As a gardener , growing annual geraniums feels very much like I ’m game the system . I get a low - alimony works with attractive foliage and blooms that last for almost three full season . Geraniums are versatile plants , so I get to grow them in bloom beds , windowpane box and hanging basket .
But the one affair stopping us , gardener , from feeling like we ’ve won the plant life drawing is the fact that annual geranium do n’t fare very well in cold weather condition . As soon as the temperature set down below freeze , it ’s time to say goodbye to these cheerful plants .
The geranium dearest tale does n’t have to end this way . you could overwinter tender geraniums indoors and have them quick to go next year . In this mail , I ’ll talk you through the most successful methods to winter your geraniums .
Before I get to the stride - by - measure instructions , let ’s get the taxonomy mental confusion out of the means , shall we ?
The geraniums we’ll be talking about in this post are, in fact, pelargoniums.
Why not call them by their actual name then ? Because most backyard nurseryman still call them geraniums . In fact , after a straightaway archeological site down the Google coney mess , I find that there are almost five sentence more online searches for “ how to overwinter geraniums ” than for “ how to overwinter pelargoniums . ”
Who knew that the American / British wisecrack about the English language “ you say Post Office - tay - toe , I say po - tah - to ” – with the intellect that we both bonk what we ’re talking about – would have an combining weight in garden - speak ?
What’s the difference between a geranium and a pelargonium?
It ’s easy to get the geraniums and genus Pelargonium discombobulate since they look very much alike ( especially with all the hybrids that have been flooding the market place since the 1970s ) unless you ’re a very piercing percipient of very small petals . Even their usual figure are confusingly alike ( storkbill and crane’s bill ) .
Perhaps the root of the discombobulation is the fact that they belong to the same family , aptly namedGeraniaceae . Even theInternational Geranium Societyagrees that using “ geranium ” to refer to “ pelargonium ” is not that big a deal .
Will the tangible geranium please abide up ?
Knowing whether you have a true geranium or a genus Pelargonium geranium in your garden make all the remainder if you ’re endeavor to figure out how to overwinter them . Here are a few pointer to help you determine what you ’re growing in your garden .
Pelargoniums (genusPelargonium)
Geraniums (genusGeranium)
Whatever you may desire to call them , here are three method acting to overwinter genus Pelargonium geraniums twelvemonth after year for an teemingness of summer and fall flower . For the interest of pellucidity , I ’ll be cry all genus Pelargonium by the name of ( annual / tender ) geraniums in this template .
How to Overwinter Geraniums
Annual geranium are a lot for sensitive eye , gracing our gardens ( or window sills ) from mid - spring to late fall . These plants are as beautiful as they are low - maintenance , so no admiration we ’d like to see more of them next year . But as I mentioned above , if pass on unprotected , tender geraniums will die out completely once the first freeze hits .
Here are three methods to winter your geranium that will enable you to love the same plant life for age to come . Since all these methods will bring your geraniums indoors , ensure you thoroughly inspect the plants for signs of pest or diseases ( such as rust and mildew ) . Remove beat and die flower and leaf and make certain you only bring in clean healthy plants .
Method 1: Overwinter geraniums as bare-root plants.
Pros : This method works well if you ’re overwinter a lot of geraniums and you ’re hunt low on space .
sting : Some of the marginal roots may die because of drying out too much , so you still need to do a bit of source maintenance in the winter . It also takes longer to get your geraniums started in natural spring , compare to the other two methods . Depending on how tardily you restart them , you belike wo n’t have geraniums in the ground until May .
keep geranium as bare - beginning plants over the winter months is a tried and true method . I ’m older enough to remember my bully - auntie hanging geraniums on the barn rafter when I was a kid . She would just pull the plants from the garden ( leaves and all ) and tie them up with twine , to my with child fascination .
Nowadays , I do n’t know anyone who has a barn , so we ’ll just have to make do with garages , enclosed porch and basements . And because of the space restraint , hanging entire plants is n’t practical anymore , so just saving the tooth root and a portion of the theme will have to do .
Step 1: Dig up your geraniums.
If possible , prove to wait for a dry spell before you apprehend out your geranium , since the filth will be gentle to forge with . You ’ll have to do this before the first rime , otherwise you put on the line your geraniums being killed by the insensate weather condition . Using a spade , dig a square around the root structure of the geraniums , snaffle a handful of stems and pull them out gently . Shake off the excess soil or , if necessary , wash it off in a bucketful or with a hose . Always allow the roots to dry out after you ’ve washed them , rather in a shadowy spot . Whatever you do , do n’t pull up stakes the bare roots in the sun for too long .
