How to Get Blooms on Geraniums From Cuttings

Purchase two plastic shoe-storage boxes and remove the lids. Pierce holes in the bottom of one of the shoe boxes with an ice pick or awl. Fill the other shoe box with a half-and-half medium of peat moss and vermiculite to a depth of 3 inches.

Dip scissors or a knife in bleach and let it air-dry on a paper towel. Choose a healthy geranium to take cuttings from. Cut stem sections of 3 to 4 inches. Remove the lower leaves and all the flowers.

Dip the cuttings in rooting hormone powder or liquid to halfway up their stems. Tap off the excess. Firm the medium around the stems to secure them in the mix. Invert the vented shoe box and use it to cover the box with the stem cuttings. Tape the boxes together. Place the container in a warm place, but out of direct sun.

Remove the top box every few days to make sure that the medium remains moist, spritzing with water if necessary. Tug gently on the cuttings in two to three weeks. Remove the cuttings gently when there is resistance, indicating root growth. Plant cuttings into individual 3- to 4-inch containers at the same depth as before, using potting mix instead of the rooting medium.

Move the newly potted geraniums gradually into a full-sun site, either outside or in a sunny window inside. Fertilize the new plants with a water-soluble fertilizer formulated for flowering plants every two weeks, but only after new top growth appears. Check for flower bud formation after six to eight weeks.