Grow scented geraniums from seed!

Grow Your Own Scented Geraniums
by
Lili Pintea-Reed
@1998 APRIL NEW JARDIN

I love geraniums... all sorts of geraniums... more and more geraniums. I love
scented ones the best. They wonderful in the summer and wondrous in the winter
as jellies and potpourri. However, this can get quite expensive. I've found
one way to cut my costs is to grow my own. Several companies sell mixed scented
geraniums seeds. Most of the prices are comparable to getting four or five plants
for the price of one started plant. If you want named varieties for show
certainly cutting or plants would be better, but to get a nice porch full of
scented splendor seeds are the way to go.

Scented geraniums are notoriously hard to start. The seed coat is tough and
dry. Pre soaking is necessary. I treat them like parsley seeds -- another hard
starter -- soak them over night in warm water. Plant the next day so they don't
mold and place in a seventy degree F location, or provide bottom heat. Even
with presoaking they can take a MONTH to germinate, or even longer. so don't
despair. The first time I grew them, it took so long I almost threw them out
when I discovered that a sprouted seedling. I learned my lesson. The others
depending on their variety straggled along geminating over the moth that
followed until all but one seed produced a plant. The lemon fragrance types
seemed most vigorous of course...:-)))...

Once sprouted and bearing true leaves geraniums are tough little plants
which transplant well to larger containers and grow well over the summer.
They can be moved indoors in the fall to very sunny windows or porches. Keep
them on the dry side over winter. Take cuttings in the late winter and
fertilize to increase growth when the weather gets sunny enough to support
healthy growth.

Another year will have passed and you will an ever growing collection of these
delicious smelling plants!!!

Lili
newjardin@aol.com




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