All about pelargonium seeds: how to plant and grow at home step by step?

Propagation of pelargonium by seeds is interesting in that it makes it possible to grow your own specimen, not like a parent plant. This is a rather time-consuming process, having a number of nuances that you need to know.

In this article we will talk in detail about how to prepare pelargonium seeds for sowing, in which soil to plant them, and how to take care of young plant shoots in the future. You can also watch a useful video on the topic.

What kind of plant?

Pelargonium - a perennial plant of the Geranium family. Has branched stems with leaves on long stalks. Pelargonium flowers are large mottled or plain, saturated pink, purple, white. Most plant varieties were brought to Europe from the Republic of South Africa in the 16th century. Pelargonium was introduced to our country in the 18th century.

Breeding methods

Pelargonium reproduces in two main ways:

• seeds;
• vegetatively - by cuttings or by dividing the bush.

Hybrid varieties of pelargonium grown from their own seeds do not inherit the properties of the parent plant. To preserve the necessary signs, they need to be propagated only in a vegetative way. 

Many gardeners are interested in independently growing one or another sort of pelargonium from seeds. At the same time, you can use both your seeds and purchased ones. Plants derived from seeds bloom better and much more abundantlythan the pelargonium that was grown from cuttings.

Features

What do they look like?

ATTENTION: Pelargonium seeds are similar in shape and structure to coffee beans. One side of the seeds is convex, the second is flat with a pronounced dividing line of the cotyledons. Pelargonium seeds are usually saturated brown. On a plant, the seeds are in a seed box.

The ripened seed box has a brown color. The seeds themselves are surrounded by a dense shell with a small umbrella made of fluff. When the seed basket is ripe, it bursts, and in its place the fruits are formed.

What is needed for appearance?

When flowers appear on indoor plants, you need to take care of the seeds. You can conduct artificial pollination. To do this, you need to take a needle or tweezers to transfer pollen. In the center of the flower are ten stamens and a pistil with a stigma. The sharp side of the needle must be carefully removed pollen from one flower and transferred to the stigma of the pestle from another flower. Its flower should bloom a couple of days before this procedure. Pollinating in this way is possible many times.

How do seeds ripen and when to collect them?

If pollination has occurred, after 3-4 days, the column begins to grow slowly and lengthen. An elongated and pointed fruit box is formed. Ripening, the box greatly increases in length and thickness. When the seeds ripen, the fruit bursts. Oblong brown seeds covered with long white fibers hang on thin elastic threads.

How to collect seeds at home? Collect seeds immediately after ripening. It is advisable to collect seeds from dry cracked boxes, this indicates that they have matured. You should not wait for the moment when the box opens and the seeds fall off. They can begin to germinate, which will not allow them to be stored.

Step-by-step instruction: how to grow at home?

What time frame to sow?

When to sow? Sowing pelargonium at home can be done all year round, but only if additional lighting is provided. The most favorable time for sowing seeds is February or March.. If sowing pelargonium later, the plant stretches strongly and blooms only after 9 months (why doesn’t the pelargonium bloom?).

Soil preparation

IMPORTANT: Pelargonium prefers light, nutritious soil that passes water and air well to the roots of the plant. For seed germination, you can use ready-made shop soil or make it yourself.

There are several options:

1. mix peat, sand, humus and compost in equal proportions;
2. combine two parts of garden land with one part of peat and sand;
3. dilute peat with perlite in a ratio of 1: 1.

Before sowing seeds, the prepared substrate must be disinfected.to avoid further infection of pelargonium. To do this, it is calcined for several minutes in the oven.

For soil treatment, you can use ready-made high-quality fungicides or manganese. Then the landing should be postponed for one day.

Selection

To grow pelargonium quickly and without problems, you need to select and prepare planting material. When selecting seeds, special attention should be paid to the following symptoms:

• Color. Quality pelargonium seeds have a pronounced brown color. Slight dullness and a slight shade are allowed.
• Form. The developed seeds are oblong, on their sides small cavities are visible.
• The size. Planting material is quite large.
• Shell. Pelargonium seeds are characterized by a dense leathery shell.

If planting material has all these qualities, then it can be purchased. Do not choose seeds that have the following characteristics:

• small ones;
• flattened;
• deformed;
• spotted in different colors.

The seeds of some types of pelargonium, especially the coniferous, do not germinate for 2-3 months. It is necessary to remember this and not stop caring for crops.

