very hard to tell without seeing a picture! Root Rot is also known as Blackleg. If your Geranium is suffering from this then you may find this article useful: https://www.thompson-morgan.com/diseases/geranium-blackleg
A weakly growing plant doesn’t necessarily indicate that it is diseased – it is often caused by poor growing conditions. Pelargoniums enjoy a sunny spot, though no scorching hot, with a free draining soil. They don’t like sitting in wet soil fort any length of time so take care not to overwater them.
All the best
Sue
My geranium roots are about 12 inches hanging out of pot what can I do ?
Hello. Sounds like your Geranium desperately needs re-potting into a larger container. Use a good quality compost and mix in some slow release fertiliser to give it a feed at the same time.
All the best
Sue
For the first time, I planted my wintered-over geraniums in the ground in a formal garden off my patio. Just this week, I noticed that some of the plants have leaves that are shriveling and turning brown. This is not the case with my hanging baskets with the same wintered-over variety of geraniums. Was I not smart to plant them in the ground? Is it a watering issue, mold, or just common end of summer cycle? Please advise. Thanks, Bruce
Hello. Plants will naturally lose some of their oldest leaves so don’t worry too much. When planted in the ground, it is harder to control their growing environment e.g how wet the soil is, pests and diseases etc so this may also be having an effect. If they are planted in borders etc, then be aware that you may lose them if they get frosted this winter. Generally it is best to buy fresh new plants each summer for the best performance.
All the best
Sue
My potted geraniums are looking great with green leaves and lots of blooms. However, they have gotten quite tall and are branching out so much so that it has become top heavy and seems to have toppled over loosening the base. I can also see some roots coming out of the dirt. Do I need to repot or did I not plant the root in deep enough? Overall the plants look healthy and seem to be thriving. I don’t want to touch it if all I need to do is support the weight. Thanks.
Hello
It sounds as though your geraniums could do with propping up. I wouldn’t mess with them too much at this stage of the summer. Just use some short canes to support them. What does concern me however, is that the roots have suddenly failed to support their growth. It may be that they are planted too shallowly or that the they have been toppled by wind or heavy rainfall. However, I would certainly keep an eye on them as this can also be an indication of vine weevil. The larvae nibble the roots of plants and cause them to fail very suddenly. If this occurs then you would be best to dispose of the plants and soil in which they are growing (if growing in pots).
All the best
Sue
Hello. I have a tall (about 2 1/2 feet tall) 1 year-old red potted geranium – quite beautiful which I staked shortly after it came out of its winter ‘sleep’ (I’d overwintered it in the conservatory) for it shot up and with many blooms and foliage. I have been taking it out just during the day to set in the garden because the night time temperatures this year have seemed cooler and it was getting red tinges to the leaves when I was leaving it out overnight (I read this is due to temperature stress). I more recently had been giving it some liquid seaweed along with my other plants and then it got to be even more lush. There were some rains and, well, my geranium seems to have developed edema. I read I should keep the edema-marked leaves on (after already having removed some). Many of the leaves’ undersides are marked by the tell-tale corky brown pustules. Some are starting to go yellow. I took the plant out of its pot and the roots, which I could see, are a light brown. Does this mean root rot? As the roots did not smell bad, were not black, and the plant is still getting lots of new leaves and buds. I cleaned out the (large) pot and replaced the soil with fresh as it had been a year anyway. Unfortunately, the new soil read quite moist on my moisture meter, but I’d already tossed out the old. Now I am worried this is only going to make things worse. Today, I got up to find a few more yellow leaves on my geranium. I am wanting to keep it outside through night time now too since the night time temperatures have seemed more mild this past week, but it is supposed to rain for a few days now. The last thing I feel this plant needs is more moisture! I am also not sure when to water it again – once it says ‘Dry-3’ on my meter or should I let it dry out even more than that? And how much water do I give it now when I do water it again? I am also wondering if the seaweed helped lead to the edema problem as I know seaweed helps things to retain moisture (even human skin!). I love this plant dearly – it is my favorite of all my plants. I don’t want to lose it. Please help.
Hello
It sounds as though you are making every effort with this Geranium. The red and yellowing of the foliage suggests that your plant is stressed. This can be caused by many factors that you have already mentioned – water stress, temperature changes, root disturbance through repotting etc. I would suggest that you let the compost dry out a little if it is feeling too wet. I have never used a meter so I can’t comment on this, but I would recommend that you feel the compost with your fingers. Allow the compost to dry out until it is barely moist, and then aim to keep it this way by watering little and often. Its a good habit to lift the pot before and after watering to feel its weight. When compost is wet it is much heavier. Over time, this will help you to determine whether it needs watering or not.
