Fragrant pelargonium, or geranium, is an indoor plant that is often used for landscaping apartments and offices. This unusual flower has a unique aroma and will certainly become your favorite decoration in the house. And how to care for geraniums is described in this article.

Botanical description of the plant

Geranium is a herbaceous plant of the Geraniev subspecies, a perennial shrub 60–90 cm high. The birthplace of this plant is South and South-West Africa. In the UK in the XIX century, breeding of hybrids of this flower began, after which it spread to neighboring European countries. Pelargonium is grown not only as a houseplant, but also as a garden flower.

Did you know? To this day, geraniums are used in the landscape design of Buckingham Palace.

In free space, its height can reach 1.5 m. In the garden, geranium can be used for hanging gardens or decorating building facades. The flower stalk has a branched tuberous structure and glands in the form of thin hairs are located on it. When touched by wind, insects or humans, they exude a strong aroma. Sensitive villi respond to the tiniest movement. The base of the stem is compacted, the main part is pubescent. The leaves of pelargonium are palm-lobed, divided into 5–7 lobes.In the lower part of the plant, the leaves are opposite, in the upper - in turn. Like the stem, they contain aromatic glands. The plant blooms in medium-sized inflorescences that are similar in shape to an umbrella. The flowering period is from May to October. The structure of the flowers is semi-double. One flower consists of 10 stamens and 1 pistil, formed of 5 petals, diameter up to 4 cm. The color of the petals is white and pink. Peduncles are long. The life expectancy of one blooming inflorescence on a shrub is from 7 to 12 days.

The properties

Pelargonium is grown not only for garden decoration or as an indoor fragrant plant. It becomes the basis for many medicinal tinctures, essential oils with various aromas and properties. Fragrant geranium has useful properties due to the unique combination of volatile production in its composition.

Geranium essential oils are used in aromatherapy, soap making, cosmetology and perfumery, in cooking to create a special aroma for products, as well as for coloring leather products.

Medical

Pelargonium root is used in folk medicine for the treatment of ENT diseases. The plant helps fight diseases of the tonsils, pharynx and middle ear. With a cold, it is necessary to drip juice from the leaves of geraniums, 3 drops in each nostril for several days. Such treatment will quickly relieve swelling of the nose. To treat the throat, use a decoction of leaves and flowers of geraniums. To do this, dry stems and petals are poured with boiling water and insist for about 8 hours. Pelargonium oil aromatherapy helps lower blood pressure and improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system.

Important! Phytoncides in the composition of geranium oil kill pathogenic microorganisms, purify the air and effectively fight mosquitoes and moths.

To do this, apply a leaf of a plant to the wrist. The geranium aroma also relieves headaches and serves as an antidepressant, as it reduces anxiety and relieves feelings of fatigue. In cosmetology, geranium oil is valued for being perfect for sensitive skin and helps to remove inflammation and peeling of the skin. To treat dermatitis, a decoction is prepared as follows: 2 tablespoons of dried geranium leaves are poured with 2 glasses of cold water and insisted for 8 hours.

Contraindications and harm

Since pelargonium secretes specific substances from the villi on the stem and leaves, it is necessary to be careful about the use of this plant. It is forbidden to take tinctures, decoctions or essential oils of pelargonium in such cases:

• during pregnancy and lactation;
• if thrombophlebitis is detected;
• with ulcers and gastritis;
• in old age.

Main varieties

Geraniums include several subspecies of flowers. Their difference is in aroma, appearance of leaves and color of inflorescences. The most popular varieties of geraniums:

