Help! My Geraniums are dying!!?

I have two geraniums that are each in a pot. I live in SC and it's been pretty hot down here! I've been watering the plants everyday and I even moved them to a place where they get sunlight only about 1/2 day instead of all day because they are not looking good! What can I do to make them come back to life!! HELP!! Thanks! :)

Help! My Geraniums are dying!!?
Geraniums are pretty hard to balance but worth the effort. You did right to put them where they don't get direct sun all day. Make sure the water drains well as they get root rot easily. They flower on new growth, so if they are getting "leggy" you may want to cut them back. As a last resort, cut off healthy green parts and replant them.


Feed them with a mild solution of liquid food about once a month. I use VF-11. Don't know if it is available in SC, but it is really good and only takes a teaspoon per gallon and never burns the plants. Are your plants in plastic or clay pots? Clay dries out too fast and plastic stays wet too long.


Plants die in spite of our best efforts, so if yours don't make it, try again. Good Luck
Reply:Thanks everyone! I think I have probably been over-watering them. Also I think they are beginning to grow too big for the pots. I have already re-potted them once but it might be time to do it once again. Thank you! Report It

Reply:pray and use miracle grow. they may be on their knees genuflecting for some nutrients.
Reply:Try putting the hose on low and really saturating them.In Ca. they live in the heat,so after a good watering allow 4 days to dry out...
Reply:Shannon, you might of over watered them, let them almost dry out from now on before you water them again. They also like to be alittle root bound. The ones that I have I have had for over ten years. In the spring and mid summer I give them a boost with 1 teaspoon of Epsom salt . I sprinkle it on top of the soil and then water it in. Depending on the type of plant that you have most need at least 6 hours of sun, Martha Washington's can not take full sun. If you plant is leggy then it is not getting enough sun. Check the bottom of the stems if they are getting soft then they have begone to rot. Take stem cuttings, dip in rooting powder and place cuttings in loose soil. Keep moist and soon you will have new plants. If plant is rotting there really is not anyway to save it other than the cuttings. Good luck and happy gardening.
Reply:Check for bugs , you may have to re pot them in new soil, also you may have too much peatmoss in the mix. Usually they can take alot of heat. You may have to cut them back.Check down deep in the pots, maybe the root system is too wet. You didn't say if the leaves were drying up. If the leaves turn yellow first it's agood sign of too much water.
Reply:The very thing that provides excellent drainage to a potting soil mixture (vermiculite) is the very thing that also can cause the soil to dry out on a hot day within a few hours. As you may know already, once the potting soil becomes dry, it's very hard to get it wet again as the water just scoots across the top of the soil and runs down the inside of the pot.


Two solutions:


(1) Remove the plant/plants from the pots, gently shake off the soil and set the plant down in a bucket of water for a long drink while you're getting it's 'new' soil ready. Dump all the potting soil from that pot into a bucket and mix in some regular soil from a flower bed, (one part old potting soil, one part garden soil) even one with clay soil as clay soil holds moisture. Be sure to break into small pieces any lumps of garden soil. Refill your pots (with drainage holes) with this new mixture, replant your plants and water.


(2) For a quick emergency fix for wilted plants in a pot, set the whole pot into a large bucket of water, birdbath, wheelbarrow ANYTHING big enough to hold it that you can add a few inches of water to (to at least above the drainage holes). Since roots grow towards the bottom of the pot, they can get to the water alot faster and will immediately draw it up, without having to wait for the potting soil to get moist by being watered from the top.





Another likely cause of the plants not doing well:





(1) Potting soil actually has very little nutrition in it unless you bought a kind that has fertilizer already in it. And even at that, the daily watering that is required in the hot months of summer leachs it out very quickly. I actually water every other time with water and fertilizer at half strength


(2) The plants roots are 'pot bound'. See if you can gently pull the plant out of the pot with the whole rootball intact. If you can, it's a good sign the plant needs repotted in a larger pot. When the roots run out of soil, they start to decline.


Hope some of this helps!





Becki
Reply:if you are watering them every day.. is the water draining out the bottom or collecting where the roots are... if it is collecting then that is not good and the roots could possibly be rotting.. the move was good you dont want to fry them.. try throwing some miracle grow stick and see if that helps... also try pulling of the dead leaves and blooms.... the plant us wasting energy on them . good luck !
Reply:keep em where they are, take em out of the pot u have them in, and replant with new "dry soil"..... they don't need water "everyday"... they like to be on the "dry side" which is watered about once a week "if it hasn't rained!
Reply:Maybe you are watering them too much, if the leaves are turning yellow, that usually a sign that they are getting to much water. Check the plants to see if they really need to be water every day. Also when they are really dry, Give them a feeding of Miracle Grow.
Reply:Make sure when you water that your water is draining through the bottom of the pots and not just being soaked all into the pots. If its not draining out of the bottom then the plants are probably getting to much water, so what you will need to do is check the bottom of the pots and if there is a whole stick something in it to clean it out and if there is not a whole make one for the water to drain. I hope this helps! Good Luck!!