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It’s very sad to plant flowers as lovely as geraniums only to see that they are not blooming. What could the problem be?
Are geraniums not flowering? There are tricks to employ to make your geraniums open up again. Keep reading to find out how.
With colourful blooms and enchanting scents, geraniums grow easily in window boxes, containers or hanging baskets and out in the garden. Geraniums may be grown as houseplants or as annual flowers.
During the warmer months of the year, they can be kept outdoors in a sunny spot.
These ornamentals such as the common or zonal geraniums thrive in containers as well as outdoors. Ivy-Leaf geraniums are very common for hanging baskets, window boxes, and containers.
How Often Do Geraniums Flower?
The peculiar thing about geraniums is that they usually grow as an annual plant but they also grow as perennials in some regions. The perennial varieties flower every year.
Some other varieties, such as Geranium maderense, are biennials that can survive most winters but have a lifespan of only two years.
Providing good living conditions is the only guarantee that geraniums will live long and continue to bloom. Watch out for pests and diseases, water when required and your geraniums can live for decades.
Reasons Your Geraniums Are Not Flowering
We know how discouraging it is to plant flowers and wait for them to grow only for them to stop blossoming. Here are some reasons why your geraniums have stopped flowering.
1. Insufficient direct sun
2. Excessive High Nitrogen Fertiliser
3. Cold Weather
4. Low-Quality Soil
1. Insufficient direct sun
All plants need a certain amount of sunshine to thrive and geraniums are no different. Generally, they will need 4 to 6 hours of sunshine every day and they do not tolerate shade of any kind.
When they are planted in full or partial shade, they can stop flowering altogether.
Plant geraniums in locations where they can receive full sun and watch them flower and bloom effortlessly.
2. Excessive High Nitrogen Fertiliser
Applying too much of any kind of fertiliser to geraniums is not the best for them. Excess fertiliser encourages leaf growth and the plant directs all its resources toward that, causing flowering to stop.
Fertilisers with high nitrogen content especially damage geraniums’ stems and roots, softening them and weakening the plant. It is not necessary to fertilize geraniums every week, once every 2 weeks is enough.
3. Cold Weather
Geraniums are not cold weather lovers so if you live in such an environment, it is better to avoid planting them. Geraniums need a temperature of about 18° C to produce beautiful flowers.
Frost stunts geranium growth and can lead to their death. Take your geraniums indoors at night when temperatures tend to fall below 7°C and in early spring when the frost is still around.
This way your geraniums can be encouraged to bloom even if the weather is cool.
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4. Low-Quality Soil
Geraniums thrive in a certain kind of soil. The soil outdoor geraniums are planted in should present certain qualities such as being moist but well-drained and slightly acidic.
The soil should also not be compressed but loose and enriched with organic nutrients. Loamy soil fits this description well.
If you plant geraniums in soil that retains water, they will become saturated and fail to bloom. Even worse, root rot and other diseases can develop and kill them.
Fungal infections can lead to issues like the shedding of green leaves, stunted growth, or death. When watering geraniums, follow a strict regimen and avoid giving them too much.
We have explained why your geraniums seem to be so withdrawn lately. Now, let us see how to make them flower like never before.
How To Get Your Geraniums to Flower
Identifying the issues is important to solving problems and we have just done that. You may have tried unsuccessfully before to revive your geraniums.
Let’s show you how to get it right this time! Do these 4 things if you find geraniums not flowering in your garden:
1. Let your geraniums get more sunshine
2. Cut back on fertiliser application
3. Increase temperatures around your plants
4. Use better soil for planting
1. Let your geraniums get more sunshine
Are your geraniums not flowering? Have you considered that they may not be getting enough sunshine?
Geraniums need up to 6 hours of sunshine daily to flower optimally so if they are planted in shade or indoors permanently, you may begin to notice them not flowering. To save the situation, move the plants to a sunny location if they are grown in pots.
Windows facing south get the most sunlight so you can place plants on these windowsills or complement them with an indoor grow light.
