How to Slip Geraniums

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Geraniums produce big, vibrant blooms in a variety of colors, and can be grown in containers or in garden beds. They thrive in sunny areas, and don’t require a lot of water. Their hardy nature and showy flowers make them a favorite among gardeners. Taking slips or cuttings from a well-established geranium plant is an economical way to fill your garden.

Difficulty:
Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You’ll Need
  • Geranium plant
  • 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish
  • Freshwater sand
  • Knife
  • 4-inch pots
  • Gravel
  • Potting soil
  • 20-20-20 fertilizer
    1. Pour 2 inches of freshwater sand, available at any garden center, into a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking pan.
    2. Starting at the tip of your geranium stem, measure down approximately 4 inches until you feel a node—a swollen bump where the leaves and bloom will come from later in the season. Using a sharp knife, cut the stem straight across directly beneath this node. Repeat with different stems until you have the number of geranium slips you want.
    3. Use your sharp knife to strip away the leaves from the bottom inch of the new geranium slips. Stick the slips 3 inches apart in the freshwater sand so that the area that you have stripped away is completely covered by the sand, and press the sand firmly around each slip so that they are standing upright. Thoroughly water the slips, and keep them in a room with plenty of light and temperatures between 72 and 75 degrees. Water the slips once a week.
    4. Transfer your geranium slips after four weeks into 4-inch pots. Pour 1 inch of gravel into the bottom of each pot, and fill each pot halfway with potting soil. Place a geranium slip in each pot, and pour more potting soil around the root system, patting it gently. Water the slips thoroughly.
    5. After one week, begin fertilizing your geranium slips monthly with a 20-20-20 water soluble fertilizer, mixing at a ratio of 1/2 tsp. fertilizer to 1 gallon of water.

Tips & Warnings

  • For best results, cut your geranium slips in early spring.

  • For faster rooting process, dip the ends of your geranium slips in rooting hormone powder, available at any garden supply store, before standing them up in the freshwater sand.

  • Do not fertilize geranium slips until they have been transplanted into 4-inch pots. The fertilizer will damage the fragile root system early in the growth cycle.


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