Geranium Blog

Coconut Geranium Seedlings

What do you look for if you're trying to grow Coconut geraniums from seed? It takes 10 to 14 days for the seeds to germinate. The lower seedling in the picture is how they look when they first come up: approximately 1/3 of an inch from leaftip to leaftip. The next leaves will be round and scalloped.

I read something interesting the other day. It turns out that growing from seed is the preferred method of propagating P. elongatum (Upright Coconut), P. odoratissimum (Apple) and P. grossularioides (Coconut). All three of these varieties are pretty easy to collect seeds from, but not so easy to take a cutting. So here comes my next experiment...

A Surprise Find

Seedlings of Pelargonium grossularioides

Isn't it great when your plants give you presents? I found these seedlings of Coconut Geranium beside the pool. There were four for sure and another possible, but too tiny to tell for sure. They can be moved to a pot easily at this stage. When they get bigger they seem to resent being moved.

Nursery Report

Fuzzy babies of Pelargonium 'Chocolate Mint' celebrate
spring with new growth and even some buds.

It has been 2 months since I started rooting some cuttings from my scented geranium plants. I started out with 12 starts each of Lime, Citrosa, Chocolate Mint, Dr. Livingstone, Brilliant, Ginger, and Nutmeg. I also had 4 volunteer seedlings of Coconut and took 8 cuttings from a Coconut runner.

So how are they doing?

Mostly - very well! I still have 12 babies each of Lime, Citrosa, Chocolate Mint, Dr. Livingstone, and Ginger. Also 11 Brilliant, 6 Coconut, and 3 Nutmeg.

Of the Coconut, the four seedlings are healthy and strong, but the cuttings from the runner never really seemed to get going. Only 2 remain. Nutmeg also was difficult. These cuttings took cold spells harder than the others. I expect that when I try to root some new cuttings in warmer temperatures, they will do fine.

Coconut Geranium Volunteers

Coconut geranium seedling 2/14/06

Yesterday I transplanted 4 tiny seedlings of Pelargonium grossularioides (Coconut geranium) into their own little 4" pots. Each is still looking perky 24 hours after being moved. That is in spite of an environmental challenge: cold, dry winds out of the northwest, with gusts up to 43 mph.

Two days ago I transplanted an older seedling from its original spot in with the Nutmeg geranium to its own seperate pot. It reacted badly to the move. Its larger, outer leaves all wilted and will be cast off. The center, young leaves are strong and healthy, and I'm sure it will survive.