Remove overhead branches and leaves from shading those in the garden.
2. Cut back on fertiliser application
Reduce fertiliser use to the minimum requirement if you want blooming geraniums. As explained earlier, using too much fertiliser or applying it too regularly will only stimulate leaves to grow.
Geranium plants end up looking bushy with little or no flowers on them. To combat this, cut back on fertiliser use and ensure you are using one with a 15-15-15 or 10-10-10 nutrient ratio.
3. Increase temperatures around your plants
Geraniums just love to open up their petals in sun. If the temperatures drop below a certain level, they can begin to close up and in no time flowering will stop.
Do not leave geraniums outside in the cold or they will not flower. If daytime temperatures go below 18° C, it is too cold for them.
Likewise, nighttime temperatures of less than 7°C can make geraniums stop flowering. In these conditions, you can use a greenhouse or simply bring them indoors where it is warm.
4. Use better soil for planting
The quality of soil used for planting geraniums affects their blooming power in many ways. A lack of nutrients in the soil can leave your geraniums depleted and unable to produce flowers.
Soggy soil can also drown geraniums and cause their roots to decay. If you plant geraniums in containers, make sure holes are drilled in the bottom to allow for water runoff.
You also need to water these plants less often than their counterparts in the garden because potting soil dries much slower than garden soil. The best soils for geraniums are loose, well-draining, loamy, and slightly acidic.
FAQ
What is wrong with my geraniums?
If your geranium has brown leaves, it is dying from bacterial leaf disease or geranium rust. Geranium budworm is to blame if the plant is being destroyed. Overwatering is the cause of yellowing and withering leaves.
What does an overwatered geranium look like?
Geraniums typically have yellow leaves at the bottom when they are overwatered. They could also get water patches that appear pale. If so, you should cease watering right away so that the plants can dry off.
Will Epsom salt help geraniums bloom?
Late April marks the start of geranium blooming, which lasts until the first frost. By incorporating magnesium sulfate, such as that found in Epsom salt, into the soil, geranium plants can produce more flowers.
What is a good natural fertilizer for geraniums?
200 to 250 ppm of nitrogen is typically advised for geraniums when fertilizing them continuously. Experience reveals that a continuous fertilizer program reduces nutritional issues. Fertilizer kinds include 20-10-20 Peat-lite, 15-15-15 (Geranium Special), and 15-16-17 Peat-lite.
What’s the best food for geraniums?
Peat moss, vermiculite, and perlite should all be used in equal amounts as a geranium substrate. An equal mixture of mature compost, sand, peat, and clay can also be employed. Apply a water-soluble fertilizer containing 4 ml per liter of water, at a rate of 20% nitrogen, 20% phosphorus, and 20% potassium.
Why is my hardy geranium not flowering?
Geraniums don’t bloom because of wet soil, excessive shade, chilly temperatures, and high nitrogen fertilizer.
Is coffee good for geraniums?
Because leftover coffee grinds contain a lot of nitrogen, they can be a beneficial addition to geranium soil. Additionally, they can enhance soil quality and aid in moisture retention.
Can geraniums get too much sun?
In the extreme heat of the late summer, sun-bleached leaves can be a major issue. One of the first indications that your geraniums are receiving lethal levels of sun and need additional protection is bleached foliage. Your geraniums’ leaves will bleach from too much heat and sun.
What is the secret to growing geraniums?
You require a soil that is loose and well-draining, regular watering, and minimal fertilizing. As long as the container has drainage holes, geraniums thrive in various sizes and shapes of containers. The secret to growing geraniums in pots is to put them in sunny spots away from windy areas.
Conclusion
In conclusion, geraniums are flowers that can bloom profusely from spring to fall if all the correct conditions are met. If you have the problem of geraniums not flowering, try checking the 4 requirements shared above and make adjustments where necessary.
Hopefully, your geraniums begin to produce enough flowers that you can decorate your home with and still have some left to give as gifts to friends.