The seaweed feed will not do your plant any harm. If the plant has plenty of green foliage then simply trim away the yellow and damaged foliage. Leave it outdoors now for the summer and just let it recover. This won’t happen overnight, so some patience is required. To prevent rainfall making the compost wetter, you can position it in a sheltered spot against a wall or fence, and remove any saucer/ pot cover that prevents the pot from draining freely.
I hope this helps.
Sue
I have 3 large pots with 3 Ivy geranium plants in each one. We had a very cold spring so they began hibernating in my garage, but once I planted them they began to produce buds after a week or two. All were covered with large, healthy buds, which began to bloom. Then we had several days of heavy rainfall and the plants were soaked and sitting in saucers of water. I drained them and left them to dry out, but they got soaked again. Again, I drained and did not water. Now, half the buds are shrunken and brown. I’ve cleaned out yellowed leaves at the bottom (only) of the plants so they can breathe. I thought I saw some white aphids? I tried insecticidal soap but not sure it had time to work before it…yes, rained again! I am keeping them dry, but I am worried I will lose them. Is this because they got wet, or is it an insect or fungal problem? It only happens to the Ivy geraniums. My true vining geraniums are fine. It’s just the Ivy cascade that are affected. Happened last year so I replaced all the potting soil and disinfected the pots. Help?
Hello. This is almost certainly due to the amount of rainfall you’ve had. Snip off all of the browned flower stems. I would suggest taking them out of the saucers for the time being to reduce the risk of saturation when it does rain. Keep them slightly on the dry side – they prefer it this way anyhow. If they are suffering from white fly then give them a blast of bug spray now, before any new flowers form. With some patience they should hopefully recover.
All the best
Sue
Thank you so much for your kind reply. Since I wrote this, I now see evidence (holes in buds, excrement trail – ugh) of bud worm, hollowing out the remaining healthy buds! The poor plants cannot catch a break! I hit them with a good spray of thuricide to get rid of the caterpillars but I don’t know if they will survive all these challenges. I love geraniums but I am ready to switch to begonias next year.
Hi I planted some geraniums in pots but have put too many in each pot and they are now starting to flower can I still move some into other pots or will this kill them. Thanks for your help
Hello
You can still move them – its not ideal, and may set them back a bit, but its still quite early in the season and you will probably get away with it!
All the best
Sue
Thanks Sue.
I will give it a go with one pot and see how it goes. I will know for next year not to put so many in one pot.
My plants are dying off in the middle of the bloom. The center of each flower dies, the rest of each bloom looks healthy???
Hello. Do you mean that the central blooms in each flower head are dying off? If so – this is perfectly normal. Just pinch out the dead flowers and leave the others to continue. Once the whole flower head has faded then you can snip the entire stem off.
All the best
Sue
I planted 8 pink geraniums cutting but they grown with white flowers
Hello
Temperature can affect flower colour, and also many blooms will darken or fade as they age. However it rather odd that they would be a completely different colour. I suspect that your cuttings may have got muddled up with another variety, or that there was also a white-flowered variety growing in the same pot when you took the cuttings. This would be an easy mistake to make if the White variety was not in flower at the time the cuttings were taken! Hopefully they are still a pretty variety.
All the best
Sue
Hi,
I start my Geraniums from seed. They were looking great in my basement though the result of the 25 plants were a bit uneven. Make a long story short, we had a very cold spring here in Rochester NY this year and finally when I planted them it was truly 90 degrees. Never again. The plants went into shock and looked terrible. Live and learn. Now it is almost July and the geraniums appear very delayed and growing slow. Any thoughts. I have done this for years and I never had a year like this.
Hello
It certainly sounds as though they have had a rough start due to the weather. If they have had a shock then this will often delay their growth. Try to remain patient – they may well get going later in the season. My geraniums were planted out rather late last summer but once they found their stride they carried on flowering right into November! Sometimes it doesn’t matter how experienced you are – things just don’t go as you might expect. Keep them fed and watered as you usually would and hopefully they will recover. If not, there’s always next year 🙂
All the best
Sue
Sue,
Thank you for your words of encouragement. I so appreciate your knowledgeable response. There are worse things.
I will send a pic in about a months time and we’ll see.
Thank you again.
Regards,
Bob
thanks for comments sue, the flowers where all in bloom in pink from same plant any suggestion why this may over happened ?
kind regards roger measley
Sorry Robert – I’m afraid that I’m as mystified as you are!
Hello! I have a hanging basket red geranium that I bought recently. It had a few blooms when I got it, but now there is not a one on the whole plant. There are a few yellow leaves also. Any idea what is wrong? Thank you!
Hello
It’s very hard say what the problem is without seeing it. I would always recommend checking the growing conditions as a starting point. Make sure that it hasn’t outgrown its container. If it has then you will need to repot it. Make sure that you are feeding and watering it regularly at this time of the year, but do allow the compost to dry out slightly between waterings so that it doesn’t sit too wet.
