What to do if geranium leaves turn red: tips

Our houseplants can communicate with us, giving us signals that they need changes in care. When it comes to geraniums, one of these signals is the reddening of the leaves.

OBOZ.UA asked experienced gardeners for advice on what to do if red leaves appear on your geranium. The prognosis is encouraging: in most cases, the plant can be saved.

First of all, find out what caused these changes. The main ones include the following:

• the plant is too cold;
• it is suffering from a bacterial or fungal infection;
• it lacks fertilization;
• or vice versa – you have over-fertilized;
• the leaves are burned by intense sunlight;
• you have overwatered your geraniums.

If you add too much water to a geranium pot, the roots begin to rot. This disease does not make itself felt immediately and is first manifested through the lower leaves – they begin to turn red. Red-orange and red-brown stripes appear on them. To save such a plant, stop watering immediately, or even better, completely replace the substrate. Otherwise, the rot will spread to the trunk and leaves. After such a transplant, the geranium may not feel very well for a while, just give it time to recover.

If the flower does not recover, make a neat cut on the leaves near the top of the bush. Healthy tissue in the cut will be green. If they are brown, this signals a severe lesion and such geraniums are unlikely to be saved.

Geraniums must also be transplanted correctly. Universal potting soil or a mixture for flowering plants is quite suitable for it. It is better to take a pot 2-3 cm larger in diameter than the previous one – so the flower will have more living space to restore the root system.

Start by carefully removing the plant from the old pot and inspecting it. Cut off all damaged parts with a clean and sharp tool, including removing rotten and dead roots. Also, remove inflorescences and unopened buds from the bush – they will take away the strength needed for recovery. Shake off the old soil, but not completely.

Pour 2-3 cm of drainage on the bottom of the new pot – it can be expanded clay, brick chips, fine gravel, foam, etc. Cover the drainage layer with a small amount of soil, and add a little vermiculite or other baking powder. Carefully lower the roots of the geranium into the pot and fill it with soil so that the plant is firmly anchored. Lightly tamp the soil near the trunk.

Do not water the transplanted flower, but take it to a shaded place – direct sunlight should not fall on it. After a week, water the plant and carry out preventive treatment with a small amount of fertilizer, which is absorbed through the leaves. Two weeks later, apply fertilizer to the soil. After that, it is better not to fertilize the transplanted geranium for several months.

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