Geranium

Pests & beneficial insects

🐛 Prone to: Aphids

Aphids

Aphididae

Curled leaves, sticky honeydew and ants on patrol — usually with something already eating them.

, Whitefly

Whitefly

Aleyrodidae

A puff of white when you brush the leaf, and stickiness underneath.

.

Attract Hoverflies

Hoverflies

Syrphidae

The adults only drink nectar. It is the larvae that eat the aphids.

, Lacewings

Lacewings

Chrysopidae

Golden-eyed adults that mostly drink; larvae that hunt like small alligators.

, Ladybugs

Ladybugs

Coccinellidae

The one predator here where the adults hunt as hard as the larvae do.

, Parasitic wasps

Parasitic wasps

Braconidae, Ichneumonidae and relatives

Pinhead-sized, stingless, and lethal to aphids and caterpillars from the inside.

to keep them in check — plant Viper's BuglossGreat, Bishop's FlowerGood and Black-eyed SusanGood nearby.

Growing from seed

Start Geranium indoors about 14 weeks before your last frost, keeping seeds in warm soil (around 20–25 °C). Seeds usually come up in around 14 days. Move seedlings out once the danger of frost has passed, in full sun, spaced about 30 cm apart. Expect the first blooms in roughly 90 days.

Keep track of the seeds you own.

Companion Planting

• 
  round leaf lavender
  

  round leaf lavenderExcellent pair

  • ❧round leaf lavender attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Whitefly that attack Geranium
  • ❧Geranium draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both
  • ❧round leaf lavender roots deep while Geranium feeds near the surface — no competition
• 
  Alfalfa
  

  AlfalfaGreat pair

  • ❧Alfalfa fixes nitrogen in the soil that Geranium feeds on
  • ❧Geranium draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both
  • ❧Alfalfa roots deep while Geranium feeds near the surface — no competition
• 
  Allard's Lavender
  

  Allard's LavenderGreat pair

  • ❧Allard's Lavender attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Whitefly that attack Geranium
  • ❧Geranium draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both
  • ❧Allard's Lavender roots deep while Geranium feeds near the surface — no competition

How to grow Geranium

1. Sow14 weeks before frost
2. Germinates14 days
3. Space30 cm apart
4. GrowFull sun
5. Harvest~90 days

Water: Medium · Height: 45 cm · Soil: Well-draining, fertile — avoid waterlogging