Best Fertilizer for Geraniums in 2023

Who doesn’t cherish a garden full of geraniums? Geraniums are a true landscape and a longtime favorite for gardeners. They’re pretty easy to thrive, gorgeous, and emit a sweet fragrance.

With a hefty amount of care, you can grow a garden full of beautiful geraniums. They’re “heavy feeders”; meaning they need to feed with fertilizers for higher production.

However, you need to choose the best fertilizer for geraniums to maximize growth and enjoy a healthy plant. There’re plenty of options, but not all are suitable for geraniums.

We’ve come up with 5 high-quality fertilizers for geraniums that can bring you bigger and beautiful blooms in this regard.

Let’s dive into the reviews.

Contents

Top 5 Best Fertilizer for Geraniums Reviewed-2023

We’ve gone through so many reviews and considered several factors like disease control, promotion in growth, controlling insects, etc. Regarding that, you can pick out the best choices.

ImageProductFeaturesPrice
JR Peter's 77020 Jack's Professional Geranium Fertilizer JR Peter’s 77020 Jack’s Professional Geranium Fertilizer
  • Promotes strong roots and bud set for geraniums and other neutral pH loving plants like hydrangeas
  • Minimizes nutritional toxicities on geraniums
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Voluntary Purchasing Group 10721 Fertilome Voluntary Purchasing Group 10721 Fertilome
  • Ideal for use on all geraniums, hanging baskets, pansies, patio plants and ornamentals
  • Highly concentrated plant food
  • Works best when used as a soil drench
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Southern Ag PowerPak Southern Ag PowerPak
  • Contains chelated minor elements
  • CONTAINS: 20% Nitrogen
  • 20% Phosphorus (P205)
  • 20% Potassium (K20) plus Chelated Minor Elements
  • USE ON: Flowers, roses, vegetables, shrubs, trees, lawns and houseplants
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1. JR Peter’s 77020 Jack’s Professional Geranium

Wish to enjoy the magnificent production of geraniums in your garden? Look no further than the JR Peter’s Jack’s Professional Geranium fertilizer.

This water-soluble fertilizer is easy to apply and has a strong ratio of necessary nutrients that geraniums demand. It comes with a 15-15-15 NPK formula to improve the growth of bigger blooms.

Since it comes in a water-soluble form, plants can absorb nutrients quickly and produce blooms with gorgeous colors and bigger leaves. Aside from that, this powerful blend also works great in other garden plants, fruits, and vegetables.

Besides that, this formula is highly rich in nitrogen content, and so it can minimize nutritional toxicities in your geraniums. It also increases vigorous root development and promotes bud formation at the same time.

The good thing is that this fertilizer easily dissolves and also features a measuring spoon with the package. This accessory benefits gardeners a lot.

Pros:

  • Specifically formulated for geraniums
  • Takes less time to dissolve
  • Quite affordable compared to other products
  • Suitable for indoor and outdoor geraniums
  • Produces brighter and bigger geraniums

Cons:

  • Improper application can cause fungi in plants

2. Voluntary Purchasing Group 10721 Fertilome Geranium

If you want plentiful, large, and glorious blooms for geraniums, Voluntary Purchasing Group Fertilome Geranium fertilizer can make your dream true. This water-soluble fertilizer is specially made for nourishing geraniums.

This is a 20-20-20 NPK fertilizer that provides a good supply of nutrients to the plants. It aims to boost the production of healthy flowers and also enhances the quality of blooms.

We loved the little package that serves for a long way since it’s highly concentrated. It can show you amazing results in your geraniums in no time.

This concentrated plant food is great for geraniums and serves well in hanging plants. Therefore, you’re getting one fertilizer for everything within the budget.

It helps plants to absorb nutrients quickly, and water can enter roots deeply with a water-soluble structure. This results in higher production of plants with strong root growth.

Pros:

  • Highly concentrated plant food
  • Ideal for geraniums and hanging plants
  • Helps plants to absorb nutrients quickly
  • Yields bigger and better blooms
  • Comes in a water-soluble form

Cons:

  • Wrong application may burn the plant

3.  AlgoPlus Geranium and Patio Plant Liquid Fertilizer

AlgoPlus Geranium and Patio Plant Liquid Fertilizer is the right call to make if you wish to grow bigger blooms of geraniums. It’s perhaps the gardeners’ favorite choice.

This fertilizer comes in a liquid form to work best on geraniums and other garden plants. Geraniums can easily absorb nutrients as it’s a liquid fertilizer and additionally shows results too fast.

