Vibrant geranium flowers are very popular with home gardeners and add color to window boxes, borders and beds. There are three types: the hardy cranesbill (Geranium spp.), the hanging ivy type (Pelargonium peltatum) and the garden geranium (Pelargonium x hortorum). Have you tried taking cuttings from your geraniums? In this article we will look at growing new plants from cuttings from existing specimens. This is an easy way to propagate geraniums and it's worth having more of this magnificent flower!
Preparing a cutting
The best time to take cuttings is during the growing season, when the plant is new and before it forms buds.If you have garden geraniumsAs annuals, you should take cuttings in the fall before the plants fade so you have fresh new plants in the spring. And this is how it works:
- Choose a strong stem with healthy leaves. Avoid the youngest, weak growth and older, woody stems, as well as those with discolored or damaged foliage.
- Use clean, sharp scissors or a fine blade to cut through a stem.
- Make the cut just below a leaf node and four to six inches from the stem tip.
- Cut off the lower foliage, leaving two or three leaves at the top, leaving you with three to four inches of bare stem. Remove any flower or leaf buds as they may divert energy from root formation.
Geraniums propagate in water
- Place the stem in a clean, clear jar or container four to six inches deep.
- Fill the jar with enough water to cover the main stem, but not so much that it touches the leaves.
- Place the plant on a sunny windowsill in a location that maintains an average temperature of 65-75°F (18-24°C).
- Change the water daily to keep it fresh. After about four weeks, roots should form at the bottom of the trunk.
Rooting in potting soil
An alternative method is to use a sterile potting medium instead of water.
- Choose a clean container with good drainage holes that is four to six inches deep.
- Fill the container with potting soil to about 2cm below the rim. If desired, you can dip the cut end of the stem in powdered rooting hormone.
- Make a hole and insert the stem into the potting soil, pressing it down enough to cover any areas where the leaves have been removed, as roots will form from these leaf nodes.
- Firm the potting soil around the trunk to anchor it.
- Water thoroughly and place in a location with an average temperature of 65-75°F (18-24°C) and bright sunlight. If you want, you can use a heat mat and a grow light.
- Keep the planting medium slightly moist, but do not allow it to become wet or dry out completely.
Some people build a mini greenhousefor a cuttingby placing a clear plastic bag over the pot. This is a clever way to maintain the required ambient temperature and humidity. If you choose this method, be careful not to seal the bag or expose the plant to direct sunlight, otherwise it could overheat.
Transplanting the cuttings
As soon as you see roots or new shoots on the trunks in the potting soil through the transparent container, you know that your cuttings are thriving. When the roots are an inch or two long or you see new leaf growth on your potted cuttings, you can begin acclimating them to the outdoors, a process called hardening off. If you harvested the cuttings in the fall, you should wait until there is no longer any danger of frost.
Place the plants outside for a few hours every day for a week. First put them in a protected place and then gradually andout into the open. Skip any days when bad weather is forecast. At the end of the week, it's time to complete the propagation process by planting the rooted and germinated cuttings in the garden. It's so easy to propagate geraniums using cuttings!
You can find useful tips regarding wintering in our article: “Geraniums overwinter in newspaper" read.