Hope that helps
Sue
Bought a beautiful blue geranium. Half shade and half sun. Within a month the blue blooms turned to green. Bloom is now same color as the leaves. How do i make it blue again?
Hello
This sounds very unusual! Flower colours often change as the bloom ages so this might explain it if the colour change is predominantly on the oldest flowers. Any new flowers would be expected to open blue. Sudden changes in temperature or growing conditions can also sometimes affect flower colour and development. Unfortunately without seeing your plant, it really is hard to say!
All the best
Sue
Hi Graham, I live in La Quinta Ca (near Palm Springs) so we plant summer flowers in October. I bought some good sized geraniums from the bog box hardware chain that had nice blooms and all fell off. I had not replenished soil in two years. SO I bought bags of good potting soil and pulled up the geraniums gently and put the potting soil down and re-planted the geraniums two weeks ago. Thee plants are thriving but I do not have a single flower nor any shoots coming out that bear promise.
I have a geranium that I brought home from my mother’s home when she passed away in 2012. I remember it being such a beautiful plant. She had an amazing green thumb. It is strictly an indoor plant and sits in my living room in front of my picture window. It gets lots of morning sun. It has survived these past 7 years but is starting to show its age. It only has two shoots (branches) left now with a few leaves on the end of each branch. I have been afraid to do anything to it at all as I don’t want to lose the plant because of its sentimental value. I did take a chance recently and cut a piece off (because the branch didn’t look very good and it was really, really long). I rooted it in water…successfully!!!!!! That has now been planted and is beautiful in its new pot, however….it is just growing taller and taller and getting very lanky. It has big beautiful, green leaves (some that measure 6″ across!!) but each leaf has a very long stem. While the plant itself looks great, it is about 15″ tall with about 16 big leaves. I think it needs to be shorter and bushier. Help…what do I do???? It’s just a baby! I’m afraid to trim it because I don’t know how and I certainly don’t want to kill either plant. Since the new plant is “new”, I’m not sure what to do. I’ve read article after article online but don’t really see anything addressed specifically for the situation of the new plant. Also, the old plant is really struggling and I want to do whatever I can to save it. Thank you for any help!!!!!
Hi Ruth. You need to pinch the top of the stem out so that it encourages sides shoots to develop. If you are clever then you could trim the top out and then root that in water to create another plant. Don’t be afraid – it needs to be done sooner rather than later if it is getting that tall.
All the best
Sue
Thank you Sue!! I know I sound really dumb and confused but I don’t know where to pinch it off. Do I just take 1/2 of the plant out and go up about half way from the dirt?? I wish I could post a picture. If I knew where to break it off it would be so much easier. :/ It’s a tall stalk basically with long “branches (that have one leaf at the end) coming off of the main stalk every 1-2” for the entire height of the plant. Thank you again for any advice. 🙂
Hi Ruth
I would suggest you nip out the top third of the plant to just above a leaf node. Hopefully that will encourage it to produce more stems lower down. It might be a good idea to try rooting a few more cuttings from the original plant too. If you do get some to root, then make sure that you pinch them out at a much younger stage when they are around 15-20cm tall.
Hope that helps
All the best
Sue
I have white geraniums in 2 planters on the porch and in 2 window boxes. This morning I noticed in one of the boxes in the right front side, about 15 flower heads gone. The flower heads in back on that side as well as on the left side of the box were untouched. It wasn’t a clean cut but not a mangled mess either. It had to have happened in the night, as I was doing my usual pampering yesterday evening. I’ve had Voles eat roots before, but never anything like this. We do have many deer here but they have never bothered them in the past. I’ve been growing red geraniums since 1993 and before that my Mother always grew them. However, this is the 1st year I switched too all white.
Hi Cary
What a shame that your plants have been eaten. It may well be something as straightforward as a slug or snail that has nibbled them. Its worth checking any nooks and crannies in the area for any sign of these pests lingering about.
It’s possible that the variety you are growing this year may have softer growth or be tastier to garden pests than your normal variety.
Best wishes
Sue
Hello! I reside on the NC Outer Banks. I have planted at least 1000 geraniums on one estate, for the past 14 years. This year, they looked incredible in May. Shortly afterward, they all started dying..Now, some have apparently died and there is nothing even left visible above ground..My landscaping crew state they have no idea what has occurred, for the last few months. What do you think could have caused this? If they sprayed weed killer around them or if it got on them, would that be the cause? The nursery wants to do soil samples. But, the soil is the same as when I built on the estate, in 2006. I think they may be trying go figure out a way to avoid replacement. Please help, before they all die! Thank you sooo much!!! Kim
Hello
If anyone has sprayed weedkiller around them then that would almost certainly kill them! But it could equally be a pest or disease that has affected them. I don’t see how the supplier could be held accountable for either of these things if they were supplied as good, healthy stock in the first instance. I’m afraid that I can’t really advise you further on this, but I hope that you manage to work out a solution.
