Why do geraniums turn yellow and dry. What to do?

The home healer on the windowsill is fragrant geranium. In the care is absolutely unpretentious, the choice of place of residence applies without whims. Adequate young lady, what can I say. But in the search engines there is often a request why the leaves turn yellow and dry in geraniums. What to do?

Some gardeners believe that if unpretentiousness is in the description of a flower, then it means it itself grows. They remembered - they look after them, they didn’t remember - maybe they will somehow live. But after all, any indoor plant needs at least minimal care. And geranium is no exception.

Let's look at the causes of yellowing and drying of the leaves of geraniums.

Lack of light

Signs The lower leaves gradually turn yellow and dry, the stem stretches, geranium is very rare and blooms little.

Decision. Change the place of residence of your young lady. Put it closer to the light or even hang additional lighting with phytolamps. Do not touch the leaves themselves. You can pinch the crown so that the geranium grows wide. Otherwise, there will be only a bare stem and a bunch of leaves on the crown.

If you already have such a "miracle", then cutting the cuttings and rooting will be the best option. Because on the stem, new leaves will not grow.

Sunburn

Decision. Geranium is of course photophilous and quite easily tolerates direct sunlight. But there is a limit to everything. For example, in recent years, the summer of the middle strip presents incredible surprises. On the windowsill, the temperature is far beyond + 40 ° C. Here even the cactus withers, not like geraniums.

Be sure to shade the bush for the summer with white paper or a curtain from cotton fabric. If the design of the window does not allow, then simply rearrange the pot from the window sill on the table or bedside table near the window. There will be enough light, but a burn will not happen.

Excess moisture

Signs The leaves turn yellow on the tops of the shoots, then become sluggish, watery. The last stage is the decay of the stem and the drying of the leaves.

Decision. Stop creating a swamp in the pot of your geranium. Check drainage holes for clogging with debris and overgrown roots. If this problem is relevant, then carefully release the holes. And it’s better to transplant the plant into another pot.

Water your pet correctly. Since geraniums are often placed on a sunny window, the topsoil dries out quickly enough, forming a crust. But the bottom is still quite humid. Many are lazy once again before the next watering to pick the ground and see what happens below the level of the crust. And again they water the geranium.

Make it a habit to stick a wooden skewer or stick for sushi to the very bottom of the pot for 12-14 minutes. Then take it out and look. On unpainted wood, the moisture level in the ground will be clearly visible.

And further. Geraniums do not have a strict schedule for regular drinking. Water is given to the plant only when the soil in the pot dries almost completely.

Water scarcity

Signs The leaves of geraniums appear dry yellow border of a dark, almost brown hue. Pigmentation is noticeable throughout the plant.

Decision. About watering described above. Do not rush from one extreme to another and completely overdry an earthen lump. Geranium is also a living plant, likes to eat and drink. Especially in the summer and in the heat.

No time to water a flower often? Attach it to more secure hands. Or change your geranium's residence, where the temperature is lower.So moisture from the pot will evaporate more slowly, and the roots will not absorb it at the speed of the pump.

By the way, if possible, then in the summer you can not torment the beauty with a hot windowsill, but transplant her directly into the open ground. Just not in direct sunlight. It is advisable where you most often run with a watering can or watering hose. In autumn, you don’t recognize your geranium. Instead of a stunted stick with yellowing drying leaves, a beautiful powerful bush with juicy green burdocks will grow.

Just do not plant it in the far corner of the garden or plot. After all, you will definitely forget.

Low temperature

Signs The border on all leaves is first red, then turns yellow and dries.

Decision. The normal temperature range of geranium content is in the range from +15 to + 24 ° C. A lower reading of the thermometer is not at all comfortable for the plant. The cold season is especially rich in unpleasant surprises. Hot radiating air comes from heating radiators, and cold and damp blows from the window. So no wonder to get geraniums.

