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conace55

Pelargonium Propagation

conace55
15 years ago

Thanks to Nancy from Colorado Springs, I picked up a lovely salmon colored pelargonium (geranium) at the Spring Swap and put it in a pot to decorate my front porch this year. It has flourished and been beautiful all summer.

I'm trying to think ahead and wonder if anyone has a link or can describe when and how I can do this for myself this Fall. I have a couple of other colors that I want to repeat again next year.

Thanks in advance.

Connie

Comments (6)

  • Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
    15 years ago

    Hi Connie,

    TheyÂre easy! I used to root them in water, but they tend to get leggy that way, and when I spoke with Nancy at the Spring Swap, she said she starts hers in soil, so I tried it that way when I cut some back over summer, and itÂs better than water and easy to do.

    Cut off some 2½ to 3" tip cuttings that definitely donÂt have any buds starting, remove all but the top couple leaves, fill small pots with moist, new, store-bought soil (NOT Hyponex), make a hole with a pencil or something and stick the cuttings into the holes about half way (one in a pot). Water them in well (I recommend using the sprayer on the kitchen sink). Keep them in bright light, but out of direct sun at first, and leave the soil dry at least halfway before you water them againÂand I recommend watering them from the bottom at least a few times so you donÂt disturb the cutting in the beginning. When you do water them, always water them very thoroughly, but then donÂt water again till theyÂre AT LEAST halfway dry. The drying soil is what helps form roots and draw them down, looking for moisture. Once they seem to start growing, keep them in full sunÂor the most sun you have over winter. If thereÂs not enough sun, theyÂll get leggy, but you can cut them WAY back in late winter to get a nice plant started to put back outside in summer (and stick some more cuttings!)

    Then sit back and watch them grow,
    Skybird

  • conace55
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Thanks Skybird! I think I can handle it! Won't my porch be pretty again next Spring!

    Connie

  • jclepine
    15 years ago

    Connie, I also like to snip off my potted, inside Pelargoniums when they get scraggly looking. I just take a cutting from the top (just as Skybird describes) and stick it in a new pot. When the cutting starts to send out new growth, it is a healthier looking plant with greener foliage. I think it is one of the easiest plants to start from a cutting.

    I have that salmon-coloured plant, too!

    Jennifer

  • stevation
    15 years ago

    I did that two years ago with some pelargoniums, and it really is easy. I've grown other plants from cuttings, and they usually require bagging or some way of keeping them humid and moist while the roots get started, but with pelargoniums, I've read that they'll rot easily if you keep them too moist, so definitely do it like Skybird said. I did it that way, and it worked quite well.

    I've also read that some people dig them up and store the roots in a cool, dry, dark place, like hanging in a basement. I haven't tried this, but it sounds like it could be convenient if you don't want to tend little plants from now until next spring. Good luck!

  • david52 Zone 6
    15 years ago

    If you have a long enough piece, laying them down horizontally, so several inches are buried under less than an inch of soil gives good results.

    I have a dozen x 20 gal pots with the bright orange/red ones, the original start was given as a gift the week we moved in here, they're 13 years old now. The plants grow about 3 feet out of the pots, and I have a couple places where 5 or 6 of them stacked up on cinderblocks so they form a 6' high cascade. They last all the way down to a 26º frost, so they stay out doors well into october. I haven't cut them back in a few years, I'll do that this fall. I bring them into the greenhouse, line them up on the south side windows, and they bloom all winter.

    Before we built the green house, they lived quite happily in the dark garage for several winters. Just don't over water them when they're inside.

  • nancy_in_co
    15 years ago

    WOW! I didn't realize that I had populated the CO gardening world with salmon pelargoniums. Would somebody please remind me in January that I do not have room for 4 flats of them in my garden? They look so small (and GREEN) in January but come April, I have no room under the grow lamps for them. Of course, if you don't remind me, you may all end up with more of mine next year so you won't need to start any cuttings! :)

    The only thing that I would add to Skybird's instructions is that the roots form from the spots where you have removed leaves. I have always been told that you need at least 2 'eyes' (that is the leaf removal spot) to get them to root. So when you strip off the leafs, leave enough stem on it so that you have two 'eyes.'

    Oh, and some pelargoniums roots easily and some don't. The salmons of just about any variety seem to work well. I tend to have problems with the red 'Sassy' variety. And ivy pelargoniums tend to be true annuals. I've tried cutting over the years but even if they take, they are puny sickly plants.

    Good Luck, Nancy