Sue
Hi
I have six scented pelargoniums which i brought indoors in November to overwinter. I stripped all the foliage and did not water at all during winter. Only one has fresh leaves coming through now. The other seem not to have come back to life. How do i test to see if they are alive? HOw long should i give them?
Hi Marianne
Was there a reason for stripping all of the foliage? I haven’t heard of this before. Remember that Pelargoniums are naturally evergreen so they don’t actually have a dormant period – therefore they will need their leaves all your round. If the stems are dry and woody then you may well have lost them. If there is any sign of life then give them a chance. It’s still very early and most plants are only just beginning to show signs of growth.
Best wishes
Sue
How do you know when to repot a geranium? My plant has been doing fine, and blooming, but suddenly the lower leaves are slowly turning brown on the edges, and then the entire leaf turns brown.
I’ve had this plant for several years, and know geraniums like to be pot bound, but not sure if the problem is that it needs a larger pot. Any ideas? Thanks!
Hello
Geraniums do tend to become quite woody and sparse at the base after a few years. It is quite normal for the lower leaves to turn brown and die off . Tease it out of its pot and take a look at the roots. If they are tightly woven across the outside of the rootball then it could probably do with a slight;y larger pot. At the very least, you can freshen up the compost and add some slow release fertiliser to give it a boost!
Hope this helps you.
All the best
Sue
I have some black buds on my Geraniums – its Autumn here in the UK – any idea why..?
Hi Tony
Sounds as though the buds have died back – this is often associated with plant shock of some sort – probably the sharp change in temperatures recently. If you are planning to try overwintering them then its time to bring them into a frost free greenhouse and reduce watering. You can cut them back a little if they are looking straggly.
All the best
Sue
Thank you – I’m looking straggly too..!
Hi Sue! I did not inherit my mother’s and grandmother’s green thumbs with geraniums. I have two containers, west-facing in which I planted geraniums with calibrachoa and potato vines. The latter two look great. The geraniums were fine for awhile but now I’m getting no blooms. Leaves look nice and green though. I definitely do not overwater, and I deadhead the old blooms. They get plenty of sun. They are planted in organic potting mix, and I mixed in some perlite and Osmocote (14-14-14) at planting time. Any idea what I might be doing wrong?
Hello. It sounds as though they are growing beautifully! Often when a plant puts on lots of leafy growth at the expense of flowers it is because there is plenty of feed available (particularly nitrogen). As a result, they concentrate their efforts on bulking up, rather than blooming. Try to remain patient and they will probably start producing more flower as summer progresses and the nutrients in their pot are depleted a little.
All the best
Sue
I have had a geranium for about 7 years it is very healthy about 4 feet high but has never bloomed. I tried miracle grow for them, but they still dont bloom. It gets plenty of sun.
Hi David. It sounds like your Geranium is doing well – maybe a little too well! Many flowering plants benefit from being allowed to fill their pots and even become a little root bound. This can sometimes force them into flowering, so dont be tempted to repot too often.
Also, avoid feeding nitrogen rich fertilizer during the summer months as this will encourage leafy growth. Switch to a potassium rich feed such as Chempak High Potash Feed. https://www.thompson-morgan.com/p/chempakreg-high-potash-feed-formula-4/kww2324TM. Potassium will encourage bud formation rather than extension growth.
Hope you get some results soon
All the best
Sue
I bought one for next to nothing as it was considered to be salvageable. After having a good look and after seeing a few stems and leaf edges dried out and leaves that could be pinched off I bought it out of pity. I attempted to repot. The roots were very skinny and turning brown. Not too brown mind, I attempted to remove some of the soil and half the roots just ended up falling off. I did repot in West+ multipurpose which my other geraniums seem to be enjoying with their weekly liquid feed. I have not fed this one since I repotted and don’t want to attempt to just yet. I am assuming this baby was repotted in a larger pot after it was not getting enough water and then watered far too much with the state the roots were in. What is your opinion. Do you think it will bounce back. It did have a couple of blooms which were looking very healthy?
Hi Melanie,
it has a fair chance, as long as there is some life in the stem, it will want to push down new roots and continue to grow. Like you said, a common mistake is to overwater a sickly plant, which ends up doing more harm than good.
I hope you get on ok with it.
All the best
Graham
I have the dark red calliope geraniums. They are full of buds but most of the buds turn dark and do not open fully. The leaves appear green and healthy. I planted them in potting soil. Since we have had quiet a bit of rain I have not watered them and the soil is moist. They also have good drainage.I have grown geraniums for quiet a few years with success and cannot understand what the problem is. Could they be diseased from the nursery?
