Geraniums - sun-worshipers or wallflowers?

[Unicorn]

I have just rescued my geraniums from a planter full of rogue tomatoes/weeds/weed and put them in a biggish pot with new bag of soil. They were cuttings I just plonked into the earth which somehow took root and now they have been moved again, but if they survive that where is the best spot to put them?

Sun morning, afternoon, evening or what, green-fingered people?

A thanks from a chorus of giggling geraniums.

[El Cid]

The more sun the better, although they will survive in half shade.

The trailing ones can last for years, our best ones are now ten years old. The "normal" geraniums are attacked by the Geranium Moth and need spraying at least monthly in summer.

The best thing is they flower for 12 months of the year, but they are at their peak at the moment.

Sid

[Gasman]

Ours are OK in full sun but flouish better in half shade. We find that the geranium butterfly does its work in all sorts of trailing, upright, big or small geraniums - it lays its eggs in the stem or flower head, which then turns black, the black regressing down the stalk to the next joint, or beyond, which means you lose that stalk ... they rarely kill the whole plant but can make a depressing mess of your prize specimens! Ours are inherited from when we moved in 7 years ago and they were well established then, and of course cuttings taken with new growths (yes just stuff them in a pot, and often they take willingly) have been established since. If you take off the dead and fading flower heads, bending the stalklets back at their joint with your thumb, that helps to keep flowering going - water liberally when it is dry, and watch them flourish if it rains! They survive a remarkably long time without watering, but do much better with some TLC

[Martin Page]

I agree totally ... the more sun the better ... and essential to spray monthly to check the geranium moth- its a killer

[ajtg1952]

What do you spray them with as the moths and subsequent grubs are a real problem to us.

[El Cid]

Don't waste your money on any product sold specifically for the Geranium Moth. The price is hugely inflated and in most cases, they use a chemical called deltametrin sold under the trade name DECIS which is a Bayer product. You should be able to get it in any decent viveros.

It is a very good general insecticide.

Sid

[Unicorn]

Will it work on tomatoes as well?

[El Cid]

It works on almost anything. As I said, it is a general purpose insecticide. It is not systemic (meaning it does not get absorbed by the plant) so it just kills what it hits. I also use Confidor a lot as that is a systemic insecticide and once applied can offer at least a months protection. Basically a systemic insecticide makes the plant poisonous to insects for quite a long time.

Confidor is the choice for the palm beetle as well. It is expensive in the little bottles you see in the viveros but I have a one litre bottle that is still half full after 10 years!

Most of the time I use a mixture of Confidor and Decis.

The other common insecticide I use is also systemic and is called Chas 48. I use it on crawling bugs, like ants rather than for flying insects. It's also good for Cochinella. It is also the insecticide professionals use for cockroaches.

Those three insecticides probably account for 90% of the worldwide use of insecticides!

Sid

[Unicorn]

I'm on a high up floor and rarely see any insects at all. Spanish things do not seem to be bothered to come up too high. In all the years here I have never seen a spider, any ants or many flies and mozzies. It could also be that it is always blowing a force 8 gale outside!

I think I will try the topical rather than systemic one first and see how I go.

(I know nothing about gardens as I lived in the middle of London and really only ever had a rubber plant.)

But thanks for the tips

[Gasman]

Unicorn - careful spraying your tomatoes as if you spray when you have flowers on, you may well prevent fertilisation and get no tomatoes I tend not to spray the tomatoes and don't have too many problems there, but the geranium moth really is a pain, so it is worth getting something like Decis or Confidor - IMIDACLOPRID 20% - (the latter also comes in little 10 ml metal bottles marked STOP which may be enough for your terrace).
cheers

[Martin Page]

If you have geraniums - you will get geranium moth! Even if you live on the top of a mountain or your at 32,00feet in a plane ....they are persistent little buggas and prevention is much better than cure. I go for the systemic choice since I'm not going to be eating the plants myself ...

[oliveview01]

We have a huge geranium plant that our neighbour assures us is well over 20 years old, it sits down the end of the garden, in the full sun and is neglected, but it thrives well. The cold winter a couple of years ago knocked it back a bit, but it soon recovered. I have taken cuttings off it, just snapped off and plonked in a flower pot! It has suffered from the nasty moth, but the plant is made of stern stuff

[Floriana]

They don't like to be over watered - if you see the leaves going pale or yellow stop watering till they are bone dry and then only water every few days, till they go green again.

[luckyjim]

Crushed garlic with water,works a treat. Gives the tomatoes a lovely flavour!