Pruning Geraniums

Helpful Tips For Pruning Geraniums

Pruning geraniums is essential in order to keep your plant as healthy as possible. Along with increasing plant heath, pruning also gives it a nice form that keeps it attractive. Almost all plants require pruning to help advance the growth of the plant; however, despite its common need, many may be afraid to prune their plant due to a lack of knowledge of what they are cutting back and how much. Therefore, this article aims are relieving people of these fears and equipping you with proper methods for pruning geraniums to assist with the process.

Geraniums require pruning or they will become very sparse. Therefore, pruning geraniums is essential to keeping these plants looking nice and full within your lovely garden. When discussing pruning the following three questions are typically asked by many people: When? How? With what? Obviously these are very common, but also important to understand when you begin the pruning process.

In terms of answering the question of when to start the pruning process, there is no solid answer. If your plant appears to need a good pruning, which can be determined by dead parts or sparse-looking appearance, it is time to prune. A relatively intense pruning tends to take place during the first part of the year, in which you will remove all dead parts of the plant (shoots, leaves, etc.). Note that if you plant looks horrible after removing all of these dead parts, it will look amazing within a few months after the intense pruning process. Therefore, rest assured that you just did your plant and garden justice despite the immediate unsatisfying results.

How to prune geraniums is the second frequently asked question. In order to get your plant to grow back with a full texture (which is a problem due to the sparse form given without proper pruning) you will need to pinch off a few buds on the plant. This will allow new additions to grow in and will therefore decrease the sparse appearance. No pruning methods should be done that will increase the thinness of the plant; as a result, these methods will not be examined.

Now to address the final question about pruning geraniums: what tools are needed? There are only two tools you will need in order to successfully prune your geraniums. First, use your fingers. As mentioned above you will pinch off buds in order to encourage new growth. Second, you will need a typical pair of pruning shears. These shears will assist you with easy removal of dead shoots and branches. However, typically the job can be done with only your hands and without the need for pruning shears. Whether or not to use shears can be left up to your discretion.

Although these plants look amazing in your garden when consistently pruned, they also make excellent container plants. These plants can be kept in these pots either indoors or outdoors. Many people will place them on their porch to add instant décor. Others will house them indoors and keep them near a window to obtain essential sun exposure for proper growth. Believe it or not, they even look fantastic in your typical hanging basket. Regardless of where you keep your geraniums (indoors or outdoors) pruning is a must in order to keep them healthy and reduce the sparse-like appearance these plants typically exhibit.

In conclusion, pruning geraniums is absolutely necessary to help this species properly grow and develop into a healthy plant. Failing to prune them on a regular basis will leave you with a sparse, leggy plant that is not extremely attractive. The best way to tell if your plant needs to be pruned is by monitoring dead leaves as well as checking for “legs” that have very few leaves or blooms. By cutting back these areas you are more likely to receive a full, healthier looking plant that makes a great versatile addition to your garden or house. In the end, if you monitor your geranium and prune when necessary you should be satisfied with this plant.