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.
Can geraniums survive the cold in pots?
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.
For the winter, should geraniums be pruned back?
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.
Can I store my geraniums for the following season?
Amazingly, annual geraniums (Pelargonium hybrids) thrive and flower wonderfully from spring till frost with little effort. The next spring, these resilient tiny plants will take off and grow once more if you dig them out in the fall and store them in a cardboard box or paper bag for the winter. Learn how to preserve your geraniums over the winter so you can enjoy them year after year by watching our video and reading the article below.
How should I use the geraniums from previous year?
Knowing how to overwinter geraniums is very useful for gardeners since it can help them save money and extend the life of particular varieties they enjoy.
Pelargoniums, sometimes known as geraniums, are mainstays of the summer garden. Geraniums are ideal for adding cheer and long-lasting color to hanging baskets, containers, and borders since they come in a variety of colors and flower continually as long as they are deadheaded.
However, when making your job list, you might consider including them as one of your winter garden ideas.
When growing frost-sensitive plants, planning a winter garden is crucial. Geraniums are perennial plants that put on a long display, but they are frost tender, which means they won’t survive harsh winters. If you are interested in cultivating geraniums, you must learn how to overwinter them.
Geraniums are South African natives that thrive in the heat and can withstand periods of drought with little water.
Pelargoniums, sometimes known as geraniums, may live in USDA zones 7 to temperatures of -12oF (0oC) if they are sheltered. They are hardy in climates between 20oF and 50oF in zones 9 through 12. They need to be sheltered in these conditions because, while they can withstand brief frosts (temperatures slightly below freezing), they cannot withstand prolonged exposure.
The Pelargonium genus contains a wide range of cultivars, all of which are categorized as delicate perennials. According to David Taylor, vice chairman of the UK Pelargonium and Geranium Society, “this means that they are not cold hardy as the majority of the founding species come from the warmer climbs of the Southern Hemisphere.
Perennial plants are able to flourish for a number of years, however in the UK this would mean that they would also need to be sheltered from winter wet and damp in addition to frost.
Geraniums can be cared for like annuals by being dug out in the fall, composted, and then replaced with fresh plants the following year. The appropriate care and attention, however, will enable you to winterize geraniums, keeping them alive throughout the winter so they can bloom once more the following year.
According to David Taylor, vice chairman of the UK Pelargonium and Geranium Society, “Keen enthusiasts keep their pelargoniums in growth during the winter and continue to feed and water but a few key points can be undertaken by anyone to keep your pelargoniums (geraniums) alive throughout the winter” (opens in new tab).
Pelargoniums are known as geraniums, but these plants are not the same as hardy geraniums or cranesbill, which are a different kind of plant and don’t need to be overwintered.