Please remember to wear horticulture gloves , since the lilliputian hair’s-breadth that surface all the parts of the plant may cause soft tegument irritation ( and even a more severe allergic reaction in some citizenry ) .
Step 2: Trim your geraniums.
stack away the intact plant over winter is not necessary and not practical for most of us . So trim about two - one-third off the top of the flora and dispose of it in the compost .
Some nurseryman favour to shave the excess foliation before they poke out the industrial plant . I prefer to trim it back after I rustle the flora out of the ground because see how large the roots are gives me a good idea of how much of the plant I desire to keep . When you ’re a gardener corking on overwintering as much as possible indoors , space is at a premium .
Step 3: Store your geraniums in a cool, dry place.
The easy style to store your geranium ascendent is by hang them upside down in a stain that stays cool ( ideally anywhere between 40F and 60F ) , dark and relatively juiceless . Garages , wine cellar , cellar or put in porch work well , cater they meet these three conditions . Cold frames and greenhouses may get too cold or too humid , but that depends on your weather and your frame-up , of course . Wherever you choose to overwinter your geranium , check that the temperature do n’t go below freeze .
you may cling up the theme as they are , or you may place them in a perforate paper grip . If you have no overhead space useable , storing the roots in a cardboard box also works well . But do n’t seal the box , and if you need to store something else on top of it , check that you perforate it for right ventilation .
If you ’re store a large phone number of plant , be generous with how much space you give each . You still desire a second of airflow , so do n’t overcrowd more than three or four etymon crowns in the same corner or bag .
Step 4: Check in to say hello periodically.
I mentioned that the storage way require to be juiceless ( to forbid mold and mildew from developing ) , but not too dry . If you forget about your geranium friends and rent the roots get too wry for too long , they might dry out completely and not raise any raw works next spring .
you could prevent this by control in sporadically ( once a month should do it ) to moisten the roots . you’re able to do this by soaking them for 30 minute in water , then rent them dry before putting them back into storage . Or you may just envelop them in a besotted paper towel . The dry solution will gradually absorb the moisture of the towel .
It ’s ok for the leaves to dry out off and fall , if you leave any leaves on the plant at all , as long as the root crown is still flexible and does n’t crack when you gently examine to turn it .
If your entrepot space is humid ( as bare basements and cellars tend to be ) , you may be able to skip this step . However , it ’s a good thought to just check over in on your put in plant just in case you were n’t so diligent about make unnecessary only the healthy pest - free plants . withdraw and dispose of any roots that may have develop mold or that have become shriveled or soft .
Method 2: Overwinter your geraniums as houseplants.
Pros : You get to savor beautiful geraniums indoors , and some of them might even bloom over wintertime . Since the plant do n’t need to be restarted in spring , you ’ll be capable to get them in the basis in the beginning , weather permitting , which will result in great , showier blooms .
bunko game : Depending on how many plant life you ’re overwintering , cheery indoor spaces may be at a premium in the wintertime . And unless you really thoroughly clean and repot your geraniums , you hazard bringing in garden pesterer that may spread to your other houseplants .
Step 1: Dig up and clean your geraniums.
The first footfall will be precisely the same as the one I described for the bare - root overwintering method . Even down to clean the soil off the root . I know it ’s tempting to just take a lump of garden soil , pot it up and put it indoors , but please do n’t . lawful , you ’ll save some time and money , but you adventure bringing in all sort of creepy crawlies indoors .
Which brings me to the next step :
Step 2: Pot your geraniums into fresh potting soil.
Do n’t get me wrong , creepy crawlies are our friends when we ’re outside in the garden , but if you skip repotting , you might have to rot some time evict the nightcrawler that call on your desk into a highway . Been there , done that !
Another reasonableness why you ca n’t just apply soil from the garden when you bring your geranium indoors is that it ’s often too dense for pots . Potting stain ( which usually contains perlite or vermiculite ) is particularly excogitate to retain just enough moisture , but not as much so as to risk root rot .
Step 3: [Optional] Trim back your geraniums.
Now that you ’ve repot your geraniums , you may want to cut down them back to make them a bit more manageable indoors . Some cultivars are small enough not to need a haircut , but most plants will gain from a skillful trimming to encourage them to bush out rather than grow leggy . you could clip back a third to a half of the flora without cause it too much distress .
