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Citronella Plant Pruning Prune your citronella plant at any time during the growing season. Start by removing any dead or spent blooms. Simply pinch them off below the blossom with your forefinger and thumb. This process, known as deadheading, will help promote the growth of new flowers.
Can you trim back a citronella plant?
You can pinch back citronella to form a more compact, bushy plant. The lacey, fragrant leaves also work well in summer floral bouquets so feel free to prune often. The stems also can be cut and dried.
How do you winterize citronella plants?
Leave the pots outside until just before winter begins. You can then move the plants indoors to give them enough time to adjust to the new environment as winter begins. During winter, you will need to pinch the shoots a few times to promote branching and ensure that the plants grow healthy.
How do I prune a mosquito plant?
Pinch back each stem right after buying a mosquito plant or when stems reach about 4 to 6 inches long. Pinch with your fingers just above a leaf to remove green stems, or use a pair of scissors. Leave a minimum of three sets of leaves on each stem, and from where you pinch, expect two or three new stems to form.
How do you revive citronella plants?
Citronella plants don’t need excessive sunlight, but they do like a good amount. You can fix this by moving your plant closer to a windowsill, or by putting in a grow light beside it. This will give it all the light it needs, and shouldn’t “burn” the leaves as the sun might.
How do you save a dying citronella plant?
Your citronella could be dying because of too much water. Overwatered plants manifest brown or yellow, wilted leaves. The soil is also usually moist and the roots will develop root rot. To fix this, you need to reduce your watering and change the soil, especially if it has become soggy or waterlogged.
How do you prune citronella plants in the winter?
Citronella Plant Pruning Simply pinch them off below the blossom with your forefinger and thumb. This process, known as deadheading, will help promote the growth of new flowers. You can also improve the rate of flowering by pruning smaller stems, pinching them off with your fingers, where they connect to the main stem.
How do you care for a potted citronella plant?
Citronella Mosquito Plant likes part shade to shade. It will not grow as fast in shade. Citronella Mosquito Plant prefers moderately fertile, well-drained, soil. Fertilize it in containers with water-soluble fertilizer as part of watering it.
What do I do with my citronella plant in the winter?
These plants are sensitive to cold and will die if they are exposed to frost. In warm climates where frost does not occur, citronella plants can remain outdoor year-round. In colder regions, plants may be moved inside for the winter until warmer temperatures return.
What can you do with citronella leaves?
You can use citronella foliage indoors Snip foliage from the citronella plant and keep them in vases, places strategically around your home to keep biting bugs away. If you enjoy the lemony scent, you can even place bundles of the plant around the home for air freshening purposes.
Why are the leaves on my citronella plant turning yellow?
Let the soil dry out between watering sessions so the soil does not become water logged. These plants do not tolerate overwatering. Too much water and the leaves begin to turn yellow before dropping off the stems. If unsure whether or not the mosquito plant needs water, then do not water.
How long do citronella plants last?
Citronella geraniums will survive outdoors year-round as a perennial in USDA plant hardiness zones 9b through 11—i.e. much of the West Coast, the Southwest, and the Southeast of the United States. In other zones, they can be brought inside during the winter or left outside as an annual.
How often do you water citronella plants?
Citronella grass thrives in bright, filtered sunlight and needs moist, loamy soil. Citronella grass is very thirsty, so you may need to water as often as once a day. To make more plants for your garden, divide the grass into clumps and replant them in the spring.
What is killing my citronella plant?
Water is good for a plant’s soul, but overwatering can negative effects! Watering your Citronella plant too frequently will cause the plant to become flooded, leading to root rot. Let the soil dry out between watering sessions to ensure that you aren’t overdoing it.
Why is my citronella plant falling over?
You will be able to tell if your citronella gets too little sun — it will grow lanky and fall over. If this happens, move your plant to a sunnier location and cut back on stretchy branches to bring it back to shape. If your citronella is happy with its light requirements it will grow full and bushy.
Can you plant citronella in pots?
In northern climate zones citronella can be grown in a large pot or planter, ideally with casters, so it can be rolled indoors during winter. Gardening centers usually sell citronella as small plants in pots, ready to transplant to a larger pot or into raised garden beds on the ground.
Are citronella plants poisonous to dogs?
Citronella is toxic to pets Citronella candles and oils are a popular mosquito repellent, but the citronella plant is toxic to pets. Use caution when using citronella products around your pet, and make sure they don’t have access to any citronella plants in your garden.