Hi Phyllis,
Sorry to hear of you problems. is it possible that the plants are suffering from a potassium deficiency that might cause the plant to get rid of the buds as they haven’t got the energy to carry them through to fruition?
Try giving them some tomato feed and see if that helps, also allow the plants to dry out before you water them again, if it’s a bit too moist then the flower stems might suffer too.
I hope this helps
All the best
Graham
Wintered over my red geranium in my little greenhouse. Growing fine,has flowers. What are the green spikes growing out of a few flowers? Bewildered
That is a geranium seed pod, coming off of a spent blossom. Remember, once the whole “head” of the flower is spent, snap that branch off at the “neck” to deadhead it and get more blooms!
My blooms are not spent…they’re looking very healthy except for those ugly green spikes,,,they’re prevalent in all of my pots,,,,not all the same colors or from the same source. Am I feeding too much, or watering to often?…blooms are very prolific…
Hi, I planted a healthy Armenian Cranesbill (geranium pstilomen) last summer, it died down in November so I trimmed the stems to 2inches above soil level. We have had some frosts & snow over winter (Hertfordshire) Now I see my other geraniums (Rozanne etc) are coming into spring leaf above their dead winter mounds but my Pstilomen still looks very brown, twiggy, and there are no signs of new life. Is it just too early in the year for it, or are they not supposed to overwinter in the garden? Or have I killed it with my pruning?! Thank you!
Hi Carolyn,
This variety should be completely hardy here in the UK so that hopefully isn’t an issue. It may well be that it’s a bit slower to shoot that Rozanne so I would give it a bit more time to wake up – it’s still early after all!
I hope this helps
All the best
Graham
It may be too early to tell. Pruning that kind of geranium should not have caused a problem. Depending on the winter temperatures, it may have gotten too cold. This kind of geranium can be wintered outside, but does not like temperatures much under freezing.
Hi!I bought paired geraniums in a conical shaped hanging basket about two months ago and hung them up on my balcony which faces east so they get morning to about noon day sun.It’s the hot season here and after about three weeks they stopped flowering!Completely stopped with some brown leaves here and there.I water them once a week.I miss the flowers.What can I do?
Hi Angela,
I would suggest that you try a liquid feed for them, it sounds like they have used up the nutrients in the compost that they were planted in and now can’t get what they need to produce flowers. Give that a try and see what happens
All the best
Graham
Why are the leaves getting small? I care for my neighbor geraniums, they are in pots. They have done well, now some of the leaves have brown on the back of some of the leaves. I have found small caterpillars on them as well. I’ve sprayed many times, but can’t seem to get rid of them. Any advise on what to use? My main concern is the small leaves.
Hi Martha. It’s hard to say without seeing them but it sounds as though they are in need of a repot into fresh compost and a good feed. If you can improve their general health then they will be far more resistant to pests and diseases. That said, I would also check plants daily for caterpillars and remove them as you see them.
Hope that helps you
All the best
Sue
Have a geranium three years old never outside, growing sideways needs bigger pot should i cut it back or stack it up?
My son has this geranium that he keeps in the house, the plant looks like it needs a bigger container,it keeps falling down it is very healthy, but it is growing straight up. i think the plant is about 4 years old it has never been outside.Should i stake it up after i plant it in a larger pot. The geranium is bright green and very wide looks very good except it keeps falling over.
Hi Diana,
I would definitely pot it up into a much bigger pot then and put some plant supports in too. It might not be a bad idea to check for any “weedy” looking growth that could be trimmed out, so that the plant concentrates on fewer, but stronger, shoots. Make sure there is plenty of air getting around the stems too, to help prevent any mould building up, as they are prone to this.
All the best
Graham
I have one growing straight up as well! Very, very healthy. Used to be bushy and bam, suddenly it started going straight up in a stalk.?? Joints are leafed all the way up. What happened that it suddenly began growing straight up?
Hi there
So interesting what plants can do! Have you tried pinching out the growing tip to encourage it to break bud lower down the plant? Would be interesting to take a cutting and see what happens…
Sue
Hi,
My beautiful orange geraniums have turned pink!! I don’t like pink ones so could you possibly tell me what the problem could be
Hi Lynn,
That sounds like it could be a magnesium deficiency in the compost, it’s usually what helps plants retain their vigour and colour!
Find a balanced feed with additional magnesium & that should help.
All the best
Graham
Received geranium postiplugs I March planted on twice before planting outside they are still only about 2 inches tall with about 5 leaves on is this normal
It sounds as though they haven’t got going yet. The cool weather that we have had this spring has delayed the growth of many plants this year. If they are in containers then you might find moving them back into the greenhouse for a few weeks will help to promote some better growth. Remember that they need to develop a good root system first before they can support any more top growth. Take care not to overwater them at this stage as this can also delay their progress.
