| Life form | Shrub, grassy |
| Family | Geraniaceae |
| Origin | South Africa |
| Ease of cultivation | Lung |
| The size | In a pot up to 90 cm in height. In the thyroid pelargonium, hanging stems reach a length of 1 m, and do not exceed 30 cm in height. |
| Growth rate | High – 23-30 cm per year |
| Lifespan | A perennial plant, but it needs periodic renewal (once every 2-3 years). |
| Temperature | In the summer: in the warmth (68-77 ° F), in the winter 55,4-60,8 ° F, at least 44,6 ° F. Does not like strong temperature changes. |
| Humidity | Average, does not play a principal role. It is desirable to spray plants in summer with soft water if the air is excessively dry. |
| Lighting | Bright diffused light, on the south window necessarily shade, protect the plant from burns. The west and east window will do. A plant for maximum abundant flowering needs bright light 16 hours a day. |
| The soil | Ready ground is suitable general purpose. For a soil of own preparation to take: 2 parts of peat on 2 parts of garden soil and 1 part of coarse-grained sand. 2 option: 2 parts of the turf ground, 2 parts – humus, 2 parts – peat, 1 part sand. The pH is 6.0-6.5. Good drainage is required. Excess peat can lead to stagnation of moisture, which is harmful to pelargonium. In too fertile soil, flowering slows down. |
| Watering | Watering abundantly, 3-4 times a week in the summer, the soil between watering should dry up to a depth of 2.5 cm. Surplus water is better to drain. In winter, water less often, about every 8-10 days. |
| Fertilizer | From spring to autumn, a liquid balanced fertilizer with an increased content of phosphorus and potassium every 2-3 weeks. Stop feeding in August. In winter, do not fertilize. |
| Reproduction | Spring or August-September apical cuttings, which are very easy to take root in the water. Seed propagation is possible. For better germination with them, it is desirable to remove the outer husks. Plant in a mixture of peat and sand, you can plant in vermiculite directly to the surface. The substrate must be moist, but not wet. Container with planted seeds should be covered with glass or film. After germination, place in the light. When there are 2 cotyledonous leaves, the seedlings can be transplanted into a permanent substrate. |
| Bloom | From the end of spring to the beginning of autumn. In the zone Pelargonium bright large white, red, pink umbellate inflorescences from relatively small flowers. In large-flowered pelargonium, these flowers are quite large. In fragrant pelargonium flowers are not of particular value, they should be removed. |
| Transfer | In the spring, if the roots appeared from the drainage hole. The plant blooms better in a slightly cramped pot. It is advisable to transplant young plants. After reaching a height of 25 cm transplant is best to stop. Too frequent transplantation weakens flowering. |
| Features of care | For the summer it is good to take the plant in the garden. A plant needs a lot of air. Need hard pruning in spring (one-third or half) to encourage flowering in the autumn should be removed particularly weak shoots, also require topping shoots to enhance tillering. Pinching is stopped 5-6 weeks before the planned flowering. You should regularly remove old flowers to stimulate the development of new ones. It cannot stand drafts |
| Difficulties | Pelargonium zonal is affected by whitefly, cyclamen and spider mites, mealybug, aphids, sometimes rust, and gray rot. White circles on the leaves can be a sign of rust (at the bottom there will be a brown powder coating).On the stems and the underside of the leaves, spots with a grayish fuzz appeared, probably this is gray mold. In dry or cold air, the lower leaves may turn red or yellow, later they fall off. At low temperatures, a red shade of the entire foliage and stems of the plant is possible.With excessive watering, rotting of the stem at the soil level is possible. If the base of the stem turns black, this is a black leg, the plant is likely to die. If a lot of leaves are formed, but the plant does not bloom, it is most likely due to an excess of fertilizers.Pelargonium zonal extends (few leaves and long stems) from lack of light. If the lower leaves turn yellow and brown spots form on them, this is the result of insufficient watering.The obliteration of the lower part of the trunk is a natural process that occurs with age. Yellow spots on the leaves can arise from excessive light, and the brown tips of the leaves are observed in too dry air.Yellowing the edges of the leaves of young plants of the thyroid geranium is a sign of excessive light, and for old leaves this is a natural process. |
| Air cleaning | Clears air from pathogens |
| Toxicity | – |