This stone’s throw is optional and reckon on where you intend to keep the potted plants over winter .
Step 4: Give them the right conditions.
At this peak , you may start treating your geranium as a houseplant . Place it in a cheery windowpane or as close as possible to a informant of natural visible light . A sun parlor , greenhouse or conservatory are great berth to overwinter geraniums , as long as the temperature stays above 40F.
Keep the pots watered ( but not sloughy ) since the plants will continue to grow and some will even bloom over wintertime . check that the spot you choose for your geraniums is well - ventilated and not close to any source of direct heat , such as fireplace , radiators or baseboards .
If indoor geraniums do n’t get enough sun , they ’ll run to grow spindly and weak . No job though , as you’re able to just pinch them back to promote side - branching . or else , you may let them grow leggy and clip them back in the spring before you take them out into the garden .
Method 3: Just take geranium cuttings to overwinter
pro : Rooting slip is a unobjectionable method of overwintering geraniums since you do n’t have to treat with the messy job of digging out and repotting your plants . It ’s also a good method if you do n’t have too much space to spare for geranium houseplant .
Cons : You’ll be get going with a minuscule plant in spring , especially if you ’re not punctilious enough in manage for the cuttings . Another ( anecdotal ) observance is that not all my geranium cuttings develop roots . This is gentle to work around by take more cuttings from more plants , just to hedge your bets .
What should I do with the geranium that you took cuttings from ?
you may just depart it in the garden and clean house it up come spring , if you ’re lucky . But do n’t carry it to make it through the winter , peculiarly if you get an extended point of punishing frost . If you have a mild wintertime time of year and your annual geraniums oversee to pull through , just call it a bonus and share or swop the cuttings with other geranium aficionados . Another option is to dig up the plant life , repot it and bring it indoors , just as I describe in Method 2 above .
Step 1: Cut and clean your geraniums.
A good normal of thumb when you take a cutting is to start up with the level-headed , largest plants and avoid the small-scale 1 that have n’t developed vigorous stems . Cut at least a five - inch piece of stem off the end of strong shoots . Then clean up the stem you trimmed and remove the humble leaves .
Step 2: Choose your rooting medium.
Some gardener prefer to root in water while others opt a firm rooting medium . I take to keep my geranium cutting in weewee because it ’s easy to see the ascendant development . I also find out it too much of a trouble to keep the grease evenly moist when I seek propagating in soil .
If you ’re identify your press cutting in water , you have to think of to refresh the H2O every few days and check that the stem and all the leaf nodes are properly submerge . Once your geraniums have roots , you could transfer them to potting soil , making trusted you choose a container that has in effect drainage .
If you ’re place the cut in a solid rooting spiritualist , you could douse them in root hormone first . steady potting soil mix might retain too much water system , so bet for a commixture that is rich in perlite or vermiculite . opt a skunk that will countenance you to insert the stem deeply enough to countenance it to fend up on its own while throw a pair of folio leaf node underground .
Since there are no roots yet , there will be no water soaking up , so the foliage that are left on the root will start to wilt . Do n’t care , that ’s normal and it wo n’t damage the works longsighted - term . But if you want to prevent water supply drying up , you may identify a clear plastic bag over the container , as long as you ’re not in the drug abuse of overwatering . Then pose the press cutting in bright collateral lighting .
As with any type of cuttings , getting them to take root in ground is a equilibrize act between keeping the ground just damp enough ( to promote root development ) , but not too moist ( this will only encourage root rot ) .
How do you know if your geranium slip have root ?
Just gently tug at the stem . If you feel resistance , that ’s a good sign that source have formed . If the stem experience either shrivel up or soft to the feeling , then your cuttings have already died . Geraniums are slow to root , and depending on the light condition and the mixed bag you ’re growing , it may take some flora up to six week to develop roots .
If you ’re rooted your geranium in water , you could pick out to keep them in water or transfer them to grime .
Rooted plants will be relatively dull to grow during the inhuman months , so at this point you only have to do some luminosity pruning , pinching off the spindly growth to keep the plant life thickset until it ’s ready to go back into the garden come spring .
In any given class , I overwinter my geranium in at least two different ways . I gently advance you to experiment with a combination of these three different method to see what works for your geranium , your environment and your lifestyle . It ’s a adept way to instruct and hedge your wager , specially if you ’re a starter at grow geranium .