I purchased a lovely burgundy colored pelargonium vancouver centennial, but its leaves never turned dark, it flowers regularly and gives new leaves constantly but leaves are just green and very pale brown, what can I do to get more saturated leaf color (tried 18-6-12 fertiliser, magnesium sulfate, iron sulfate, banana peels, egg shells, full sun, half sun, but same leaf color till now)
I have 6 geranium plants in pots on my deck. They have been outside since February and have grown and bloomed profusely until now. I live in San Antonio,Tx where it has been in the 100’s with high humidity for weeks now. My geraniums look terrible… they are pale in color, have some brown leaves and very small leaves. I have a greenhouse… can I cut them back and put them in there? I think they are just plain tired.
Hi Cheri,
I think you’re probably right, if the leaves are pale and small and some are turning brown then I suspect that they need a rest and a good feed, something balanced would be best now, of possibly even a feed with a higher nitrogen content to helpo the plant but back some leaafy growth and strengthen its stems.
I hope this helps
Graham
How is it geraniums can have leaf and flower growth on what appear to be deaa hollow stems ?
Hi Coleen,
as with all plants, the main activity is all occurring in the top layers just below the “skin” of the plant, if you think about some of the mighty oak trees that grow perfectly well but are hollow inside and then scale it down to a geranium stalk then you won’t be far off. Obviously the stem will become weak over time and eventually collapse, the same as trees falling over, also be careful of disease getting into the hollow stems if you prune them.
All the best
Graham
My mom has a 5+ year old geranium that desperately needs care. It has never been repotted nor has she pruned it.
What is the best time of year to prune and repot?
How much bigger should the pot be?
What type of soil?
It still blooms but is extremely leggy. Should I prune the branches or just the shoots?
I would appreciate your advice to help make her plant happy again.
Thank you.
Hi Lisa,
it must be enormous by now then!?
I would wait until the end of the summer and cut the plant back by at least a third, cut the main stems back to a healthy looking leaf shoot, where it will grow from again next season.
The pot would probably need to give you an extra two inches of compost all the way around the roots and below too, use a good quality compost and ideally add slow release fertiliser (such as our incredibloom ) to the new compost too.
I hope this helps
Graham
Hi! I live in eastern Canada and have enjoyed my lovely geraniums this summer. It is now August and my plant continue to flower but some of them have a spear or sucker growing from the flower. What causes that? Does it mean my plant is done flowering? Any suggestions for me?
Dee
Hi Dee Dee, it sounds like you have something called fasciation going on there, it can be caused by a virus and will cause flowers to behave in very strange ways. It’s nothing to worry about though, you can cut the offending pieces out should you wish, or leave them to see what happens and cut the geranium back later when you over-winter it.
I hope this helps
Graham
Hi, I planted Caliente type geraniums this year and the flowers on the heads open a few at a time, there are lots of buds and the plant looks good but heads just look terrible, is this the type or is it the heat as it has been very hot for the pacific northwest. or am I doing something else wrong?
Hi Terri,
There is a chance the humidity has become a bit much for the plants, they do prefer conditions to be fairly dry, with the compost being kept just about moist through the season. The problem might also be due to a potassium deficiency in the compost, the easiest solution for this is to give the plants a feed with a tomato food, as this has a higher potassium content than normal feeds (to encourage plants to flower and ultimately produce fruit).
Check the moisture level of the compost and feed if you think it might help.
All the best
Graham
The geraniums I bought this spring had huge leaves and blossoms. But the new leaves are very small and not increasing in size, about one inch. I’ve never had this happen before. What needs to be done?
Hi Judith,
it could be that the compost they’re growing in is lacking some nutrients, this would cause an imbalance and the plants will develop poorly. To redress this, try feeding the plants with a high potassium feed, as this should stimulate them into producing blooms and better growth.
I hope this helps
All the best
Graham
My geranium plants are full with leaves but not one bloom the 2nd year. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Lynda,
it could be that the compost they’re growing in is lacking some nutrient and is possibly high in nitrogen too, this would cause an imbalance and promote leafy growth at the expense of blooms. To redress this, try feeding the plants with a high potassium feed, as this should stimulate them into producing blooms.
I hope this helps
All the best
Graham
I have potted geraniums that receive a lot of light but not direct sun. They are fed with 20-20 fertilizer every 10 days or so. The plants look very healthy and have a lot of blooms but they are much smaller blooms now. In other years they did fine in the same location.
Hi Lynn, I would try a higher potassium fertiliser to encourage bigger and more plentiful blooms
I hope this helps
Graham
I planted a few pink geraniums near to blue geraniums.The blue ones are disappearing being over taken by the pink ones.Why is this? The geraniums are in the border next to a lawn.
Hi Joyce,
it sounds like the plants are either reverting to their natural colour, or simply that the pinks are “pushing” the blue ones out. I would try and thin the pink variety out, or transplat clumps of it elsewhere in the garden to give the blue variety a better chanve to grow.
