Looking for a few simple secrets that will help revive your struggling geraniums fast – and get them blooming big and bright again?
If there is one flower that seems to lose its sparkle once the heat of summer arrives, it’s the geranium. Plants that were overflowing with vibrant blossoms in spring can suddenly become leggy, brittle, and produce only a handful of small, disappointing blooms by the middle of the season. The good news is that this mid-summer decline isn’t something you simply have to accept.
With just a few easy care techniques, you can quickly bring struggling geraniums back to life and keep them growing strong through even the hottest days of summer. Better yet, those same simple secrets can help your plants produce wave after wave of beautiful blooms right up until the first hard frost of fall!
3 Simple Secrets To Help Revive Struggling Geraniums Fast!
1. The Power Of Deadheading
To keep new blooms coming on all summer long, deadheading is an absolute must! In fact, a lack of consistent deadheading is usually the single biggest culprit when geraniums fail to produce new blooms.
Deadheading is the process of removing the spent blooms of a plant. And the more often you perform this simple chore for your geraniums, the more your plant will respond with a big increase in blooms.
By doing this, you keep the plant’s energy and resources focused on producing new blooms and not on trying to salvage what is left of an old stem. As long as dying stems and flower heads remain on a plant, the plant will continue to try to send nutrients its way.
As soon as a bloom stem begins to fade, cut it back to the base of the foliage. Don’t cut just the bloom – but the entire stem of the bloom as far back as you can. This can be done quite easily with a sharp pair of scissors or small hand held pruners. Not only will it keep your plant looking neat and tidy, but it will set the stage for even more colorful flowers to come.
Pinching Your Plants Back Can Help Too!
Beyond deadheading, you can also pinch and prune your geraniums back when they begin to get a bit leggy. If left to their own growing patterns, geraniums tend to grow more upward than outward. This can leave plants and their ensuing blooms looking quite thin and sparse.
By pinching back the foliage growth early in the season, you can create a stockier, more full-bodied plant. For best results, pinch back foliage and any stems to about 1/3rd of the plant’s size. This forces the plant into developing new shoots below.
In turn, it creates a healthier plant with thick, strong growth at its base. All of which then sets the stage for more buds and more blooms all summer long! For more on deadheading and pinching back, see our article: The Best Way To Deadhead Geraniums – How To Cut Back Old Blooms For New Flowers!
2. How To Revive Struggling Geraniums With Fertilizer
Although geraniums are not massive feeders from the soil, a slow and steady intake of nutrients is vital to continually power strong growing habits and full sets of blooms. This is especially true for geraniums growing in containers and hanging baskets.
The key when feeding geraniums is to feed them consistently but with a lower dose and to power your plants every two weeks with a fertilizer that has slightly more phosphorous and potassium than nitrogen.
Unfortunately, if you provide your geraniums with too much nitrogen, it overpowers them. This results in plants that actually produce far less blooms. It’s important to make sure to feed them slightly more phosphorous and potassium, as it promotes buds and flowers.
The good news is there are several high quality liquid fertilizers that are made specifically just for powering geraniums. Liquid fertilizers are best for flowering annuals as they absorb quickly into the plants via the roots and foliage. Affiliate Link: Geranium Fertilizer – Liquid Plant Food for Vibrant Blooms& Stronger Roots
Watering Geraniums – How To Keep Geraniums Blooming Big All Summer
Finally, to keep your geraniums in great shape all summer, proper watering is a must. Geraniums often suffer more from over-watering than from a lack of water. Especially when growing in pots, containers and hanging baskets.
It’s important when planting in a container setting to be sure the vessel has adequate drainage. Check the bottom of containers for drain holes. If there is only one, consider drilling in a few more to help excess water escape.
When watering, water deeply but less frequently. This allows the roots to head deeper into the soil, increasing both their nutrient intake and their ability to conserve water. If the foliage begins to yellow, it is usually a sign the plant’s roots are water-logged.
If this occurs, back off of watering for a few days and check to make sure water can exit the container.
Check Your Geraniums Soil
Unfortunately, all too often, geraniums fail because of how they are planted – not because of the care they receive. And if your geraniums continue to struggle – it may be that it’s time to replant.
Geraniums thrive in rich, fertile and well draining soil. It allows their roots to expand with ease and to absorb nutrients quickly. And not just the nutrients found in the soil, but those provided through additional fertilizing throughout the season.
Unfortunately, if the potting soil is poor, even added nutrients in the form of liquid or dry fertilizers won’t be absorbed by the roots. It either runs right through the plant, or can’t find its way to the roots. Both of which will keep your geraniums from producing new blooms and from flowering.
Here’s to helping revive your struggling geraniums – and to get them blooming bigger than ever again! Happy Gardening – Jim & Mary.
The Farm At Old World Garden
Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.
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