We liked the all-natural, environmentally friendly fertilizer that doesn’t contain any harsh minerals like chloride and sodium. It’s totally mineral-based with no bad odor and color, making it ideal for both indoor and outdoor geraniums.

With the NPK ratio of 4-6-8, the fertilizer contains 4% nitrogen, 6% phosphorus, and 8% potassium. Apart from providing macronutrients, it also comprises 12 vital micronutrients and traces elements.

All the necessary nutrients of the fertilizer encourage the healthy production of blooms, robust stems, and facilities root growth.

Pros:

  • Contains all necessary minerals
  • Have no bad odor and color
  • Quickly absorbed by plants
  • With no harsh chemicals, it’s environmental-friendly
  • Promotes root growth and bud formation

Cons:

  • It’s a little bit expensive 

4.  Southern Ag PowerPak

Aren’t your geraniums growing properly? Dying too fast? Bring some miracle to your geranium garden with this water-soluble Southern Ag PowerPak fertilizer.

Southern Ag PowerPak is a 20-20-20 NPK fertilizer that delivers a healthy supply of nutrients to your plants. It boosts stronger roots and healthier stems with a great blend of nitrogen and phosphorus.

This comes in a water-soluble shape so that you can apply it through a watering can or garden feeder. As a result of this, the micronutrients can easily reach the stems and leaves of geraniums.

Moreover, the fertilizer assists in rebuilding soil fertility and boosts soil conditions by providing microorganisms and nutrients.

The good news is aside from the macronutrients, this fertilizer also comprises other minerals like iron and magnesium that geraniums need.

Pros:

  • Comes in a water-soluble structure
  • Plants can easily receive nutrients
  • Improves the soil conditions
  • A perfect blend of macronutrients and micronutrients
  • Produce greater and gorgeous blooms

Cons:

  • It often takes a couple of times to dissolve completely

5 Joyful Dirt Fertilizer

Who doesn’t love organic gardening? If you want to grow some organic geraniums and admire natural plants,  Joyful Dirt Fertilizer is the right fertilizer to opt for. It’s finely formulated with living microorganisms.

Nutrients are the key source for blooms to grow. This organic plant food surprisingly works as a complete reservoir of nutrients. It provides 15 vital nutrients and Mycorrhizae to ensure quicker growth of geraniums.

This is an all-natural fertilizer that allows plants to consume nutrients and water faster. Consequently, it shows quicker results with bigger and better blooms.

More on that, the organic fertilizer is free from sludges, toxic or harmful chemicals, making it safe for pets and kids. It’s easy to apply and ideal for all types of geraniums, either in pots or landscapes.

Fertilizers should be environmentally safe to cause no harm to the environment. This Joyful Dirt fertilizer exactly meets that requirement.

Pros:

  • Contains all types of plant nutrients and vitamins
  • Free of sludge and toxic chemicals
  • Environmental friendly
  • Safe for pets and kids
  • Helps in quicker growth of geraniums

Cons:

  • Sometimes the smell isn’t pretty good 

Things to Consider Before Buying Fertilizers for Geraniums

Proper fertilization is necessary for geraniums to get you to have the best of your garden. However, they want all the macronutrients at the initial stage of growth.

There’re several factors to consider before buying the right fertilizer for geraniums to ensure everything they need.

NPK

NPK is such a term that you can’t ignore when buying the right fertilizer for geraniums. NPK infers the percentage of 3 macronutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to the fertilizer.

Nitrogen ensures the active growth of plants; phosphorus strengthens roots, encourages blooming and healthy leaves. And potassium maintains a good supply of water to the plant.

You should opt for the fertilizer for geraniums that comes with a balanced and required percentage of NPK in it.

Types of Fertilizers

There’re mainly two types of fertilizers: organic and mineral. You can go for one depending on what you need. Mineral fertilizers contain the proper ratio of vital nutrients.

Check out the type of soil and understand which substance is rich or poor in it. Then you can have the best out of mineral fertilizer.

On the other hand, organic fertilizers are made of natural ingredients like manure, compost, hummus, etc. They’re a great source of nutrients required for your geraniums.

But organic ones won’t provide you a balanced ratio of substances, unlike mineral ones. Besides, organic fertilizers aren’t suitable for potted geraniums. Thus, pick one considering these points.