I hope this helps
Graham
I live in suburbs of Chicago. I purchased two beautiful red geranium plant right after mothers day, they are doing fine except when they flower the petals fall off constantly. I have never had a this happen before. Ive been planting geraniums for years.
Hi Donna,
is it possible that the plants need a little help from a potassium based feed? This should help them produce blooms more freely, plus if the feed contains trace elements such as magnesium, this should also help with the strength of the flowers too!
I hope this helps
Graham
My geraniums were doing great until just recently I noticed the blooms were not as big as before and not all of them even open up. Now the stems on them are lighter in color and are not straight the are all curvy. What could be the cause of this
Hi Karen,
this definitely sounds like either a nutrient deficiency or imbalance. I would recommend a fully balanced feed one a week with perhaps a week potassium based feed fortnightly too. The potassium will help with the flowers and stems whilst the other feed should help to restore a nutrient balance in the soil.
I hope this helps
Graham
I live in northern Florida. My two year old geraniums are all flower and very little leaves. I’ve cut off most buds to encourage more leaves. Is this my best remedy or should I be fertilizing with something other than a basic fertilizer?
Hi Judy, I would switch to a high nitrogen feed for a little while, this will encourage your plants to put on leafy growth, be sure to not overdo it though as you might end up with too many leaves and not enough flowers!
All the best
Graham
My wife has planted a pot of 16″diameter ×16″ high. She has put a miniature conifer centre with 4 good size geraniums around plus a few trailers around the edge.looks great but is it overcrowded?
Hi Jimmy, there is a chance that the conifer roots will eventually squeeze out the other plants, but for this year you could be fine, plenty of water and a fortnightly feed will keep the plants well looked after!
All the best
Graham
my geraniums are not doing well this year. what can I do to bring them back to life?Thank you
Hi Carl, I would recommend a liquid feed when you need to water them, don’t overdo it though as you could end up with an abundance of leaves and no flowers, water sparingly too!
All the best
Graham
First of all, thank you for your time. I live in KY. It is very hot and humid. My geraniums are the “interspecific calliope dark red.” They are supposed to tolerate hot weather. I have several and most are doing very well. I have some in containers, but most are in the ground. The majority of the geraniums in the ground are happy. A few are not. The leaves are still very green and they have lots of buds and blooms, but as soon as it gets hot, they wilt. They come back nicely when the sun goes down. I may have watered them too much. When a flowers wilts in the hot sun, I think it needs water so I water it more. I read somewhere where the roots may not be able to take in the water if they have been overwatered. Is this true? It’s just odd to me that they look very healthy and happy once the sun goes down.
Hi Ellen, thanks for your post. It does sound to me like a humidity problem, the heat of the day causing lots of evaporation, combined with lots of water and warm soil is not ideal for geraniums. I would recommend keeping the watering to a bare minimum, it’s always so tempting to “over-love” our plants with water, and like you mentioned, this could sometimes do more harm than good.
Feed the plants once a week, water sparingly and see how they get on!
I hope this helps
All the best
Graham
For a variety of reasons I didn’t cut back my geraniums end last summer and replanted on patio and they look incredibly healthy with large leaves and lots of light green new growth but no flowers !! What do I do ??
Hi Julia, it sounds like your geraniums need a bit of a tonic, I would try a good quality feed, to boost the leaf colour (this could be a nitrogen deficiency), this should help the plants along a bit better. Using a high potassium feed too (tomato food) should also encourage the plants to flower, although get the growth looking healthier first or you could stress the plant out completely!
I hope this helps
Graham
Mr. Ward I have a geranium that is about 3yrs old up until recently it has been full, beautiful and growing. This last week I have noticed that the new leaves are dying quickly and the stems are getting squishy and turning black. I have sprayed with a soapy insecticide/fungicide/miticide. It gets full sun but it does not seem to be bothered by that. We have been getting lots of rain here, it it very humid but it is in a pot that drains. Help
Hi Kathryn,
thanks for your post. It does unfortunately sound like some of the stems are rotting off. It may be that the pots didn’t drain away quickly enough and with all this humid weather and “wet feet” the plants aren’t happy. Have you removed the plant from its pot and checked the roots at all? It might pay to re-pot into dry compost and give it a chance to recover in good light but not direct sunlight – this might be having a “cooking” effect as well. it might be that you have to cut back below any of the stems that are going soft to prevent the spread of any rot – this might look drastic but it could save the whole plant later on!
I hope this helps
Graham
Thank you, will try your suggestions.
I purchased geraniums in hanging pots with many blossoms, but have not opened. I gave them fertilizer once, no change. Were they over water
before I bought them. Is there any possibility I can save these plants
so the blossoms will open. I have 6 of these. I know they need oxygen,can I some how get oxygen to the roots?
