5 Best Fertilizers for Scented Geranium Plants

Regular feeding of plants has many beneficial effects on the foliage, blooms, and overall resilience of plants. Scented geraniums are in no way heavy feeders, but regular fertilizing, with a weak formulation, is extremely beneficial. If you’re looking for a suitable fertilizer for your scented geraniums, have a look at the fertilizers I reviewed below. If you’re unsure about how and when to fertilize scented geranium, I discuss all the details related to feeding geraniums that you need to know.

Best Fertilizer for Geraniums

I’ve picked 5 of the best fertilizers for geraniums. The list contains liquid fertilizers, fertilizer granules, and other types of water-soluble fertilizers.

– ALGOplus Geranium and Patio Plants Liquid Fertilizer

This liquid plant fertilizer was originally created for feeding vines in the Loire Valley in France. It’s a N4,P6,K8 formula that’s 100% mineral-based and water-soluble. Because it’s a concentrated fertilizer, you should be careful about diluting it according to the instructions on the label. The general recommendation is to use 2 teaspoons of it for 1 gallon of water. ALGOplus contains a range of pure trace elements and it’s enriched with magnesium, which boosts bloom production and plant development, creating picturesque geranium blooms. It’s also a non-toxic fertilizer that’s odorless, and more importantly, environmentally-friendly because of its all-natural formulation. The concentrate is enough to make about 115 gallons of ready-to-use geranium fertilizer.

– Miracle-Gro Water Soluble Bloom Booster Flower Food

Miracle-Gro is an established brand in plant fertilizers. Their Bloom Booster plant food is designed to promote bud formation and spectacular blooms. It has a 10-52-10 formulation that’s beneficial for all flowering plants, including geraniums. The fertilizer has a double feeding action, meaning you can water your plants with it or spray it on the leaves, although for geraniums I recommend using it only for watering. Make sure to follow dosage recommendations. I’ve usually used ½ tablespoon per 2 gallons of water, but the label recommends 1 ½ tablespoon per 1 ½ gallon of water. As for fertilizing frequency, you can use it every two weeks when watering your geraniums.

– Jobe’s Fertilizer Spikes

Jobe’s fertilizer spikes for potted plants and hanging baskets are an easy way to add beneficial nutrients to your geraniums. The time-release fertilizer spikes nourish the plants at the roots. They’re easy to use — simply push spikes completely under the soil and water immediately. Because this is a slow-release fertilizer, it’s enough to apply every 8 weeks. The manufacturer offers clear dosing recommendations for pots and window boxes based on their size. Don’t put fertilizer spikes close to the stem, or if applying when planting, don’t put them directly into the rootball.

– Dr Earth Bud & Bloom Booster

This geranium fertilizer from Dr Earth is made with 100% organic and natural ingredients. It’s formulated using fish bone meal, alfalfa meal, feather meal, soft rock phosphate and mined potassium sulfate. It also contains beneficial soil microbes and ecto and endo mycorrhizae, which help the plant better tolerate drought, but also enhances plant performance and ensures higher nutrient availability for the plant. The Bud & Bloom booster helps geraniums with better root establishment and bigger, more abundant blooms.

– Osmocote Plus Smart-Release Plant Food

These fertilizer granules feed geraniums for up to 6 months and they’re suitable for both outdoor and indoor use. It’s fortified with 11 essential nutrients for a complex nutritional boost. The Osmocote fertilizer is also easy to apply, simply sprinkle the recommended dose over the soil, then water the soil. You can even work the granules into the soil, if that’s what you prefer. Because of the semi-permeable resin coating on the granules, nutrients are released slowly, over time. This means you have to worry less about applying fertilizer regularly, and you can focus on other aspects of plant care. It works with virtually all plants, so you can use it for all your garden or houseplants, not only your scented geraniums.

How and When to Fertilize Geranium Plants?

You should start fertilizing geranium plants in early spring or when planting. The amount of fertilizer and the feeding frequency depends on the type of fertilizer product you’ve chosen. If you’ve read through the descriptions of the scented geranium fertilizers I recommended above, you’ve seen how fertilizing frequency changes depending on the type of fertilizer. Slow-release fertilizers (fertilizer spikes or granules) release nutrients over time and may require fewer applications than liquid fertilizers. Therefore, regardless of the type of scented geranium feed you’re using, follow the dosing and application recommendations of the manufacturer. Overfertilizing geraniums will not bring on any benefits. Instead, it can harm your geraniums causing leaf burn, bloom blast, and root burn.

Are Coffee Grounds Good for Geraniums?

Coffee grounds can be a good addition to the soil of geraniums due to the nitrogen content of spent coffee grounds. They can also improve the quality of the soil and help retain moisture. I recommend that you first compost coffee grounds because caffeine can inhibit the growth of some plants and can inhibit the germination of geranium seeds. Coffee grounds also don’t offer the complete nutrition fertilizers do, so using them exclusively won’t have the same beneficial effects of a complete fertilizer.

Is Epsom Salt Good for Geraniums?

Epsom salt is another household item that can be used to feed geraniums. Because of its magnesium content, it helps geraniums achieve stronger growth. Epsom salt also helps boost chlorophyll production, which increases the vigor of scented geranium plants. Epsom salt, like coffee grounds, is not a complete fertilizer, so if you’re looking for more complex nutrition, scented geranium fertilizers are a better option.

Wrap Up

Scented geranium fertilizers come in many different versions and formulations. If you’re not sure which one to pick, think about what you want to achieve with a fertilizer. Is it to create more blooms, help more vigorous growth, or all of these? The fertilizers I recommended offer solutions to all these and more. Always apply the fertilizer as directed by the label and in the dosage recommended. When it comes to geraniums, a little fertilizer can go a long way.