1. Mabel Gray. The flower has a pronounced lemon aroma. Leaves with veins, rough to the touch. The color of the inflorescences is lilac pink. Suitable for installation in apartments and offices.
2. Chariti. This variety combines the smell of roses and lemon. The leaves are large, with a golden rim. The most suitable variety for growing in the garden, as it grows poorly in apartments.
3. "Lady Plymouth". Has a sweet smell of roses. The leaves are light green in color with a white rim. The shape of the bush is container. Filling the plant is not recommended.
4. Pungent Peppermint. Putting a Peppermint pot, you will feel the bright smell of mint from it. The leaves are grayish green. The flowers are pale pink and small. The shape of the bush is spreading. It can grow wildly if you put it on the sunny side.
5. "Apple Cider". From it comes the original flavor of apple cider. Leaves are rounded, the edges are corrugated. The flowers are painted white, small. The bush is compact in shape. "Apple cider" needs more frequent watering than other varieties of geranium.
6. "Round Leaf Rose". It has the aroma of fresh orange. The leaves are rounded, harvested, with a bronze spot in the middle. Velvety leaf structure. The flowers are pink in color, light spots and purple streaks are visible on the petals. The shrub grows to 90 cm in height.
7. Ardwick Cinnamon. This variety has an unusual cinnamon flavor. The leaves are dull green, the texture is velvety. The flowers are medium-sized, transparent-white, with raspberry marks on the petals.

Growing conditions

If you want to achieve rapid growth from a fragrant flower, make sure that all the conditions for keeping the plant are met. When growing, pay attention to the placement of the pot, the temperature in which it is located, and humidity.

Did you know? There are about 150 flavors in the world that a geranium bush can exude.

Accommodation

In summer and in clear weather, install the pot in bright and warm places. Since direct rays of the sun do not harm the flower, both illuminated window sills and open balconies are suitable for placement. If in a sultry heat a houseplant is on the windowsill, glass from the windows can enhance the effect of the sun. To do this, it is necessary to further protect the bush from overheating, creating a small shadow.However, a long stay in the shade leads to the fact that the plant turns yellow, and the flowers become very small. In winter, during the rest period, the plant tolerates coolness better. It is worth installing a bush on a cold windowsill. The best arrangement of pelargonium in the apartment will be east and west windows, in which the sun shines for one half of the day. If you install geraniums on the north window, take care of additional lighting.

Temperature mode

In spring and summer, fragrant pelargonium grows well at a temperature of 20–25 ° С. You can not allow both overheating of the plant, and strong cooling. Determine that the plant is frozen, you can reddened leaves.

Did you know? Geranium subspecies - royal geranium - contained in winter at a temperature of 10–13 ° C.

Lighting from time to time becomes scarce, and so that the flower does not try to actively grow up with a lack of important vitamins and trace elements, the temperature is gradually reduced. In winter, the most optimal temperature is considered to be 15–16 ° С.

Air humidity

For the lush growth of the bush, it is necessary to properly moisten the air around it. Dry air in combination with high temperature is extremely harmful to the flower, as it does not allow it to stretch up. However, the plant does not like direct spraying, since the leaves and stems themselves accumulate moisture inside it.Geranium is a drought-tolerant bush; it can do without moisture for a long time, which is normal for its natural conditions. Therefore, waterlogging of the soil is fraught with dangerous rotting.

Home Care

If you plan to plant fragrant pelargonium at room conditions, you need to know how to water the plant, how to fertilize, how often to cut the bush and when it comes time to transplant the flower into another pot.

In addition, in winter, the plant needs rest, and it is important to properly prepare it for this, so that in spring the bush begins to grow well again and give beautiful inflorescences.

Watering and spraying

Pelargonium tolerates drought, so watering a flower is carried out only when the earth in the pot is dry. Excessive watering leads to the growth of rot in the root system and the appearance of mold. In order for the plant to receive the correct dose of moisture, a layer of drainage must be laid out when planting in the pot. When the geranium is watered, excess fluid will be discharged into the pan without stagnating in the soil. In summer, the flower is watered 2-3 times a week, when the earth near the roots dies. In winter, watering is reduced to 1 time per week.The method of irrigation of geraniums consists in the fact that water is poured into a pan, and not from above onto the soil. If you water leaves and stems, brown spots will quickly appear on them, and the soil will become covered with cracks. Water for irrigation is used at room temperature, soft. To do this, it is filtered or melt water is used. Hard water forms white spots on the ground in which pelargonium grows.

