Geraniums are the absolute superstars of the balcony garden. When spring rolls around, you’ll find them everywhere—from high-end garden centers to your local grocery store. And while it’s super easy to just grab a few off the shelf, savvy gardeners know there’s something way more rewarding about growing your own. Plus, it’s actually a total breeze!
Your Home-Growing Options
If you already have a few geraniums in your collection, you’ve got options for how to grow your own. Most geranium varieties can be propagated either by taking cuttings or by starting them from seed.
You can buy seeds at the store, or harvest them from your own plants in the fall. If you want to go the DIY route, just leave a few of your prettiest spent blooms on the plant during the blooming season instead of deadheading them. As for cuttings, you can snip them on purpose in August or early September, or simply use healthy stems that accidentally broke off in the wind.
Pro Tip:
If you have a specific geranium that you absolutely love, go with the cutting method. These young plants will be genetic clones of the mother plant, so you know exactly what you’re getting!
Propagation by Cuttings
- Snip off cuttings about 4 inches long from healthy stems that are roughly the thickness of a finger.
- Remove any flowers and most of the leaves. You only want one pair of large leaves left at the very tip.
- Fill small pots with a high-quality seed-starting mix.
- Poke one cutting into each pot, about 1 inch deep.
- Gently press the soil down and give it a little water.
- Place your pots in a warm, bright spot, but keep them out of direct, scorching sunlight.
- Keep the soil consistently moist. You can pop a clear plastic bag over the cutting to create a mini-greenhouse, just make sure to take it off for a bit every day to let it breathe.
- Once you see a new pair of leaves sprouting, it’s time to transplant your “babies” into potting soil or geranium-specific soil enriched with a bit of compost.
Just a heads-up: these young plants can’t handle the cold. Before the first frost hits in the fall, bring them inside to overwinter in a bright, cool room. They shouldn’t head back outdoors until mid-May when the threat of frost has passed.
Starting Seeds in the Spring
If you want your seed-grown geraniums to show off their gorgeous colors this year, you’ll need to get an early start in January. Since Pelargoniums (the fancy botanical name for geraniums) originally come from South Africa, they need warmth. You’ll want to start them indoors on a bright, sunny windowsill.
- Sow seeds in a seed-starting mix.
- Cover them very lightly with soil.
- Use a spray bottle to mist the soil (this keeps the tiny seeds from washing away).
- Aim for a germination temperature between 68°F and 72°F.
- Once they sprout, move them to a cooler spot (around 60°F).
- “Prick out” (transplant) the seedlings once they have four true leaves.
- Give them their first dose of fertilizer after about 4 to 6 weeks.
- When they reach about 8 inches tall, pinch off the tips to encourage the plant to grow bushy and full.
- Move them outside to plant in mid-May.
