How to Grow and Care for Ivy Geraniums

Ivy Geranium Care

Here are the basic care requirements for growing healthy ivy geraniums:

• Give ivy geraniums at least four hours of sun daily.
• Offer ivy geraniums consistent moisture (not too little, not too much).
• Feed ivy geraniums regularly through a time-release fertilizer mixed with the soil or a light feeding with a water-soluble fertilizer every two weeks.
• Deadhead and pinch-back stems to stimulate new growth and more flowers.

Light

Full sun is necessary for ivy geranium’s good leaf color and flower production. Partial sun can help plants cope with high summer temperatures, but four to six hours is best for ample blooms.

Soil

A loam or sandy loam provides the drainage and root aeration that ivy geraniums need. It’s more important to have loose, draining soil than rich soil.

Water

Ivy geraniums like regular watering, but not soggy conditions. Allow the surface of the soil to dry out between waterings.

Temperature and Humidity

As a South African native, ivy geranium plants like moderate summer temperatures. A heat wave will not kill the plants, but flowering will slow or stop during the dog days of summer. You will know if the temperatures are unhealthily hot for ivy geraniums, as the new leaves may look pale or even white in response to the heat. Average to low humidity is best for thriving ivy geraniums. High humidity sets the stage for fungal diseases.

Fertilizer

Ivy geraniums are not heavy feeders, but light, continuous feeding will increase the bloom count of the plants. Provide nutrients by planting ivy geraniums in potting soil pre-enriched with fertilizer. These potting mixes will feed plants with a slow-release fertilizer for one growing season.

Types of Ivy Geranium

More than 75 named cultivars of ivy geraniums are available with new ones introduced yearly. Some recent favorites include:

• ‘Crocodile’: These ivy geranium plants have unique foliage with white veins.
• ‘White Mesh’: This plant has green leaves with bright white veins.
• ‘Royal Amethyst’: It has early lilac flowers on heat-resistant plants.
• ‘Temprano Butterfly’: This ivy geranium has a high count of bright pink petals.
• ‘Mahogany’: The plant produces bicolor red and white flowers.

Some other popular common varieties include: ‘Sybil Holmes’, ‘Beauty of Eastbourne’, ‘King of Balcon’, ‘Amethyst’, ‘Cornell’, ‘Salmon Queen’, and ‘Mexicana’.

Pruning

Old plants grown as perennials in frost-free areas can become woody and might need to be cut back severely in the spring to rejuvenate.

Propagating Ivy Geranium

Most commercial ivy geraniums have been created by asexual reproduction—by rooting stem cuttings—and this is also the best way to propagate plants. It can be done at almost any time but many gardeners like to start new plants in the fall indoors to overwinter. Here’s how to do it:

1. Take a 3-to 4-inch cutting using sterilized scissors cleaned with rubbing alcohol. Remove the lower leaves.
2. Dip the cutting in a rooting hormone, then plant it in a small pot filled with moistened sand.
3. Place the pot in a bright location but out of direct sunlight, and keep the sand moist.
4. Pot up your cutting into a larger pot filled with standard potting mix when new growth appears, after about four to six weeks. If growing the cutting indoors over the winter, give it plenty of sunlight.

How to Grow Ivy Geranium From Seed

You can grow ivy geraniums from seeds collected from your plants but expect exact duplicates only if the parent is a pure species. Hybrids and named cultivars often do not come true from seed, though the results might still be interesting. However, the ‘Tornado’ series and the ‘Summer Showers’ series are two cultivars offered as seed.

Seeds are best started indoors in mid to late winter. Here are the easy steps:

1. Sow the seeds in seed flats filled with seed-starter mix under glass or plastic covers at about 74°F.
2. Cover the seeds with a bare covering of fine compost—some light helps speed germination occur in a week.
3. After seedlings sprout and true leaves have formed, transplant each into pots filled with commercial potting soil. Seedlings will reach flowering size in about three months.

Potting and Repotting

Ivy geraniums are more commonly grown in containers than as garden bedding plants. Use relatively large containers that hold a good amount of commercial potting mix so the soil retains sufficient moisture. Perennial potted ivy geraniums should be repotted into larger containers every couple of years as they become root-bound.

Handle ivy geranium plants at the root ball during the potting process. Although succulent and thick, the brittle stems snap off easily if you grasp the plant by the stem base, damaging several stems from breakage. Locate plants away from high-traffic areas so the stems remain intact.

Overwintering

Ivy geraniums are normally grown as annuals and discarded at the end of the season. However, it is possible to try growing them as perennials by bringing containers indoors for the winter (but don’t expect to have them as attractive houseplants). Cut back the foliage by about 13 and find a very sunny but relatively cool location (55°F at night and no more than 70°F during the day). The plants may survive the winter and be returned outdoors in the spring.

Common Pests & Plant Diseases

Ivy geraniums are largely trouble-free when grown outdoors where air circulation is good but when potted plants are brought indoors to overwinter, a variety of common pests can appear, including mealybugs, spider mites, thrips, and fungus gnats. Insecticidal soaps or neem oil can effectively treat these pests.

Leaf spot fungal disease(pictured here) can afflict overwatered plants, especially in poorly ventilated spaces.

How to Get Ivy Geraniums to Bloom

Bloom Months

The cool temperatures and bright sunshine of spring trigger a heavy flush of blooms. When temperatures stay below 80°F, the plants will continue to experience regular blooming. However, in climates with scorching summers, look for newer, heat-resistant varieties of ivy geraniums for longer blooms.

What Do Ivy Geranium Flowers Look and Smell Like?

Fragrant umbels of single white, pink, and red blooms sometimes have dark markings.

How to Encourage More Blooms

Deadheading spent flower heads will promote new blossoms well into fall. When your ivy geranium becomes leggy, prune it back by about half. This will create a more dense, bushy plant, and encourage a new flush of blooms.

Common Problems With Ivy Geranium

Ivy geraniums are trouble-free except for a couple of problems to keep an eye on:

Corky Spots on Leaves

Ivy geraniums are prone to one notable disorder—oedema—caused by the plant’s roots absorbing too much water too fast. Oedema causes the plant to develop corky spots on the underside of older leaves due to ruptured plant cells. If you see this symptom, adjust your watering schedule to irrigate more often but in smaller quantities.

Plant Becomes Sparse and Woody

Older ivy geranium plants can get woody and sparse over time. If so, prune them back severely and wait for new growth to fill in. This is most common with potted plants that move between indoor and outdoor locations over several years. Woody growth can also mean the plants should be repotted into larger containers.