6

This is my first flower garden and I don't know what to do about flower petals that are sick.

Here are some pictures:

enter image description here enter image description here

I think the reason for them being sick is that this plant was not in the best shape when I bought it (it had stems that were cut with scissors) and also there was a big big rain yesterday and I think it had too much water. Not sure.

Please let me know how to help the flower to become more healthy.

Thanks kindly.

Alina
  • 5,376
  • 2
  • 15
  • 47
Jenia Ivanov
  • 163
  • 3
  • The petals look rain damaged, which can happen with Pelargonium, nothing to worry about. – Bamboo May 27 '17 at 18:53
  • @Bamboo does that mean that I should not deadhead it? – Jenia Ivanov May 27 '17 at 19:14
  • 1
    Well the red one's past its best anyway, but you can wait a bit for the pink/white one if you like - snap the flowerstems off at their base, where the nobbly bit of stem is that joins the rest of the plant - if you bend the stem where that nobbly bit is at right angles, it should snap off. If you leave them on, they just gradually go brown, including the stem, and they either fall off on their own or you can pick them off, but they spoil the look of the plant left that long. – Bamboo May 27 '17 at 19:17
  • The biggest trick to make your annuals and perennials flower like crazy is to cut the flowers off as soon as you are able! My hubby just bought me a flower basket for mom's day. First thing I do? Cut off all the flowers. Annuals especially have but one goal in life and that is to produce babies/seed. To allow your plants to produce seed means they are done in this life and will quickly die. Flowers and seed, reproductive growth take a lot of energy to make. – stormy May 27 '17 at 19:27
  • Cutting these flowers off way before going as far as making seed will send all that energy back into the plant. This plant will grow larger and become very vigorous and in a few days will set more flowers and more flowers. Keep cutting those flowers off! Pretty soon you won't be able to keep up with all the flowers...or all your friends asking you, 'how do you do it'? Fertilize with formulations where the Nitrogen is a lower number or percentage than the phosphorous and potassium. Equal numbers are okay; 14-14-14, better is 10-14-14, do not use 20-14-14. The numbers are arbitrary. – stormy May 27 '17 at 19:30

2 Answers2

4

Care advice at fine Gardening starts Deadhead spent flowers consistently. Pelargoniums flower prolifically and will soon replace any flowers that have been removed.

pnuts
  • 76
  • 4
  • 34
2

The top geranium I'd leave go. The bottom one I would cut right back to the base. I used to take care of residents plants when I worked, they had tons of geraniums.I would just keep the spent flowers dead-headed, they'll recover nicely.You should see the pansies I got off the clearance rack a couple wks. ago, ugh. Now, vavoom!

Donna White
  • 424
  • 2
  • 2