I pruned my mosquito-repelling geranium.
This year, it bloomed abundantly. As a result, its growth seemed to accelerate, and before I knew it, the plant had become unruly. If left unchecked, it could become quite a mess, so I decided to prune it.
When it comes to pruning, I take a rather rough approach. My priority is cutting back the new shoots emerging from the base of the main plant. After that, I leave a few sizable branches and trim away the rest.
Post-pruning, the plant's volume feels like it's been reduced to about 1/20 of its original size. Even with such a drastic cut, by the time the rainy season ends, it will likely return to its overgrown state.
I’m not entirely sure about the ideal timing for pruning, but doing it around the season when mosquitoes start to multiply seems to encourage the growth of fresh, fragrant leaves.
That said, having mosquito-repelling geraniums doesn’t mean mosquitoes disappear entirely. They don’t vanish, but after spending half a day working in the garden, I don’t get bitten too much.
Apparently, mosquitoes can detect humans from over 10 meters away, so simply planting mosquito-repelling geraniums around the house might not be enough to keep them away.
