Martha Washington Geranium (Pelargonium domesticum) – Flowering plants

Martha Washington Geranium is an evergreen, ornamental, perennial and shrubs in its habitat. It has bright green, serrated leaves and impressive blooms of pink, purple, red, white or yellow, often with contrasting markings in the center of the flower. The thick, succulent flower stems bear upright clusters of flat-petaled flowers.

Scientific Name: Pelargonium domesticum
Common Names: Martha Washington Geranium, Regal Geranium.

How to grow and maintain Martha Washington Geranium (Pelargonium domesticum):

Light:
It thrives best in full sun to partial shade.

Soil:
It grows well in well-drained, peat moss-based soilless mix.

Water:
Keep the soil evenly moist, but not soggy. Allow top inch of soil to dry between waterings. Reduce watering in winter, but don’t allow the soil to dry out completely.

Humidity:
It Prefers average room humidity, around 40-50% relative humidity. Use a cool-mist room humidifier to increase moisture around the plant.

Temperature:
It prefers normal room temperatures 60°F – 75°F / 16°C – 24°C during winter through summer. In the fall, two months of cool nights 50°F / 10°C will trigger flower buds.

Fertilizer:
Fertilize every three weeks during spring through fall with a high-phosphorus liquid fertilizer diluted by half. High-nitrogen fertilizers given to young plants will bring a lot of foliage growth, but few flowers. To get the most blooms, use a high-phosphorus fertilizer only while the ivy geranium is budding and flowering.

Pruning:
Dead flowers must be pinched off to promote more flowering and prune during spring and again in autumn to remove any excessive growth and to keep plants bushy and dense.

Propagation:
It can be easily propagated by cuttings or seed. Take stem cuttings in spring and root in fresh potting mix. Sow seeds in early spring. Seed should be sown to a depth of 2-3 mm in late autumn. Germination should occur 3 to 4 weeks after sowing.