Notice the Ratio of Substances

A balanced fertilizer with a balanced ratio of components is ideal for geraniums. You should always notice the NPK ratio of fertilizer before paying for it.

Generally, a 10-10-10 or 20-20-20 ratio is an optimal choice for geraniums. You can maintain a healthy garden with the right supply of nutrients in the fertilizer.

However, you need to make the fertilizing more effective. In spring, you should use a nitrogen-rich fertilizer as it’s the growing time for the plants.

And summer months are the blooming time for geraniums, and you should apply a phosphorus-rich fertilizer by this time. Phosphorus is highly effective in having bigger and gorgeous blooms.

Do Scented Geraniums Need Fertilizer?

Most gardeners admire scented geraniums due to the fragrance their leaves emit. You need to plant them in well-draining soil while the pH of the soil is neutral to slightly acidic to care for scented geraniums.

The surprising thing is that plating scented geraniums in poor nutrient soil emit stronger scents. They demand less maintenance and are also easy to care for. Furthermore, they can resist pests and have a tolerance to drought as well.

In order to maintain the desired shape of scented geraniums, pinch and prune are quite enough. Moreover, they have no demand for fertilization, because applying fertilizer can diminish the vigor of their scents. 

What is The Best Fertilizer for Potted Geraniums?

A balanced liquid fertilizer such as 10-10-10 or 20-20-20 fertilizer is the best choice for potted geraniums. With a balanced proportion of nutrients, it can provide better and even results at the same time.

Water-soluble fertilizer is easy to apply in potted geraniums. Also, the plant can easily absorb liquid fertilizer. It meets the nutritional requirements of geraniums providing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to the same extent.

We’d suggest applying a slow-release fertilizer in the pot so that the plant can feed it all season. It slowly releases nutrients to the soil. To reduce the risk of diseases, you should water geraniums early in the morning.

How Often Should I Fertilize Geraniums

The frequency of fertilizing geraniums varies depending on various factors. Most importantly, geraniums are heavy feeders, meaning that they need to fertilize often for higher production.

Fully established geranium plants demand fertilization every 2 weeks or at least once a month. You can go for all-season fertilizers if you have less time for caring. All-season fertilizers are slow-realizing, which release nutrients to the soil slowly and in small amounts.

In regards to fertilization, the condition of soil plays a vital role. Soil with a good amount of compost or manure doesn’t demand too frequent fertilization because the soil itself contains some natural organisms to do the same job as fertilizers.

When to Fertilize Geraniums

There’re a few moments specifically noted for fertilizing geraniums that will help you get better results. Here are a few:

  • The peak time for fertilizing geraniums is the summer months when they actively grow. Apply an all-purpose water-soluble fertilizer at half endurance. During active growth, you have to apply fertilizer every two weeks.
  • No need to use fertilizer in the winter months. Because by this time, the plant gets dormant. You better give them a period of dormancy. Once you’ve applied fertilizer, be sure to water thoroughly.
  • In the cold weather, geraniums need less water. But never allow the roots to dry out completely. Before watering, let the soil dry and ensure that the water reaches the roots deeply. You should water geraniums either early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

How to Fertilize Geraniums

Geraniums demand less maintenance and are easy to care for. Still, proper time and care are necessary for healthy growth and adequate blooming.

  • These flowering plants prefer good soil with high nutrient contents as well as regular watering. The soil should be able to hold water and contain enough organic matter. 
  • Proper application of the right fertilizer also helps to increase soil fertility and provide even results.
  • As mentioned above, liquid fertilizers are good for geraniums. Water-soluble fertilizers with a good supply of nutrients do great in geraniums.
  • You can also opt for organic fertilizers if you want organic geraniums. These fertilizers are free of harsh chemicals and can be applied directly to the plants.
  • Next comes the concentrated or dry fertilizer that also does well in geraniums. To apply concentrated fertilizer, make a mixture with water and then spray it throughout the plant beds.
  • Make sure the fertilizer is finely mixed into the soil so that it can reach the root directly. But be more careful and avoid over-fertilizing. For this purpose, you can use a slow-release fertilizer. To solve the problem, you can also go for fertilizer spikes.
  • The bottom line, the proper amount of nutrients promotes the healthy development of plants. However, the soil condition also affects the plant’s growth. Be sure to test the soil condition and which component it requires the most. 

Fertilizer for Geraniums

Geraniums can be planted in few places, indoor and outdoor. And based on that, the fertilizer or the process varies. Read on.

