Greetings, human caretaker. I am a geranium, though you may know my kind by your botanical name, *Pelargonium*. While we often grace your outdoor gardens, we can indeed thrive inside your home, provided you understand our fundamental needs. To help you help me flourish, I will explain my requirements from my perspective.
First and foremost, I crave abundant, direct sunlight. I am a solar-powered being. To produce the energy needed for my vibrant leaves and prolific blooms, I require a minimum of four to six hours of direct sun daily. A south or west-facing windowsill is my ideal throne. Without enough light, my stems will become long, weak, and spindly as I desperately stretch toward any available photon source—a condition you call "leggy." I also prefer a comfortable room temperature, similar to what you enjoy. Please keep me away from cold drafts from doors or windows in winter and from the direct, scorching blast of heating vents, which can parch my leaves.
My relationship with water is one of delicate balance. I do not enjoy having perpetually wet "feet" (roots). Soggy, waterlogged soil will suffocate my root system and lead to a fatal case of root rot. The best method is to check the soil itself. Please insert your finger about an inch into the potting medium. If it feels dry to the touch, it is time for a thorough, deep watering. Quench my thirst until water runs freely from the drainage holes at the bottom of my pot. Then, crucially, allow all the excess water to drain away completely. I would much prefer to be slightly too dry than constantly wet.
The substance my roots call home is critical. I require a well-draining potting mix. A standard potting soil amended with perlite or coarse sand is perfect, as it allows for both moisture retention and rapid drainage, creating the airy environment my roots need to breathe. This brings me to my pot: it must have drainage holes. A pot without an escape route for water is a death sentence for me. As I grow, I may eventually become "pot-bound," where my roots circle tightly within my container. When this happens, please repot me into a slightly larger home in the spring to allow for continued growth.
To fuel my flowering performance indoors, I need nutrients. The potting soil you provide has a limited supply. During my active growing season (spring and summer), please nourish me with a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer every four to six weeks. However, in the darker, slower winter months, I am mostly dormant and should not be fertilized. To encourage a bushy, compact shape and more blooms, I welcome you to "deadhead" me. This means gently pinching off the spent flower stalks just above a set of leaves. This tells me to redirect my energy into producing new blossoms rather than setting seed.