Move the pot to a more comfortable place with an acceptable temperature and normal humidity. If this is not possible, then do the following:

1. The batteries under the window are covered with a thick towel or blanket. Better wet. This eliminates excessive air dryness.
2. Cold glass is fenced off from the pot with a foam plate or a strip of foamed insulation. A piece of cork stand for hot, a flap of thick woolen fabric will do.
3. The same materials are placed under the pot to warm the root system.
4. Place the geranium on the windowsill so that the shoots and leaves do not touch the glass.

As you can see, the procedures are not so complicated, and the benefits from them are huge. Thanks to these actions, the temperature of the geranium content on the windowsill is leveled in the winter. It is close to room temperature and does not fluctuate from drafts from a window. The leaves will no longer turn yellow and dry.

Fungal diseases

Signs First, yellow spots appear on the leaves. Over time, they grow over the entire surface. Sometimes a gray or whitish coating of mold may appear. Then the leaf plates dry. The fungus affects the entire plant.

Decision. With a disease that has just begun, treatment should be started immediately. Otherwise, then it will be impossible to save the geranium. Use spraying with any suitable systemic fungicide. Strictly according to the instructions and without increasing the dosage.

A young plant of small size can simply be dipped whole in a medicinal solution. An adult large bush, most likely, cannot be redeemed. But it is necessary to spray carefully, until all sheet plates are completely wetted from the outside and inside. Because the villi delay the microdroplets of the solution and prevent it from working directly with the green mass.

If time is already lost and the plant is completely affected (the fungus has switched to the stem), then fungicides will not help. Can you find not very infected shoots? Cut them with a sterile knife or blade. Then try to root. Could not find at least one healthy twig? You have to say goodbye to geraniums.

By the way, the soil from under it also needs to be thrown out. The pot must be disinfected with boiling water or a hot strong solution of potassium permanganate before the next use.

Pests

Signs Yellow small dots appear on the leaves. Uninvited guests are always clearly visible on the underside of the blades. Sometimes there is a cobweb or a sticky coating on the shoots. Then the dots grow into spots, the leaves dry out. Any part of the plant can be damaged.

Decision. Found enemies? Get rid of them immediately! Not only do they suck out all the nutrient juices and vitamins from geranium, but pests often carry pathogenic bacteria and pathogenic fungal spores.

There are recommendations to use a solution of laundry or potash soap for washing the leaves. You can try it. This method does a good job with disgusting guests. The complexity of its use lies in the fact that the geranium fluff prevents the soap solution from washing the leaves with high quality.

Much more convenient in this regard is any systemic insecticide with a complex effect. Even if you are not able to properly wet the leaves with a solution, some will remain on the villi and will certainly fall on insects.

To achieve the best result, we recommend repeating the processing again after some time.

Tightness

Signs The leaves turn yellow evenly throughout the plant, first from the edges, then whole. Gradually dry up, the bare trunk remains. Flowering is not and is not expected. Roots are visible from the drainage hole.

Decision. The reason is commonplace: geraniums became small in her pot. This plant is quite loyal to small containers. Transplantation requires once every 3-4 years. But sometimes, with good care and high-quality nutrition, the flower grows too quickly. This is especially true for young plants.

Just transplant the geranium into a bigger house. Just not much. Otherwise, in the next 2 years you will not see flowers. The plant will begin to intensively grow the root system to the detriment of foliage and buds. It is very important not to feed him for 3 months after transplantation. This is a time of acclimatization and getting used to.

By the way, if you notice thickenings, tubercles or knots on the roots, then we sympathize with you. Geranium is affected by the root nematode. This can also cause yellowing and drying of the leaves. Unfortunately, this problem is not treated. You have to throw the whole plant along with the soil and the pot.

Even prolonged soaking of the container in bleach or boiling does not give 100% of the result of getting rid of the larvae and the worms themselves.

After discovering such muck, you will have to inspect all neighboring plants. Often they also have to be disposed of. Do not buy plants in natural markets and avoid this fate.

Those who truly love home flowers will never be bothered by the care of why the geraniums turn yellow and the leaves dry. What to do? - They also know very well. All others, including beginners, will benefit from this article.

Video: how to care for geraniums