And watering with excessively cold water leads to decay. It is not recommended to spray the plant, however, if you grow a variety that requires abundant watering, it is recommended to spray the air near the flower, but only if it is in the shade. If the pot is installed in direct sunlight, do not spray the geranium, otherwise the plant will begin to hurt.

Top dressing

Feeding of geraniums begins in the spring, during the growing season. The bush tolerates organic fertilizers very poorly, so it is better to use complex mineral fertilizing. In fertilizers for pelargonium, there must be such trace elements:

• phosphorus;
• nitrogen;
• potassium.

In the period before flowering, potassium is actively added to the soil, and during reproduction - nitrogen. Top dressing should be applied after watering. In the warm season, the plant is watered 1 time in 10-14 days. As soon as it begins to get colder, fertilize the bush once a month. In winter, there is no need to fertilize pelargonium - the period of complete rest includes rest from fertilizers.

Important! Remember that excessive fertilizer with minerals leads to a burn of the root system.

Pruning

Pruning or pinching of pelargonium is carried out regularly. Pruning is carried out in order to preserve the decorative shape of the plant, otherwise over time it will transform into a creeping vine. In addition, this procedure increases the growth of geranium shoots and helps it grow in a lush bush. Pinching is done in February or early March, just before the start of active growth. For a bush plant, pruning is acceptable after the first 5–6 leaves appear.Shoots are shortened, leaving 3-4 buds on a branch. Sick leaves should be removed. And to create a standard shape, side branches on the flower trunk are removed without cutting it from above. Pruning is carried out when the flower reaches a height of 70–80 cm. Young geraniums are cut from above. For branching, leave 4 to 8 internodes. In adult geraniums, long stems, diseased branches and yellow leaves are pruned.

Rest period

The period of rest for the flower is then created so that it rests, gathers strength for new flowering, without wasting all the juices to maintain growth in the sparsely lit period of the year. Preparation for wintering must begin in the fall. To do this, only dry and decayed leaves are removed, the plant is transferred to a cool room with diffused lighting. The optimum temperature in winter is from 10 ° C to 12 ° C. At this time of the year, watering geraniums is rarely necessary, since in a cold temperature, excessive moisture will rot the flower.

Transfer

Fragrant pelargonium is transplanted in the warm season, when the danger of frost has passed. As a rule, this period occurs at the beginning of spring, before the vegetation of plants. Since the plant does not tolerate such a procedure, you need to do it only if necessary. Transplantation is carried out if:

• it is necessary to transplant a garden plant from a flower bed into a pot before the rest period;
• the pot has become cramped for the flower;
• the flower was turned upside down or fell out of the pot;
• moldy soil;
• flower propagated by dividing the bush.

The transplant pot is selected in small sizes. Pelargonium does not like large containers, in addition, an overly spacious pot will inhibit the active growth of geraniums. To make the flower comfortable, you need to select a pot based on the size of the root system. Soil for geraniums needs drained and moderately fertile. The composition of the soil mixture includes peat, humus, turf land and sand. All components are mixed in equal proportions.When grown on light and loose soils, the plant becomes decorative, and on very fertile soils, leaves and stems grow greatly, but flowering is sparse. Before planting in a pot, you must create a drainage layer. In the future, this will help when watering the plant and protect the root from decay.

Transplant Process:

1. The plant is taken out of the pot.
2. Cleared of excess land.
3. Roots are washed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
4. Then the roots are washed with purified water.
5. Cut rotted leaves and roots.
6. Let the roots dry.
7. The flower is planted in a new pot.
8. A seedling is filled with fertilized soil.
9. Watering a seedling.

How to propagate

To create a beautiful fragrant flower garden it is not necessary to buy new plants - it is enough to replicate existing ones.Geranium lends itself perfectly to reproduction, so if you want to plant several new shoots from the mother bush, you can use these methods of reproduction:

• cuttings;
• dividing the bush;
• seeds.

