Geraniums can be overwintered inside in three different ways: as a houseplant, as a dormant bare root, or as cuttings. Your decision will be influenced by the amount of room you have indoors and the range of temperatures you can tolerate. Here is a closer examination of each method.
Overwintering geraniums as houseplants
If you want to keep the entire potted plant and have lots of room close to a window that gets bright, direct light, go with this option. A drafty west-facing window would be the ideal place for your potted geranium to spend the winter because geraniums prefer it chilly (55 to 65 F is optimum).
Wash the foliage well with your hose and repot the plant in new potting soil to prevent bringing unwanted pests from outside. You might also use insecticidal soap, which is sold in most garden centers and hardware stores as well as online. Avoid taking the plant indoors if it shows any signs of pests or illness. Only strong plants have a chance of successfully overwintering indoors.
During the winter, keep the soil wet but not damp. No more humidity is required. If the stems begin to sag, pinch them back to keep the plant compact throughout the winter. When springtime comes around, you may start fertilizing once more and transfer the plant back outside as soon as the temperature reliably rises above 50 F.
Overwintering geraniums as dormant bare root plants
This is the most typical way to overwinter geraniums, but it won’t work unless you have a dark, dry place that stays around 50 degrees throughout the winter.
First, dig up your geranium before it freezes and shake the dirt off the roots. To stop mold from forming, let the plant sit and dry for a few days before storage. Before moving onto the following phase, the roots must be completely dry.
The roots should be kept in a dark, dry place that doesn’t get colder than 45 degrees throughout the winter. Geranium roots should be kept at a temperature of 50 F. You can keep them by doing:
- It has been customary for generations to hang the plants upside-down from the rafters;
- placing them on a shelf after wrapping them in newspaper or a paper bag;
- they were put in a cardboard box.
Step 3: Every month or so, look for mold, black leaves, or limp stems at the roots. Remove any plant or root components that are harmful. Most of the stems should endure the winter in good shape. Before re-storing them if they become too wilted, give them a good bath in water and let them air dry.
Step 4: Reviving your geraniums involves cleaning them up, pruning the stems back to healthy green growth, and replanting them in new potting soil about six weeks before your final frost date. Where the new roots will grow, bury the stems two nodes deep. When you notice fresh growth in one to two weeks, keep the plants somewhat dry; after that, keep the soil moist until the plants are big enough to replant outside.
Overwintering geraniums as cuttings
If your light windowsill area is limited or you are concerned that bringing in your entire potted plant would also attract unwanted bugs, this is a nice technique to try. Additionally, it’s a fantastic way to multiply your existing geraniums.
To trim plants, you’ll need:
- a cutting edge.
- Most hardware stores and garden centers sell rooting hormone, which is sold online.
- Use little terracotta or plastic pots, or recycle a clear takeaway container for roasted chicken.
- If you don’t eat chicken, use clear plastic bags to cover the pans.
How should geraniums be cared for over the winter?
Geraniums are incredibly simple to store for the winter—just place them in a cardboard box or a paper bag and secure the top. The following advice will help them survive:
- Maintain geraniums in a cool, dry area with a temperature of 50 to 60 degrees F.
- Once a month or so, remove dried leaves from the bag or box and check for mold.
- Check the stems quickly at the same time; they should be stiff. Throw away any dried-out, shriveled stems you uncover.
- If you see that the plants are becoming really dry and crispy, give them a brief soak in water.
- Plants with stems that appear to be blackened or mildewed should be disposed away.
Geraniums are typically kept in a sack upside down. Although the exact cause is unknown, one idea holds that it does so by pushing moisture into the stems. Whatever the cause, storing them in this manner is neither harmful nor necessarily harmful.
Do you prune geraniums to store them for the winter?
You should prune a perennial geranium after it has bloomed all season and starts to wither. This helps the plant store energy for the spring while simultaneously keeping it dormant for the winter. This could need to happen any time between August and late October, depending on your zone. Cut perennial geraniums down to 2 or 3 inches above the soil with a pair of trustworthy shears, ideally at nodes or new growth points. Take out any more flowers or foliage. You’ll have a collection of thick stems that is really ugly. But don’t panic, your blooms will return in full bloom the following spring.
When should geraniums be overwintered?
Geraniums are frequently planted in containers, which is a fantastic option if you want to overwinter them.
In the fall, before the first frost, if your geraniums are already in pots, you can simply relocate the pots under cover into a sunny, airy, and frost-free location, such a greenhouse or conservatory.
According to David Taylor, vice chairman of the UK Pelargonium and Geranium Society, “the best area would be a greenhouse and the ideal climate would be to have a heater in place to preserve temperatures above freezing when frost does threaten.” (new tab opens) (PAGS).
You can dig up, repot, and move the pots under cover if your geraniums were grown in a border.
Geraniums should always be pruned back before being brought indoors, whether they are already potted or have been removed from the border and repotted, according to David Taylor of PAGS.
“First, you should prune your plants back by roughly two-thirds; if lifting from outside beds, they could need to be pruned down by three-quarters or perhaps more. Do this pruning only while the roots are dry; otherwise, the remaining stems will wither.”
‘Also, get rid of any diseased, damaged, or dead sections you see. Make sure they are bug-free before bringing them inside for the winter,’ adds Emily Fernandes, a Californian small-space gardener and HouseGrail expert (opens in new tab).