Thanks
Hi, thanks for your question.
I would say to leave the plants, they will be fine, the temptation to water them now must be resisted, almost let the plants dry out completely before you water them again. If you are feeding them, use a high potassium feed (a tomato food) which should encourage the blooms to form, rather than a balanced or high potassium feed, which will only get the plant to produce leafy growth. Geraniums are quite tough plants so they should survive perfectly ok.
I hope this helps
Graham
What causes my geraniums to buds to be empty and never mature?
Hi Carmen,
it could possibly be a potassium deficiency in your soil or compost. try a diluted down tomato feed and see if that helps the flowers to develop.
All the best
Graham
My geraniums are in sunny and later in day partly shaded and they thrive. But something is eating holes in the leaves. Please help. In Sydney Australia
Hi Robyn, I’m afraid I don’t know the answer as I wouldn’t have any idea about what insects there are that would eat geraniums where you live?
If it is possible, then perhaps a bug spray over the leaves would help, make sure to check under the leaves first as that is often where they hide!
I hope this helps
Graham
Do you think that the geranium has bud worms. I live in Kansas City, MO and have to spray with BT to get rid of the bud worms on my geraniums and petunias. About every three weeks…especially in the heat of the summer and high humidity. Always spray after the sun goes down.
I just moved several good sized geranium plants from nursery pots to well composted potting soil-filled outdoor planters. It was sunny and lovely the day I planted them, but we’ve had a lot of rain since then. I’m seeing some yellow leaves near the bottom of the plants, and brown spots on the petals of the blooms. Is there anything I can do beside pray for sun?
Hi Meredith, in these situations, the first thing I do is try and get the pots off the ground, using either “plant pot feet” of if nothing else, some large stones, this will help the water get away more easily, also check the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot (tricky I know if it’s full of compost, but it’s worthwhile) to make sure they aren’t blocked up with debris. Hopefully the excess water will drain away, you may lose a few leaves, but the plant sould survive the ordeal!
I hope this helps, Graham
i have planted last week strong red dutch geraniums and i now notice the flowers have got a black tinge/ edge why is this? could you please email soon because quite a lot . worried of billericay !
Hi Mike, have the flowers been scorched in any way or possible over-watered? (as we had lots and lots of rain recently)
The other option is botrytis, which can cause the flowers to turn dark and fall early. The best remedy for this is to remove any infected flowers and leaves, if there are any, and make sure there is plenty of air flow around the plants, hopefully they are keeping warm wherever they are, give them a spray with a fungicide too.
I hope this helps you. Graham
My geraniums had large flowers when I took them from the garden center and planted them in planters on my deck. I now see the new blossoms that are coming up are very small. Why is that?
Hi Joanne,
the plants you bought from the garden centre will have been kept in optimum conditions to make them “showroom ready” (to make you want to buy them), there’s nothing wrong with the plants I expect, they will have been fed thoroughly and if you want to maintain the bloom size, you should do the same, however this will ultimately stress the plant out. It is better to let your plants settle in, feed and maintain them and I’m sure they will be fine during the coming summer!
I hope this helps 🙂
Having bought 24geraniums as plug plants I potted them on and since I got them in march they haven’t grown ,still only 2 inches tall . What can I do please ?
Hi Jean, sometimes there’s more going on below the surface than above, I expect your plugs were putting on root growth to support the expected top growth, which, with the better weather, will start to show itself very soon, if it hasn’t already!
I hope this helps you
Graham
Here’s the problem I am having. A former boss from a greenhouse gave me a plant that his father had “pattened”? The plant is over 40 years old. Until this spring it was doing fine. But I did not overwinter properly so now it is sickly. However, I took it out of the container I had it in and there was green leaf growth on the roots. My question is how to I plant the new growth?
Hi Christi, that does sound rather unusual. It’s normal to take cuttings from geraniums above the ground. However it sounds like your geranium is producing new growth further down. I would be wary of cutting this new growth about at the moment as it’s probably still extremely tender. Cut away any sickly or rotting stems from the main plant and re pot it into a large container, that way any new shoots will have room to grow out. It might not do much this year but if you allow the new growth to carry on growing then hopefully the plant will be much stronger next year. If you want to send me any photos then please do, at GreatPics@thompson-morgan.com . All the best
I planted a geranium last year around July that I found on the ground, I had no idea at the time what it was it just had lovey pink flowers so I thought I’d just plant it and see what happened! I assume it went into winter mode (I left it outside with no watering just left it in the pot) now this year it has grown with some lovely green leaves so I’ve done a little research and I’m almost sure it’s a geranium, I am just a beginner so my question is can I get it to flower again this year, the leaves have been growing for a while now but can’t see any bids or signs of flowering?
Hi Sarah, answered by e-mail, keep me posted 🙂