Pelargoniums are among the loveliest permanent bloomers in the home garden. It’s all the more annoying when they don’t bloom after planting them out in the garden. In this case, you need to trim the geraniums. Timely removal of faded flowers promotes new flowering.
Clean out geraniums: This is how you get the geraniums to bloom again
With the beginning of the flowering period, every geranium owner can enjoy a splendor of flowers outdoors. I still remember when I brought my first geraniums home from the garden center and then planted them in the garden. The beautiful first flowers quickly withered and then I waited impatiently for the next ones. Unfortunately in vain. Then I wondered what I did wrong. A friend of mine, who is also a hobby gardener, gave me advice and support at the time. He was also the one who showed me how to properly trim my geraniums.
Regularly removing faded leaves will keep the flowers healthy and give them the drive they need to bloom again. If the withered part is not removed in time, the plant wastes its energy on seed formation. But if you cut off the flowers together with the stems, new flowers will soon open.
How often cleaning is necessary depends on various factors. These include, among other things:
- The geranium species and the respective variety: Some varieties simply flower very vigorously and then take a short break before they produce flowers for the second time. Other varieties flower continuously all summer long.
- The location: The sunnier the geraniums are, the more flowers they form. If the light conditions at the location change during the summer (shrubs produce leaves after hibernation, other bedding plants shade the pelargonium), then the flower produces fewer and smaller blossoms.
- The weather: the more sunny days there are, the better for the geranium.
What to do if standing geraniums do not bloom? Definitely clean up
Cleaning is part of the care of standing geraniums in particular. Their large flower balls weigh more and can break shoots if not removed in time. Standing geraniums generally form fewer flowers. Therefore, faded flowers are quickly noticed and the plant does not look particularly beautiful.
Noble geraniums must also be cleaned regularly
The noble geraniums have large inflorescences and a dense growth with many, large, fragrant leaves. The noble geranium must be trimmed regularly so that it blooms luxuriantly.
Scented geraniums include all varieties that form fragrant flowers. In contrast to noble geraniums, they do not have to be trimmed because they form significantly fewer flowers than other geranium species.
Most hanging geranium varieties are self-cleaning
In contrast to the other geranium species, the hanging varieties form many, but smaller flowers. The plants with single flowers clean themselves – the withered ones fall off. Luckily for the hobby gardener, the flowers with overhanging shoots can cope without cleaning out the wilted ones. An exception are varieties with double flowers – these plants may need to be trimmed. Especially when there are longer dry periods in summer. But also when it rains more often in spring.
By the way, I always clean my geraniums shortly after I have watered them. I just snap off stems and faded leaves to encourage flowering.