If you like geraniums, surely you have some at home. But, Do you know Randy Geranium? Have you ever heard it?
With some peculiar flowers, this plant can be the envy of all your neighbors. How about if you know what it is like and the care it needs to know if you can have it at home?
How is Randy Geranium
Randy geranium is not a plant that grows too large. In fact, it usually stays between 40 and 60 centimeters tall. It is quite branched, with very woody and somewhat twisted branches. As for the leaves, they are small and light green.. They are toothed and somewhat cut. It is of a bushy type, but creeping (hence it barely grows in height).
Its origin is in South Africa but in the rest of the countries it is used mainly as an ornamental, either in flower boxes or flower beds, since it is quite leafy and blooms abundantly.
Speaking of the flowers, you should know that these are the most striking of the Randy geranium. And it is that these, which appear from spring to autumn, are small and have bicolor petals, that is, some pink with white edges and others magenta with white edges.
Randy Geranium Care
Now that you've seen the Randy Geranium, you may have liked it enough to buy one. And it is not difficult to find, quite the opposite, because online we have seen several stores that sell it. But before starting to do it, you should know what the main care is to know if you can meet their needs.
Location and temperature
Randy Geranium is an outdoor plant. It is true that many geraniums can be indoors, but you risk that it hardly blooms and that it is not as healthy as if you had it outside the home.
Of course, outdoors you should place it in direct sun, unless, where you live, the sun falls too much. Yes ok Geraniums are plants that tolerate sun and heat quite well, sometimes it is preferable to put it in semi-shade to avoid the hours of greatest incidence (especially if temperatures usually exceed 40ºC).
It must be well protected from air currents. A small one is fine, but if they are strong it can damage your health. Humidity is not too convenient for it either, because it can damage the branches and leaves of the plant (That's why geraniums are typical of Andalusia, where humidity is low).
As for the temperature, you should also try to take care of it when it drops (it doesn't like frost at all). In fact, you should protect it if temperatures drop below 10ºC (for example, with a thermal net for plants or putting it in a greenhouse).
Substratum
One of the biggest problems for which the Randy geranium may not succeed is because of the soil you use. You have to see that it does not compact and, for this, nothing better than a mixture of compost, universal earth and perlite. You can also use worm castings instead of compost, and bark or sand and gravel instead of perlite.
If you have the plant in a pot, try to make it narrow, deep (at least 20 cm) and also made of clay. You will have to transplant it when the roots come out from the bottom of the pot, but in general geraniums are small plants so they will not occupy large pots.
Irrigation
Watering is one of the most important parts of geraniums in general, and obviously Randy geranium in particular. An excess can kill it, because the roots rot very easily. And a lack can cause it not to flourish and not to grow either.
The frequency of irrigation will depend a lot on several factors. As a general rule, it is watered 2-3 times a week in spring and summer; one a week in the fall and nothing in the winter. But, as we tell you, it will depend on the weather, temperature, humidity, location...
Subscriber
From spring to the end of summer you must provide a little monthly fertilizer. It is best, at the beginning of spring, to add a little compost or manure. And then, month by month, with the irrigation water, add a little chemical fertilizer.
Pruning
As a shrub that is the Randy geranium, it is possible that sometimes it gets out of hand and grows a lot on one side and little on the other. So you will have to shape and trim as you lose it. You don't have to be constantly cutting, only every 2-3 months in order to do maintenance pruning.
However, at the end of winter you will have to do a more drastic pruning to encourage growth and clean up the plant.
Plagues and diseases
Although geraniums are hardy plants, once to the geranium Randy has several enemies based on pests, such as aphids or the so-called "geranium butterfly". The best thing is to prevent them from appearing and, if they do, use specific products to eliminate them.
With regard to diseases, these basically occur due to irrigation or lighting, both in excess and in case of lack. And he will let you know above all by the leaves.
Reproduction
We come to the end, with the propagation of the geranium. And the best way to grow new Randy geraniums is through cuttings. These should be cut in early spring and left in water until they take root.. Of course, make sure that they are at least 10 cm and that they do not have flowers.
If you prefer to plant it in the ground, wait at least a day for the cut to heal or add a little cinnamon powder to prevent fungus or other problems that will cause the cutting to be lost.
As you see, Randy geranium is one of the plants that will beautify your garden the most with its atypical flowers. Now all that remains is for you to take a look at it and decide whether to buy it or not. Its price is not too expensive, and it could be worth it to see it flourish.