Ways of Overwintering Geraniums

Geraniums

Because geraniums have no resting structures such as bulbs or tubers they need to be carried over the winter as stem and leaf tissue either actively growing or in the dormant stage. Make sure you select only healthy plants for overwintering. Outdoor geraniums can be infected with bacterial diseases. Eliminate any plants with leaf spot, wilting, rotting, stem darkness, blotchy coloration, or shriveling.

You will need to take slips or tip cuttings before the first frost. Select the amount of 3- to 4-inch shoot tips you plan on using and strip the lower leaves. Select a rooting hormone to dip the ends before sticking them in potting soil. You can use flower pots or wooden containers with 3 to 4 inches of potting soil and good drainage. The cuttings should be watered and covered with plastic. You can place them in a brightly lit area, but not in direct sun light. Allow your soil to be somewhat dry to avoid disease. You should see roots develop in three to four weeks. You should then place them in individual flower pots set in a well lit location. Flowering requires at least four hours a day of direct sunlight.

Plants can be lifted from your garden, potted and brought into the house. Cut the plant back to at least 1/3 of the original height. You should use pots 6 to 8 inches in diameter. Once you have them in the pots, water thoroughly and fertilize. Geraniums are an arid plant and prefer 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit day temperatures with cool nights of 55 to 60 degrees. The plants should be fed monthly and placed in a well-lit area, allowing them to adapt to indoor conditions. Temperatures in excess of 70 degrees could produce leggy plants.

Dormant plants should be dug up before the first frost. Carefully shake the soil from the roots and hang the plants upside down in a cool dark basement or crawl space where the temperature is 45 to 50 degrees. Take the plants down monthly and soak the roots in warm water for one to two hours. Remember to apply a protective fungicide to protect the plants from disease. The leaves will dry up, turn brown and fall off during the winter. However, the stems should remain green. Cut each plant back to the green fleshy solid stem in March. After the danger of frost cut the plants back 1/3 of the original size and plant in the garden or in pots. You can pot them indoors for an early start. Remember to water and fertilize your geraniums.