GROWING PELARGONIA FROM YOUR SEEDS

Perhaps, no more famous indoor flower, than pelargonium.

Plants of all kinds of colors are dazzling on home windowsills.. Happens, over the winter she will lose leaves, stretch out, and in the spring, after a haircut, it will again grow magnificently and invariably bloom. Pests do not favor her, which greatly facilitates care. And if the owner forgets to water in time, not very offended, pelargonium – drought tolerant plant.

These plants are derived from their seeds.

But here it grows, pelargonium has been growing for many years, the branches are already twisted and woody, means, it's time to renew the plant. Can, sure, chop the green apical cuttings, put in water and, when roots appear, plant in a fresh earthen mixture. But I decided to experiment with seed propagation of geranium (we will talk about the zonal variety). Yes, do not be surprised, homemade geranium sets complete seeds well.

Pelargnia from seeds - photo

NOW Pelargonium of interesting colors and compact forms appeared on sale, characterized by early and abundant flowering. In the case of purchased seeds, everything is simple: it is required to sow them at the end of February, and new plants bloom successfully in the same season, by about August. Seedlings are quite unpretentious, rarely suffer from a black leg, but they still need additional lighting. true, seeds in a pack usually pieces 3-5 and the price for them is quite high.

ON MY HOME GERANES, as I noticed, seeds are often set even without manual pollination. I decided to strengthen this process – took a brush and dusty pelargonium of different colors. Many seeds were set. I could judge about this, noticing the formation of peaks, protruding flower green pistils. The seeds must be allowed to ripen well, that is, the inflorescences should practically dry. Maturity is indicated by the hardness of the seed when probing and the appearance of a fluffy "parachute".

The largest number of seeds was set by plants, formerly grown from seed, and they, that propagated by cuttings, seeds were tied reluctantly. By the way, I noticed this feature not only in geraniums, but also in other perennial plants.

STORE SEEDS before sowing preferably in a cool place, eg, on the refrigerator door. Seeds must be sealed, so as not to gain moisture. You can put them in a plastic bag with a zip-lock clip.

SOWING SEEDS as in autumn, and in February-March. In the first case, it will be difficult to keep the seedlings on the windowsill in winter., but they will bloom much earlier and the plants will be more powerful.

Before you start sowing seeds, you need to free them from the hard shell, this will facilitate germination.

Usually seedlings of the mother plant:

I remove the shell manually. To make the procedure easier, the seeds can be slightly moistened.

I take the earth for seedlings. Sowing depth approx. 5 mm. Seedlings usually appear within a week., individual seeds can sprout in a couple of weeks.

BEFORE PICKING, seedlings grow for about a month. They tolerate the transplant procedure perfectly, survival – 99%. I transplant the grown seedlings one at a time into larger pots. Planting immediately in large permanent pots is undesirable, it is better to make a double dive.

Seedlings often copy the color of mother plants., but with cross-pollination, a change in the color of flowers is also possible.

WHEN PELARGONIA WILL BLOWER, you can select plants of the most successful colors. Color intensity often depends on growing conditions – in a brighter and cooler place, it is brighter. I noticed, that with an excess of sunlight and elevated temperatures, plants feel depressed. And here, eg, on my balcony, where the sun in summer is only early morning and evening, pelargonium feels great until autumn.

© Author: ABOUT. MELNIKOVA Arkhangelsk Region

GROWING PELARGONIA FROM SEEDS – VIDEO