Fertilizer For Indoor Geraniums

In general, indoor plants have less demand for fertilizers because they’re free of harsh environments like intense heat that causes evaporation of nutrients to the soil.

Still, indoor geraniums need to be properly fed with fertilizers after a while. Otherwise, they can run out of essential nutrients.

A good quality compost or decent potting mix is the best choice for indoor newly potted geraniums. Once the plant is fully established, you can use store-bought fertilizer.

You need to fertilize established geraniums every 2 weeks or once a month. Do proper watering after fertilization.

Fertilizer For Outdoor Geraniums

If you want to plant geraniums outside, the first chore comes to pick the right fertilizer. It’ll ensure the healthy growth of your geraniums all over the year.

Liquid fertilizer is the best choice for outdoor geraniums because geraniums can easily absorb liquid fertilizers and promote healthy growth.

As an all-purpose fertilizer, 20-20-20 liquid fertilizer does great in geraniums. It comprises all of the three vital nutrients that geraniums demand. According to the NPK ratio, this fertilizer contains 20% of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, respectively.

We’d recommend picking the right fertilizer after a soil test. Bear in mind to apply the fertilizer in your outdoor geraniums when they’re cool. This is because dried chemical compounds can kill the plant. Ensure enough watering after fertilization.

Homemade Fertilizers for Geraniums

If you don’t have enough budget to get store-bought fertilizer for geraniums, no worries. Homemade fertilizer can be a great solution. Again, homemade fertilizers are free of chemicals and safe for your plants. Do follow the simple steps to make geranium fertilizer at home:

Step 1:

Required Ingredients:

  • Ammonia
  • Epsom salt
  • Baking soda
  • Water

Instructions:

  • Take ammonia (1 gram), Epsom salt (6 grams), and baking soda (6 grams).
  • Mix the blend with water (1 gallon). Then pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spray it on the geranium beds.

Step 2:

Required Ingredients:

  • Yeast
  • Water
  • Sugar

Instructions:

  • First, take 1 gallon of hot water. Dissolve 100 grams of yeast into the hot water.
  • Then mix 60 grams of sugar into the blend.
  • It takes one to three days for fermentation.

Best Fertilizer Types For Geraniums

As described earlier, liquid fertilizers do great on geraniums due to their quick-absorbing rates. They allow geraniums to absorb essential nutrients quickly and stimulate soil fertility. 

But keep in mind to follow the label instructions of any fertilizer before applying it. In the product manual, you’ll know the application frequency and the perfect diluting portion of fertilizer.

If you know the exact periods and times of fertilization, it can prevent you from over-fertilizing the plants. Once you’ve applied concentrated fertilizer to your plants, it’s highly recommended to water down immediately. Otherwise, it can burn up your plants in no time.

You can go for all-purpose fertilizers packed with additional nutrients (sulfur, calcium, & magnesium) along with 3 macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, & potassium). This is specifically recommended if you have low-nutrient soil.

Fertilizer Requirements for Geraniums

Geraniums require a balanced proportion of nutrients for rapid growth. They can also grow well in low nitrogen content but demand a high concentration of phosphorus and potassium. Proper fertilization with the right amount of nutrients enables more blooms and expanded foliage.

You need to fertilize geranium plants frequently about every two weeks during the summer months because summer or warmer weather is the time of active growth of geraniums.

But in the cold weather, they have less demand for fertilization. Wait for the natural dormant stage in the winter months.

Let’s discuss other critical requirements of geraniums:

Soil:

  • The ideal soil for geraniums should be well-drained with a lot of organic matter. It’ll ensure generous oxygenation and a proper drainage system. Soggy soil is a great foe for geraniums. It can cause root rot and root diseases.

Water Deeply:

  • Geraniums need to be watered deeply for healthy growth. But let the soil properly dry before watering. We’d suggest watering down geranium plants early in the morning. As a result of this, the plant will dry out with exposure to sunlight and prevent the risk of diseases.
  • However, the water should reach the roots deeply. Make sure to lessen any splash of water onto the plant. In this case, a soaker hose can benefit you a lot. It helps water to reach the roots deeply.

Facilitate Blooming with Proper Care:

  • You need to take proper care of geraniums to encourage blooming. We’d recommend eliminating old flowers if you notice less blooming. As a result, the plant can spend more energy on fresh flowers. On top of that, the low nitrogen content is necessary for proper blooming.

