I have a large hanging basket full of geraniums that was blooming nicely but
has stopped setting blooms. The foliage looks great but new buds turn brown
and fall off before they open...... what's wrong?


Ron H.

water and fertilize them with a high phosphorous fertilizer.


"Ron H" wrote in message
news:wDkBc.149439$Ly.62251@attbi_s01...
I have a large hanging basket full of geraniums that was blooming nicely
but
has stopped setting blooms. The foliage looks great but new buds turn
brown
and fall off before they open...... what's wrong?


Ron H.

A friend who owns a small greenhouse told me years ago that planting
geraniums only in clay pots would avert this problem. It has worked for me.

"Ron H" wrote in message
news:wDkBc.149439$Ly.62251@attbi_s01...
I have a large hanging basket full of geraniums that was blooming nicely
but
has stopped setting blooms. The foliage looks great but new buds turn
brown
and fall off before they open...... what's wrong?


Ron H.

"Ron H" wrote in message
news:wDkBc.149439$Ly.62251@attbi_s01...
I have a large hanging basket full of geraniums that was blooming nicely
but
has stopped setting blooms. The foliage looks great but new buds turn
brown
and fall off before they open...... what's wrong?


Ron H.

You have a beautiful plant and geraniums will not
bloom unless stressed. Underwater, plant in crappy
soil and do not fertilize. You will have nice blossoms.
If you want a nice plant, then you will get no blossoms

alice

Don't know your location but here are some hints for dead flower and buds.
Look for Thrips as they can feed inside the buds before they open and cause
them to abort. You can take a piece of white paper, pinch off a flower stalk
and knock or shake the flower stalk on the paper. This will loosen the
Thrips from inside if they are present. Thrips are very small, smaller than
a pinhead, and can be yellowish, brownish or black in color. They will move
quickly and are a nervous insect. You can treat with a conventional
insecticide or something like Botanigard if you are into organic control.
Check with the local garden center.
If you have had cloudy days and lots of rain, then my guess would be a
fungus called Botrytis or Gray Mold. Check with your local garden center for
a fungicide. Be sure to deadhead the plants.
Geraniums flower on new growth so keep the food up on them. If you want to
check out some commercial website for more information here are a few:
www.ballseed.com
www.fischerusa.com
http://www.fischerusa.com/pdfs/GCare.pdf
Hope this helps,
Lee
"Ron H" wrote in message
news:wDkBc.149439$Ly.62251@attbi_s01...
I have a large hanging basket full of geraniums that was blooming nicely
but
has stopped setting blooms. The foliage looks great but new buds turn
brown
and fall off before they open...... what's wrong?


Ron H.

On Sun, 20 Jun 2004 18:24:28 +0000, Ron H wrote:

I have a large hanging basket full of geraniums that was blooming nicely
but has stopped setting blooms. The foliage looks great but new buds
turn brown and fall off before they open...... what's wrong?


Ron H.

Good day Ron. I highly suspect that you have botrytis. I had to deal with
it a lot when I worked in the nursery. The link:
http://pep.wsu.edu/hortsense/
Click on Ornamentals Geranium


Quote from the page....
Biology
Botrytis is a fungus which thrives under mild environmental conditions.
Brown, water-soaked areas appear on leaves and petals. The spots soon dry
out and become covered with gray-brown masses of fungal growth. Flowers
wilt and drop. Brown leaf lesions often result after petals drop on
leaves. Stock plants may show a stem blight.

Management Options
Select Non-chemical Management Options as Your First Choice!!

* An integrated strategy combining environmental management, cultural
practices, and fungicides will best manage this disease. * Increase
spacing between plants.
* Remove and burn infected leaves.
* Water at base of plants and/or with drip irrigation, do not wet
foliage.