Cuttings

March and April are the most favorable period of propagation of geranium by cuttings. During this period, the growth of seedlings will be much faster. Breeding process:

1. Cuttings from 5 to 7 cm in size are cut with a sharp knife from the mother bush. The number of leaves on the handle should be from 2 to 4.
2. The cuttings are left to dry for about 4 hours. So that the sprout does not decay, it is sprinkled with charcoal.
3. Cuttings are planted in the ground without covering.
4. Water the seedling sparingly.

You can also first put the stalk in a glass of water, wait for the formation of roots and then transplant the seedling into a pot.

Video: rooted fragrant geranium cuttings

Dividing the bush

If pelargonium has grown greatly and the pot has become cramped for it, you can divide the flower into parts. This division is best done in late spring or summer. Breeding process:

1. The day before the transplant, the soil is abundantly moistened.
2. Take out the mother plant from the pot and carefully examine the root system.
3. Rotted roots and leaves are cut.
4. The bush is divided into several uniform parts. Each seedling should have at least 1 shoot with viable buds.
5. Each part is planted in a separate pot with a prepared drainage system. Soil is used the same as that of the mother flower.
6. Watering the seedlings in the first weeks after transplantation should be done with great care so that the plants do not rot.

Seeds

Varietal seeds are suitable for propagation. The best period of the year for sowing is considered winter - from January to February. Breeding process:

1. First prepare the ground for the sprout. It should consist of peat and sand in equal amounts.
2. The earth is poured into a container, leveled and moistened.
3. Seeds are laid on the surface of the soil and sprinkled on top with a small amount of earth.
4. The container is covered with glass to create a suitable temperature and humidity. The ideal temperature for seedlings is 22–24 ° С.

Seeds germinate after 3 weeks. When the first 2-3 leaves appear, the sprouts are transplanted into separate pots. A sapling of a seedling is carried out after the sixth leaf grows.

Growing difficulties

Fragrant geranium is a very unpretentious plant. Both at home and in the garden, it grows very well with proper care and observing the conditions of irrigation. The main problems with growing geraniums:

1. Yellowing of the leaves and drying out along the edges means that the flower does not have enough moisture. It is necessary to increase watering the soil.
2. Short flowering period, small inflorescences. If the plant did not have a dormant period, it means that it did not have time to restore strength before flowering. To increase the growth of flowers, you need to increase the rest period. Also, do not forget to fertilize the soil for abundant growth.
3. Leaves fade. The plant can rot from the abundance of moisture. It is necessary to remove the flower from the pot, cut off the diseased roots and transplant into new soil, and in the future, observe the irrigation conditions.
4. There are few leaves on the stem. With a lack of lighting, the stalk of the pelargonium grows up, but the leaves become smaller. To restore the bush to a decorative look, rearrange the pot in a lighter place.

Disease

The main diseases of pelargonium are considered defeat by fungi. Most often, they develop in the cold season and affect the root system of the bush. The most common flower disease is gray rot, in which a gray coating appears on the leaves. It occurs with waterlogging and dampness in the soil, as well as with a lack of plant ventilation. To combat rot use fungicidal preparations.In this case, it is necessary to remove all affected parts of the plant. If the root is susceptible to rot, the plant is transplanted into a new pot. However, if the process of decay has affected the stem, it is better to throw away such a plant, since in the future the rot will affect the rest of its parts.

Pests

In addition to mold, pelargonium is susceptible to attack by pests. Before buying a flower, you must carefully examine it for the presence of larvae on the back of the leaf, or white plaque. Such signs indicate infection of geraniums. Pests include such insects:

• aphid;
• whiteflies;
• spider mites.

Important! Remember that a plant located on the street is much more susceptible to attack by parasites.

Insecticides are used to kill parasites. Fragrant pelargonium is one of the most popular and beautiful home plants, which can decorate both an ordinary room and a large well-kept garden. The main thing is to provide the flower with proper care, and it will delight for a long time with its bright inflorescences and original aroma.