Geranium

Geranium introduction
• Aromatic and herbaceous bushy perennials
annuals.
• This plant is also known as poor man’s rose.
 BOTANY
• SCIENTIFIC NAME: Pelargona graveolens
• FAMILY: GERANACEAE
• ORDER: GRANIAES
• English name: cransebills
 Region
• Temperate region and the mountains of
tropics, but mostly in the eastern art of the
Mediterranean region.
 Flower description
• Flower has 5 petals
• Colored white pink, purple and blue often
with distinctive veining.
 Leaves description
• Leaves are long palmately cleft are broadly
circular in form.
• Leaves are highly aromatic.
 soil
• Geranium will grow in any soil as long as it is not
water logged.
• Soil pH 5.5-7 is best.

PROPAGATION
• By semiripe cutting in summers.
• Terminal from healthy plant of 20cm long with 8
node.
• By seed or by division in autumn or spring.
 Land preparation
• It require fine tilth stage after removing any
previous crop.
• Field should have gentle slope.
• And should have proper shelter to survive
from heavy winds.
 Climate requirement
• It grow best in subtropical climate condition
with humid atmosphere.
• Also require well distributed rain fall.
• Ideal temperature is 6-24 c.
 Growth habit
• Normally grown in part shade to full sun, in
well drained but moisture retentive soils rich
in humis.
 Uses of geranium
• Commercially geranium is widely used for
scenting soaps and highly grade perfumes and
cosmetics.
• It is non toxic non irritant and posses energy
boosting and soothing properties.
• This is for production of essential oils.
• Its oil has excellent health benefits and used in
aromatic treatments.
 Health benefits of geranium oil
• Oil is good to reduce the wrinkles.
• Essential oil has diuretic properties.
• Geranium oil can treat acne, dermatitis and other
skin diseases
• The oil helps in relieving stress and reduce
depression.
• Oil work as good insect repellent and bug bite
healer.
• This oil help n reducing blood pressure
 irrigation
• Moderate irrigation with heavy rains.
• Over watering will results root rot disease and reduce the
yield.

intercultural operations
• The field always weed free by giving shallow cultivation
• Hoeing can also can be carried out couple of time in the
field.
• Pruning is necessary when they show signs stubby laterals.
• branches should cut back to 8-15cm at the beginning of
moonsoon.
 Pests and diseases
• Pest:
• Termites is the major pest of the plant.
• Control:
• These can be controlled by mixing into the soil25kg of Heptachlor and
irrigating the area.
• Diseases:
• Wilt is the common disease.
• Control:
• Controlled by spraying the crop by 0.2% Benlate solution 15 day before the
harvest
• Avoid over watering it increase the incidence of wilt disease.
• Give proper irrigation and hoeing operation to ensure the healthy plant.

•
 fertilizers
• Farmyard manure in tons:
5 tons/acre 10tons/hac
• Fertilizers in kg
Nitrogen;
80 kg/zcre 200 kg/hac
Phosphorus (p2o5):
15kg/acre 30kg/hac
Potash: (k2o)
15kg/acre 35kg/hac
 harvesting
• Harvesting stage after 4 months of
transplanting in the field.
• When leaves begin to turn light green and
exhibit a change from lemon like odour
• Harvesting of leafy shoots should be done
using sharp sickle.
• As geranium is perennials can give good
harvest. Total 3 harvest in a single year.
 yield
• In this crop one can expect oil yield of
100kg/ha in one cutting.
• In three cutting it will give 250 kg/ha of oil
yield.