Geranium (pelargonium) (zonal geranium) care

Light

Most houseplants will scorch where geranium (pelargonium) thrives. Give it the windowsill you'd otherwise leave empty because everything else burned there. 6+ hours of direct sun for the heaviest flowering. A plant moved abruptly from low light to direct sun bleaches in 48 hours — always acclimatise over a week.

Watering

Aim for when the top of the soil is dry, every 5-10 days for geranium (pelargonium), but treat that as a starting point rather than a rule. A south-facing summer windowsill will dry the pot twice as fast as a north-facing winter room. Lift the pot; if it feels noticeably lighter than it did wet, water it. Drought-tolerant; over-watering produces yellow leaves and root rot.

Soil and pot

Geranium (pelargonium) grows best in free-draining potting compost. Standard compost with 20% perlite; container culture suits them. A pot with a working drainage hole is non-negotiable for this species — even free-draining mix will turn soggy in a closed planter. If you love the look of a decorative pot without a hole, use it as a cachepot around an inner nursery pot you can lift out to water.

Humidity and temperature

Geranium (pelargonium) sits happiest at around 40-60% (outdoor) humidity and 15-27°C (60-80°F). Tolerates dry air. If you keep the room above 15 year-round and avoid placing the plant near a cold draught, a hot radiator, or an air-conditioning vent, you have already handled the two biggest indoor stressors.

Fertilising

Feed geranium (pelargonium) sparingly. A high-potash feed every 2 weeks through summer. Skip fertiliser entirely on a stressed, recently-repotted, or actively wilting plant — fertiliser salts make damage worse, not better. Wait for a round of healthy new growth before resuming a feeding rhythm.

Common problems

Below are the issues we see most often on geranium (pelargonium) in the Growli community. Each is annotated with the most common cause so you know where to start.

• Yellow lower leaves — Overwatering or natural senescence.
• No flowers — Too much shade or too much nitrogen.
• Blackleg (stem rot) — Bacterial rot from cold wet soil; take cuttings from clean tops.
• Rust — Orange pustules under leaves; remove affected leaves and improve airflow.

Companion plants

Geranium (pelargonium) pairs well with Petunia, Lobelia, and Verbena. These are species with similar light and water needs, so you can group them in the same room or on the same shelf and water as a batch.

Propagation

Softwood cuttings in late summer root readily; overwinter young plants indoors. Propagation is the cheapest, most satisfying way to expand a collection — and it doubles as insurance against losing a mature plant to an accident. Take a backup cutting once the parent is established and healthy.

Toxicity to pets

Geranium (pelargonium) is toxic to pets. ASPCA lists Pelargonium as toxic to cats, dogs, and horses due to geraniol and linalool. Symptoms include vomiting, depression, and dermatitis. True hardy geraniums (Geranium) are not toxic. If you keep cats, dogs, or curious children in the house, weigh placement carefully — a high shelf or a hanging planter is enough for casual safety. For severe ingestion incidents, call your local vet and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (in the US, 888-426-4435).

Pet-safety status is sourced from the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List, which catalogues the most-asked-about plants for cats, dogs, and horses.

Geranium (pelargonium) deep-dive guides

Every aspect of geranium (pelargonium) care, each with its own calibrated guide:

• Common geranium (pelargonium) problems & fixes
• Geranium (pelargonium) watering schedule
• Geranium (pelargonium) light requirements
• Best soil mix for geranium (pelargonium)
• Geranium (pelargonium) fertilizing guide
• When to repot geranium (pelargonium)
• How to propagate geranium (pelargonium)
• How to prune geranium (pelargonium)
• What's eating my geranium (pelargonium)?
• Geranium (pelargonium) growth rate & size
• Geranium (pelargonium) cold hardiness
• Geranium (pelargonium) temperature & humidity
• Is geranium (pelargonium) toxic to cats & dogs?
• Is geranium (pelargonium) toxic to cats?
• Is geranium (pelargonium) toxic to dogs?
• All 78 Pelargonium varieties
• Getting geranium (pelargonium) to bloom

Featured in these plant shortlists

Geranium (pelargonium) qualifies for 4 curated Growli shortlists — each one filtered objectively from our structured plant-care library, so the selection is consistent and checkable:

• Best drought-tolerant houseplants — Houseplants that prefer to dry out — forgiving of forgotten watering and ideal for travel or busy weeks.
• Best flowering houseplants — Indoor plants grown for their blooms — selected from the flowering species in Growli’s plant-care library.
• Houseplants toxic to cats & dogs — The common houseplants the ASPCA lists as toxic to cats and dogs — the ones to keep out of reach, each with its symptoms and a safe alternative.
• Best houseplants for full sun — Houseplants that want direct sun — the species for a hot south or west-facing windowsill where shade-lovers scorch.
• Browse all 30 plant shortlists — pet-safe, low-light, drought-tolerant and more

Related guides

Geranium (pelargonium) is also known as zonal geranium, bedding geranium, and pelargonium.

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