Seed Geranium

This article will deal with the growing of zonal geranium from seed. We will refer to these plants as geraniums, but for clarification we are talking about "Pelargonium", and specifically the bedding plants with the zoned foliage ("Pelargonium x hortorum"). Now back to the topic of this article.

Seed Geranium vs. cutting grown
Geraniums used to be entirely propagated by cuttings as these cultivars were superior to seed grown hybrids. However, in recent years great strides have been made in the cultivation of seed produced plants.

Today seed grown plants are no longer limited to plants with small flower heads with petals that scattered easily. Several very good series are now available. Cutting grown geraniums will have the darkest and most consistent zonal markings, however. Some hybrid seed series, like Pinto, has come a long way, but generally, cutting grown cultivars excel in this respect.

Seed propagation
Geranium seeds are oval with a hard seed coat. If you purchase the seeds from a supplier, the seeds should have been scarified, e.g. the seed coat damaged to allow water uptake. Without scarification, the thick, hard seed coat can prevent or delay germination. If using seeds harvested from own plants, the seed coat can be penetrated with a nail file, nicked with a nail clipper, or soaked overnight in a moist paper towel.

Germinate seeds in a good quality seed starting mixture. For best development, space seeds one seed to a plug, in plug trays no smaller than 72 cells, or no closer than 1 inch apart in flats. Cover the seeds with a light layer of germination media. Since the seeds tend to swell as water is imbibed, make sure they are fully covered (about 1/8 - 1/4" deep). Use a good quality seed starting mixture which had pH adjusted as pure peat moss sphagnum may be too acidic and can result in micronutrient toxicity. Too high pH (above 6.5) can also result in uneven germination.

Germination Requirements
Keep the media slightly damp, but not soaked, until germination which should be in 10-14 days at 72-78 F. Target 73 F. Most seeds germinate within the first 3-5 days, but there is always the individual few that takes their time. Fresh F1 Hybrid seeds generally have a very high germination percentages: 85-100%.

Light Requirements
Geraniums do not require light to germinate, but when they start to grow high light is required. The plants are very light sensitive and

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