For step-by-step instructions, see How to Take Cuttings from Geraniums. To get started, clean up your potted geraniums by removing dead, damaged, moldy, diseased parts, and cutting the entire plant back by one-third to one-half.
This is a popular method that has been done for generations. Pelargoniums can handle this because of their thick, succulent roots, which survive so long as they do not dry out or become diseased. Yes, it does not matter where you are, it matters what conditions you can provide during the colder seasons. As long as the plants do not freeze, they can survive the winter. You can keep them as houseplants, propagate cuttings, or store the entire plant or just the bare roots, in a dry, cool location.
True geraniums genus geranium like cranesbill are hardy perennials. Yes, you can take cuttings any time in the growing season and root them for new plants. Geranium Genus: Pelargonium The Geraniaceae family of plants includes Geranium species , Pelargonium species and Erodium 80 species. How do I winterize my geraniums indoors? For this method, hanging the plants or covering them loosely with a paper bag works well and eliminates the need for pots.
As with any dormant storage, select a spot that's cool, dark, and damp but above freezing. Dig up your geraniums before the first frost. Cut back the plants by approximately half, and shake the soil from the roots. Set the plants in a spot to let them dry for a few days to avoid mold in storage.
Either store the plants upside down in loose-fitting paper bags or place them in a cardboard box and close the lid. Then, store them in a cool, dark room. If you opt to use bags, make sure not to seal them tightly. The plants need some airflow. Check your plants every few weeks. If they are shriveling, spray them with water or slightly dampen the root area.
Allow the plants to dry completely before placing them back into the bags. About six to eight weeks before the last expected frost , relocate your dormant geraniums to indirect light.
Clean up the plants, snip off dead leaves, and cut stems back to healthy green growth. Fill a pot with moistened potting mix, then stick the stem into the soil so that two nodes are buried. Give the potted plants a thorough watering and a diluted dose of fertilizer about half of the package recommendations , and let them slowly come out of dormancy. You should start to see new green leaves after a couple of weeks. Move them back outside once the danger of the season's final frost is past.
In four to six weeks, they should look like the ones you bought in the nursery the prior year! Growing Geraniums and Annual Flowers in Minnesota. University of Minnesota Extension. Actively scan device characteristics for identification.
Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Do you mean around the stems or around the flowers? Will pots of geraniums survive in a cold frame over winter if I use bubble wrap and a fleece around each plant? A frost free green house or cool room indoors is always the best choice. Cover the whole plants with several layers of fleece. You could try packing loose straw between the pots too.
You can cover the frame with bubble-wrap if you have some. You will need to lift the fleece in the daytime and vent the frame to allow good air circulation.
If a particularly cold spell is forecast then cover the frame with extra layers. Whether they survive or not will really depend on the severity of the weather and climate but if you keep them dry then they will stand a better chance. I have no natural light in my cool basement, where I winterize my geraniums. This will be my second year saving them…i was told originally to do, and did…shake loose all the dirt from their roots,.. What do you think of this idea….
Hi Nancy. Good luck with them Sue. Deryck, I agree with you entirely — I would just bring them indoors, give them a trim and reduce watering throughout the winter. This system works just fine.
I overwintered one plant for 7 years! I did this a couple of years ago and put them in the loft out of the way. In Spring I potted them up and had the best display ever! I took all mine out of the pots last year, shook off all the soil let them dry and hung them upside down in a paper bag, I stored them in the garage and they were fine. Have a look on YouTube on how too. Thank you for an enlightening column.
I start afresh each season with Geranium as they are relatively cheap and grow them on from plugs. My plugs are enormous and I was checking if they could be planted out yet, its getting desperate. From what I read, they will not take frost, although here Cotswolds we have not had any and if so it was miniscule.
This next weekend they must go out and currently are hardening to colder weather on my patio. Glad to hear your Geraniums are off to a flying start!! If they are heading outside then I would recommend keeping them in a cold frame or similarly sheltered spot. Keep some horticultural fleece to hand that can be thrown over them at night just to keep out the chills. Fingers crossed for warmer weather now, but if we do have a cold snap then bring them undercover again.
