Hybrid geranium: description, popular varieties (Blue Blood, Patricia), as well as caring for them

Many residents of our country have indoor plants as geraniums. This flower is quite ordinary and does not cause much interest in anyone.

At the same time, many do not even think about where this plant came from, where is its historical homeland. We will talk about this and much more.

How to care for him? And most importantly, what difficulties may arise with the content of this plant. All of this will be discussed in our article.

Botanical Description and History

Hybrid geranium is a frost-resistant perennial plant, presented in the form of a small shrub. Hybrid geranium comes from South Africa, its comfortable existence on this continent is explained by the presence of different types of climate here: Mediterranean, tropical, subtropical, temperate.

reference. Thanks to mariners who were interested in culture, trade and plants, in the 17th century, geraniums came to Europe, and then to Russia.

Appearance

Hybrid geranium stands out because can have completely different colorsranging from white to maroon. In this case, tones are usually muted.

The most common colors of geranium flowers are pink, purple and blue. Also purple and cornflower hues are often found.

The leaves may be round, palmately dissected and pinnate.. Depending on the variety of hybrid geranium, it can reach a height of 20 to 60 centimeters.

Popular varieties

At this point in time, there are a huge number of varieties of hybrid geraniums, but the most popular of these are the following:

Garden geranium "Patracia". Patricia is a fairly unpretentious plant, reaching sizes from 80 to 90 cm.
It blooms in the second half of June. Geranium in its shape resembles a hemisphere, does not develop.
Inflorescences are small. The plant is pruned after flowering; pruning promotes leaf growth and flowering.
Geranium Blue Blood - perennial frost-resistant plant. Flowers are discreet, usually pale pink. But also plants with a blue and purple hue are often found.
The leaves are round or pinnate. Size and flowering vary by species.
It usually blooms very long, starting in the month of May, and ending in September. It grows very quickly, reaching a height of 50-60 cm.

Where and how to plant it: rules, tips, instructions

When growing geraniums, you need to prepare a place for planting it in advance. The soil should be well lit, it is desirable that it was partial shade. If the planting is carried out in such a way that the flower is in open sunlight, it is necessary to use a film for shelter, otherwise burn the leaves. In winter, the temperature should not fall below -10 C.

Important. The soil should be moderately fertile, take care of reliable drainage, for outflow of water.

Fertilizer should be applied in moderation, and watering is recommended as often as possible. Do not dry the soil, but do not flood. Everything should be in moderation.

Before planting the plant in the soil, you need to prepare small pits, on the bottom of which it is recommended to place a mixture of peat and sand soil in a ratio of 1: 1: 1.

Further, the plant is placed in a hole and buried, from tamping the soil should be abandoned. The first few days after planting, you need to water it more often.

How to care?

Hybrid geraniums are exposed to diseases and pests in very rare cases. But if diseases arise, then basically they are quite serious, for example, blackening of the stem, the only way to get rid of which is to throw the plant away.

In addition, aphids can cause significant damage to the plant. Chemicals and folk remedies will help here, such as laundry soap, tobacco dust, and chamomile tincture.

Occasionally a plant has a problem such as yellowing of leaves, this can be caused by several reasons:

Lack or excessive fluid. Water deficiency, as well as its excess, leads to the death of the plant, so everything needs to be done in moderation. Too generous watering can cause yellowness and the fact that the leaves will peel and fall off.
Lack of space. The pot in which the flower is located has become small, and the plant cannot continue its growth; flowers and leaves suffer from this.
Lack of lighting. Geranium photophilous and thermophilic plant. Ensure a constant ambient temperature, then the flower will feel much better.
This plant does not like change, and it can fade if transplanted to a new place. Transplanting geraniums is necessary only in extreme cases, because this procedure has a bad effect on its condition. The best time for transplanting is spring, since the plant did not come out of hibernation. It is best to transplant into a medium-sized container so that the plant takes root.
A large pot can interfere with flowering. The fact is that geranium begins to bloom only when its roots occupy the entire space of the pot.
Untimely plant nutrition. It needs potassium and nitrogen nutrition. The lack of elements leads to an imbalance and death of the plant.

Timely pruning will give strength for the development of buds and help the plant to form.

Attention. If the yellowing of the leaves is caused by a problem such as "rust", then in this case, the leaves are treated with Bordeaux liquid.

Breeding

You can propagate geranium yourself by using methods such as cuttings, planting seeds, dividing the bush.

The most difficult and time-consuming propagation of geraniums is seed. With this method of propagation, geranium loses varietal characters, so it is often used by breeders.
When choosing this method of propagation, sow only fresh seeds, as long-term storage they lose their germination. Collecting geranium seeds is a big problem, because they quickly ripen and scatter throughout the site, and unripe seeds do not germinate well.
If you want to collect seeds, prepare small pieces of cloth and wrap the inflorescence. Due to this, the seeds will be safe and sound in our bag.
You can sow the seeds in the soil in August or November. Purchased geranium seeds are planted in April.
For best results, it is advisable to initially sow the seeds in a pot or container. The soil in these tanks must be fertile. Cover the container or pot with glass or film. Subsequent care consists of watering and airing. If three leaves appeared, then the plant already needs to be transplanted into a separate pot. When planting seeds in a pot in April, they can be planted in open soil only next spring.
Plant propagation, through rhizome division - This is the simplest and most frequently used method, it makes it possible not only to give life to a new plant, but also to update the old one.
Rhizome division is carried out in early spring or late summer. Initially, carefully dig up the plant, while focusing on the growth buds. In a normal state they are dense, without rot and drying out. Remove unnecessary soil by shaking.
Cuttings - Another way to propagate geraniums. To grow a plant using this method, you need to take several young shoots with leaves from a mature plant. Place the cuttings in a glass of water and leave in a warm place.
Cuttings will give roots within three weeks. Plant them in separate pots or in open ground. You can not wait for the roots to sprout in a glass, but make it easier by treating the roots with a special solution for their growth and planting them in the ground.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that gardeners are more attentive to plants and take care of them correctly. Then they will delight with their beauty.