Geraniums are best kept in a semi-dormant state while enclosed, as this means they won’t need as much water or food. “Place them in a partially sunny area, water them every two to three weeks, and maintain a humidity level of about 50%.” According to Emily Fernandes, a consultant at HouseGrail, “they go dormant over the winter like most other plants to store their energy for the growing season” (opens in new tab).
Do geraniums in pots reseed annually?
Geraniums have the advantage of easily entering dormancy, allowing for storage in a manner akin to that of sensitive bulbs. This method of storing geraniums for the winter entails digging the plant up in the fall and carefully removing the soil from the roots. The roots should not be spotless, just clear of dirt clumps.
In a room with a constant temperature of roughly 50 degrees Fahrenheit, such as your garage or basement, hang the plants upside down (10 C.). Rehang the geranium plant after soaking the roots in water for an hour once a month. All of the leaves on the geranium will fall off, but the stems will still be alive. Replant the dormant geraniums in the ground in the spring, and they will come to life.
Will my geraniums survive the winter indoors?
Pelargonium species, which come in pots, make great indoor plants that may be grown all year round. They normally become available in March through June, and if given enough light inside the house, they will bloom continuously. There are several fresh varieties, like vining and hanging basket cultivars. They are available in many different types of containers and at varying stages of development.
Can geraniums survive the cold outside?
- Make sure you thoroughly inspect your geranium plants before bringing them inside for the winter. Look for symptoms of pests and illnesses like rust and remove any dead leaves or wilting blossoms. Only zonal pelargoniums are impacted by this, but it is becoming more widespread. It arrived in the nation for the first time in 1968, and it does best in the moist summer or fall months. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to spread to the plants quickly and is simple to treat, so merely plucking the afflicted leaves is an effective management. You might also consider using the fungicide Dithane 945 as a spray.
- Placing your overwintering plants somewhere bright and sunny will help them retain their need for light throughout the winter. Your plants will receive 50% less light if they are placed more than three feet from a window!
- Because your plants continue to thrive throughout the winter, keep the roots moist. While geraniums frequently survive droughts, they rarely flourish. Show plant growers take special care to keep the roots of their plants damp but never soggy during the winter.
- Ventilate as frequently as you can to maintain a dry environment surrounding your plants. Your plants will turn into a moldy, rotting heap if you don’t allow the air to circulate. The greatest electric fan heaters are those that operate automatically since they circulate air while simultaneously raising air temperature.
- Geraniums are fairly inexpensive to overwinter in the greenhouse because they only need to be kept frost-free. To keep temperatures above freezing, however, we do advise utilizing a heater. Set the thermostat on your heater to 5C, which is 41F. The plant will not survive if the stems become frosty! The winter months are a great time to store your delicate pelargoniums in porches, sunrooms, or conservatories.
We hope that we have provided you with enough of tips so that you can continue to enjoy your geraniums year after year. Visit our geraniums hub page, which is brimming with useful resources, for additional details on how to cultivate and take care of these well-liked plants. And do get in touch with us through our social media outlets to share your personal favorites; we’d love to hear from you.
Can geraniums survive the winter in an unheated greenhouse?
Geraniums can also be overwintered in a greenhouse without heat. Before the first freeze, move the potted geraniums into the greenhouse. In the winter, only water when absolutely necessary. Keep an eye out for mold and mildew and use the 3 in 1 spray if necessary. Mildew can be prevented by keeping the air dryer with a modest fan blowing.
Only when the interior of the greenhouse does not freeze may keeping take place in an unheated greenhouse. Even though it was below freezing outside, the sun came in during the day and heated the greenhouse pretty effectively. I previously owned a house with a greenhouse that was insulated but unheated. Overnight, the insulation kept it warm. Although the majority of people don’t have this option, I wanted you to be aware that it is possible under certain circumstances.
When should geraniums be wakened from dormancy?
Dormant, full-size geranium plants can be overwintered in the same way as animals hibernate during the winter and then come out of it in the spring.
Steps to Overwintering Dormant Geraniums
- Before the first frost, transplant the geraniums into containers and prune the plant back by about half. Dehydrate the soil in the pot.
- Put a paper bag on top of each plant and turn it over.
- Containers for dormant plants should be kept in a garage or basement that is chilly, unheated, and slightly damp.
- Every few weeks, check the geraniums to make sure the stems and leaves are not shriveling. Spray them with water or mist the roots if they start to show signs of drying out. After that, let the plant thoroughly dry before putting it back in the paper bag.
Reviving Dormant Geraniums
- Relocate your dormant geraniums to indirect light around 6–8 weeks before the final anticipated frost.
- Trim any dead leaves from the plants, and cut stems back to a healthy, green growth.
- Give the potted plants a good soaking and some fertilizer that has been diluted.
Should leggy geranium plants be pruned?
Not sure what to do with geraniums that are too leggy? Aim to prune. You should prune your spindly geraniums by approximately a third before bringing them inside (often in late November). Make sure to get rid of any stems that are sick or dead as well. Geraniums that are too lanky can be pruned to keep them from overgrowing and looking unattractive.
Another method for tying up lanky plants is pinching. This is typically done to mature plants to encourage bushier growth. Once new growth has reached a couple inches (8 cm) high, pinch out around 1/2 to 1 inch (1-2.5 cm) from the tips. This can be done during active growth or soon after trimming.