To maximize reduction of germination time, a scarification procedure is carried out.. It consists in removing part of the seed coat to provide access to nutrients. This requires:

1. Take fine-grained or medium-sized sandpaper. It will help to remove the surface layer without traumatic tears.
2. Slowly rub the seed 2-3 times on the emery paper with rotational movements.

What do you need to plant?

How to plant? To plant seeds and successfully grow seedlings at home, you need a greenhouse. This can be a regular box for seedlings, which is covered with a plastic bag, a food tray with a transparent lid or a plastic bottle cut in the middle. To provide air access, small holes must be made in the film or cover.

Sowing at home:

1. Soak the pelargonium seeds in warm water for three hours, which contributes to the emergence of seedlings.
2. Pour previously prepared soil at room temperature with a layer of 5-7 centimeters in a greenhouse. The soil should be free of lumps and debris. Tamp the soil a little.
3. Lightly sprinkle the surface of the soil with warm water and leave for one day to warm the ground to a temperature of 21-22 ° C.
4. Spread the seeds on the surface of the soil at a distance of two centimeters from each other, slightly pushing into the soil. Seeds should be placed rounded side up. The flat side of the seeds should lie snugly against the ground. Sprinkle the seeds with a thin layer of loose substrate.
5. Sprinkle the seeds a little more with the spray gun.
6. Cover the greenhouse.

Crates with crops should be placed in a warm room in which the temperature is kept in the region of 22-24 ° C. Watering the seeds is necessary as the soil dries.

We grow in peat tablets

How to grow out at home in peat tablets? Take medium-sized tablets. Arrange them in a deep container and soak in warm water so that they increase in size by about 6 times. Place the grain in a special cavity and slightly cover it with peat from the tablet. After that, cover the container with film or glass and put in a warm place. The first shoots will appear after a week and a half.

Watch the video about sowing pelargonium seeds in peat tablets:

Choose the "right" pot

For germination of pelargonium, small compact pots or trays 3 cm deep are suitable. You can purchase containers in special stores or make them yourself.

For growing use boxes or pots. The pot in which the flower will be located is selected according to the size of the root system. A transplant is made only when the plant becomes crowded (more details on how to transplant and root pelargonium can be found here). It is advisable to use clay pots. They pass air well and absorb moisture. You can use plastic pots, but they do not allow air to pass and can lead to stagnation of excess water. This can lead to rotting of the roots and plant diseases.

If it is possible to prepare a substrate for growing yourself, then it should be used. Seedlings appear later in the purchased soil, the seedlings are weaker, the bush forms thin or excessively thick stems, and the plant blooms poorly.

Care

Favorable conditions for growing pelargonium from seeds:

• Temperature. It should be between + 18 + 24 ° C. Otherwise, the seedlings will not germinate.
• Humidity. High humidity speeds seed germination. Grains and seedlings until the first pair of true leaves appear is required to be kept in a greenhouse. It is aired 2 times a day.
• Backlight. When sprouts appear, the greenhouse is exposed to bright, diffused light. The length of daylight hours is at least 12 hours. Can be used for artificial lighting fluorescent lamp. Without light, seedlings of pelargonium are elongated.

Pelargonium seeds germinate within 2-14 days from the moment of planting. Terry varieties with germination can be delayed up to 1 month.

In order for the plants to form a beautiful bush, they must be properly looked after. Pelargonium needs timely watering, top dressing, loosening the soil, a warm climate, picking and pinching.

You can find out more about caring for pelargonium at home here.

Water correctly

Improper watering can cause disease and even death of young plants.

Helpful hints:

• Do not over-wet the soil.. This leads to a black leg - a disease that develops quickly and destroys seedlings. To avoid this, in containers for planting, it is necessary to make a drainage layer and holes for the drain of excess water.
• Watering requirements required. Seedlings are watered as the soil dries, trying not to flood them. After diving into separate containers, plants are watered no more than twice a week. In winter, the frequency of watering is reduced to once every seven days.

Pelargonium is fed for the first time two weeks after a dive. To do this, use fertilizers for flowering plants with a rich content of potassium and phosphorus. Frequency of top dressing - once every two weeks. In winter, feeding is stopped. More information on how to feed pelargonium can be found here.

Watch the video about watering and feeding seedlings of pelargonium from seeds:

Conclusion

Growing pelargonium at home from seeds allows gardeners to get a plentifully flowering plant. Important conditions are seed selection, compliance with all planting recommendations and proper care of young seedlings. Now you know everything about planting and caring for pelargonium.

Watch the video: Starting Geranium Seeds Indoors - Growing Guide (May 2024).