Why Your Geraniums Aren't Blooming — And How To Fix It

When summer days get hot, there's nothing we like more than sitting near our gardens in the evening, gazing out on the big beautiful blooms on our geraniums (Geranium spp.), which seem like the ultimate hot weather plants. If yours aren't blooming, you'll no doubt be hugely disappointed and wonder how to fix the problem. There are different factors that can cause these beautiful summer annuals to fail to produce their gorgeous blooms, including being heavy-handed with the plant fertilizer, a lack of pruning, and less-than-ideal moisture or light conditions.

Geraniums are primarily loved for their big, showy clusters of colorful blooms. You probably feel the same, and since geraniums are among the flowering annuals that will last all summer long, missing out on them can leave you feeling cheated. Whether your favorite is red, pink, white, or something in between, you'll want to know about the following reasons that can prevent their lovely buds from forming and opening.

Overfertilizing is one of the surprising factors that may be the cause when your geraniums aren't blooming. You may not need to fertilize these plants at all unless you're growing them in containers. If you choose to feed them, pick a balanced fertilizer and apply it according to the manufacturer's instructions. If you have already had some blooms but aren't getting a new flush of flowers, that's a sign that indicates it's time to deadhead. If you fail to remember this gardening task, your plants may produce seeds instead of a fresh crop of flowers.

If neither of those are the problem for you and you need to keep looking into how to fix the issue, know that another way to get those blooms is to provide more light. These lovely plants need full sun in order to bloom, so if you're keeping yours in shade or part shade, you may not be getting the flowers you expect. Give them at least six hours of direct sunshine to avoid disappointment. Finally, if your geraniums are dying due to one of several different reasons, including overwatering, your plants may also fail to put on a floral show.