Signs of Deficiency in Geraniums

Nutrient deficiencies in geranium often happen because of soil and weather conditions. Besides, one of the basic reasons for deficiencies is fertilizer salt buildup. It results in degradation and stunted growth of plants.

Let’s talk about the most common signs of nutrient deficiency in geraniums:

  • Nitrogen Deficiency:

It causes yellowing leaves, slow and stunted growth of geraniums

  • Phosphorus Deficiency:

Due to the lack of phosphorus, the leaves of geraniums turn reddish to purple. It also results in the stunting of plants.

  • Potassium Deficiency:

This deficiency causes shaky stems and loss of lower leaves.

Role of Nutrients in Growth and Development of Geraniums

There’s no doubt that nutrients play a vital role in the growth, health, and development of geraniums. Let us discuss how they work in plants:

  1. Nitrogen, the most vital nutrient, plays an important role in the photosynthesis of geraniums. It assists in improving the healthy growth and green foliage of plants.
  2. Phosphorus helps to establish strong root systems, stem development, and formation of buds as well.
  3. Potassium benefits a lot in geraniums by facilitating nutrient distribution. It also helps the plant to defend against harsh environments, drought, and also plant diseases.
  4. The most common macronutrients found in soil are-
  5. Calcium
  6. Sulfur
  7. Magnesium
  8. Carbon
  9. Hydrogen
  10. Oxygen
  • The common micronutrients found in fertilizers are-
  • Iron
  • Chlorine
  • Boron
  • Copper
  • Cobalt
  • Zinc
  • Molybdenum
  • Manganese
  • Nickel

Tips to Follow While Applying Fertilizer in Geraniums

We often make some common mistakes when applying fertilizers. This can lead to damage to plants. Let’s talk over some tips in applying fertilizers in geraniums:

  • Never use fertilizers on newly potted geraniums
  • As geraniums are “heavy feeders”, they demand more nutrients during the formation of buds.
  • Indoor and outdoor geraniums have different requirements for fertilizers. Indoor fertilizers have less demand for fertilizers. At the same time, outdoor geraniums need frequent application of slow-release fertilizers. It ensures a strong supply of nutrients to the soil as well as plants. Besides, it also prevents the leaking of nitrogen into the water.
  • In regards to fertilizing indoor geraniums, you have to wait for the full establishment of plants.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the best soil for Geraniums?

Well-drained soil is the best choice for geraniums. Because the roots of geraniums happen to rot easily, besides, the soil should not clump up easily. You can use a bit of peat moss to soften the clumped-up soil.

How do you keep Geraniums blooming?

It’s recommended to keep them to the exposure of sunlight for about 4-6 hours a day to ensure the proper blooming of geraniums. Moreover, they require a high percentage of nitrogen and potassium. Be sure to fertilize them every 2 weeks since they’re heavy feeders.

Are Coffee grounds good for Geraniums?

Yes, coffee grounds are good for geraniums as it’s a good source of nutrients. It comprises a good sort of essential nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Consequently, it assists in boosting the bud formation of geraniums. In most cases, it also works as a slow-release fertilizer in geraniums.

Are eggshells good for Geraniums?

The answer is yes. Eggshell serves a vital role in geranium plants containing a good supply of calcium. It promotes the cell membrane development of geraniums.

Why are my potted Geraniums dying?

Potted geraniums can start dying due to overwatering. Geraniums are fond of dry soil, and overwatering causes root rot. Bear in mind to test the moisture of soil before watering. You can check out the moisture by sticking your finger in the soil. If you feel the soil is dry, then you can water down.

How often should potted Geraniums be watered?

The frequency of watering potted geraniums depends on the soil moisture. You should water down geranium plants when the soil gets dry. The perfect time for watering is early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

Final Thoughts

To wrap it up, we’d recommend AlgoPlus Geranium and Patio Plant Liquid Fertilizer as the best fertilizer for geraniums because it can maximize the growth of geraniums as well as encourage blooms.

However, if you want to go for an organic one, we suggest buying Joyful Dirt Fertilizer. This one is highly safe for your plants, pets, and kids with all-natural ingredients. 

In general, geraniums are low in demand and grow well in almost every type of soil. Thus, you don’t have to stress out to find the best one for yourself.

But avoid over-fertilizing as it could harm your plants. We hope that now you can understand everything you need regarding the fertilizer for geraniums.

In the end, the final call should be yours. Go and enjoy a garden full of lovely geraniums.

1 thought on “Best Fertilizer for Geraniums in 2023”

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