In this article, we are going to tell you about the best fertilizer for geraniums. First, we will talk about homemade fertilizers for geraniums and then we will review the best commercial geranium fertilizers that we have used at The Garden Style.
Making homemade fertilizer for geraniums is easier than many people think. Geraniums are plants that do not require great care and are also very easy to propagate. They are one of the best plants to give as gifts because they are beautiful and easy to maintain.
If you want to know how to make the perfect fertilizer for geraniums, in The Garden Style we will explain some organic products that you can use to strengthen your plants. All the information from an ecological, natural, and homemade point of view.
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Homemade Fertilizer for Geraniums
We can take advantage of practically any type of organic waste of vegetable origin that we use in our day-to-day life to make organic compost for geraniums. Nutshells, fruit peels, or the stems of certain vegetables are some examples, but there are many more.
Coffee for plants, the use of eggshells, and dried garlic are also excellent when preparing homemade compost for geraniums since in addition to providing nutrients very benefits to our plant will help prevent the appearance of certain insect pests, as is the case of the cottony mealybug.
You can also add wood chips, leaf debris, and weeds to your garden. In addition to generating more compost, you will avoid wasting garbage bags and generate less waste.
How to Fertilize Geraniums
To begin with it will be useful to get compost garbage can specifically for this purpose. If you do not have one, you can use whatever you have at hand, such as a plastic container. You can also use a fruit container, like the one found in any greengrocer’s shop, and use it to make the compost.
To favor the process of composting, we will make holes in the whole container, to allow the organic matter to breathe. This point is especially important to obtain quality compost.
We must go adding the compost in a container that is undercover (sheltered from the rain) and every time we add fruit it will be useful to add a layer of dry vegetable remains as is the case of the coconut fiber. Then we will moisten them lightly with a spray bottle of water.
Learn more about How to Make a Worm Composting Bin.
Before applying the fertilizer, it will be very useful to turn the soil to allow well-drained soil, essential for this plant. When the soil is aerated, you can add the homemade fertilizer you have prepared for your geraniums. It is preferable to place it just above the roots.
Fertilizer for Geraniums Planted in a Garden
A well-conditioned substrate with the correct organic fertilizer promotes healthy root growth and this increases the geranium’s ability to absorb nutrients from the soil. It is advisable to add organic matter to sandy or clay soil to improve soil quality. A substrate of peat and compost improves water retention in sandy and clay soils, which improves aeration and drainage and prevents salt accumulation.
Apply 1 heaping teaspoon of fertilizer with a composition of 5% nitrogen, 10% potassium, and 5% phosphorus per half square meter of soil for new geranium plantings.
As maintenance, apply every four to six weeks, 1 scant teaspoon of fertilizer with a concentration of 10% nitrogen, 10% potassium, and 10% phosphorus sprinkled on a 1 square meter area.
If you prefer to use a water-soluble fertilizer, you can use one with a concentration of 20% nitrogen, 20% potassium, and 20% phosphorus. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and fertilize approximately three times during the growing season.
Fertilizer for Geraniums in Pots
A good substrate for geraniums should include equal parts peat moss, vermiculite, and perlite. Mature compost can also be used in a mixture with equal parts compost, sand, peat, and clay.
Use a water-soluble fertilizer at 20% nitrogen, 20% phosphorus, and 20% potassium at a rate of 4 ml per liter of water. It will be convenient to fertilize the soil about three times during the growing season. Space the fertilizers out by about a month.
You can add half a teaspoon of dolomitic limestone to the soil if the pH of the soil is below 6.5.
Best Fertilizer for Geraniums
If you don’t want to make your own fertilizer for geraniums, here are the best brands that we already use in our garden and worked great with our geraniums.
Any of the above-mentioned fertilizer for geraniums will serve you perfectly to keep your plant in excellent condition and with many flowers.
General Geranium Fertilizer Considerations
Geraniums planted in sandy soils require more frequent fertilization than geraniums planted in organic type substrates, however, over-fertilizing can damage your geraniums. It is important to hone in on the proper fertilization schedule for the type of substrate to achieve healthy geraniums.
Learn more about How to Care for Potted Geraniums.