I potted my geraniums from the garden and placed them in my summer house over winter On checking to see if they needed some water first time since bringing them in I discover they had mildew What can I do? Will they survive? Regards Sue. Increase ventilation around them by spacing them out a little if you can. You may need to give them a light spray of fungicide too. Remove any infected plant debris and pop it into your waste bin or burn it.
Hope that helps Sue. I have about geraniums that belonged to my dad who recently passed away. I have a greenhouse that I keep at F in the winter. Suggestions would be very helpful. Hi I have some geraniums which I would like to try and keep over winter. I have a partial memory of my dad putting layers of newspaper between the compost and the lower parts of the plants taking the final flowers off and covering with of all things a plastic carrier bag and taping it to the pot.
Would this work or have I mixed this up somehow? Hi Jacqui I have never heard of this method before — not sure whether it would work or not, although I would be concerned about the plastic bag reducing ventilation and encouraging disease.
If it were me I would simply clean the plants up, removing any plant debris. Cut them back a little if necessary to make them fit the available space, and then move them to a bright, frost free greenhouse, conservatory or similar. Reduce watering so that the compost is kept barely moist throughout the winter months. Good luck Sue. I am overwintering my pelargonium cuttings on my kitchen windowsill which faces SSE. The window is double glazed. The cuttings are well rooted and looking healthy.
The compost is fairly dry. How far should I restrict watering over the winter? So many ways of over wintering geraniums can I not just shake the soil off the roots put them in a box until next year.
I have removed the Ivy leaved trailing Pelargoniums plants from my hanging baskets hopping to keep the plants for next year. They will kept in a slightly heated greenhouse The branches are very straggly and about 30cm long. There is already a few new shoots near to the plants base. My question is, to what length should I reduce the branches. Hi Harold I would be inclined to cut them back by about a third at this stage. This will allow for any die-back that may occur over the winter, and still leave enough stem to regrow in spring.
Keep the soil barely moist throughout winter with just the occasional drop of water as and when required. Good luck! What an interesting read and most informative. You really are very kind and helpful and give details that I, as an ancient but fairly new gardener.
Do you have any other pages please I need help with my indoor African violets. Thank you so much. Hi I have purchased some regal pelargoniums for summer bedding but I am wondering how I can over winter them with no greenhouse or conservatory and very little windowsill space?
I hope this helps Graham. I triple-fleeced mine last year. They all died. Hi Graham, interesting reading all the above but no mention of my problem. I bought some pelargoniums late in the year and moved them, in their pots, to sit in the conservatory in full daylight through the winter.
Have kept the compost moist with occasional watering but have now realised they are infested with white fly. The Grey Lady Plymouth is now very tall and leggy. The others are Fragrans Variegata and Erodium pelargoniflorum, which has continued flowering beautifully. How should I proceed with them re the fly and cutting back? Hi Laura, I would cut them by the end of the month to give them a chance to recover before the new season begins, I too have a large pot actually in my garage which has flowered all through the winter.
I will give it a top dressing with feed mixed in and then cut them back fairly hard. I hope this helps All the best Graham. If I overwinter geraniums under flourescent lights how long should I set the light period for? They are in a non heated greenhouse currently but good signs of growth and new shoots. Or would I be better taking the new shoots off as cuttings? Hi Jo, I would cut them back and let them grow in the spring, you can take cutting later in the year and get yourself some new plants growing ready for next year too!
I overwinter my geraniums in pots in the basement under grow lights. They bloom all winter, and are good to be moved outside in the spring. I water sparingly, and keep the lights on timers for a good tropical 12 on off. I live in southeastern Wisconsin. Its February , I concur with the article, flowering during the winter. I have pelargoniums in unheated conservatory , Essex UK, and they are flowering.
Hi Graham. I put all of my potted geraniums in the summer house over winter. Is it safe to leave them outside from now on unless there is a frost and how often should I water them? Also, when should I expect them to start flowering? It is now the 11th January, and the temperature is 7 degrees. Kindest regards. All the best Graham. Ian and Liz, Our conservatory window sills are currently full of flowering geraniums- a lovely splash of colour on these dreary grey January days.
What to do for the best? Hi Ian and Liz, I would keep dead-heading them for now, they will need cutting back at some point, but you can probably leave it for another month as yet — you might as well enjoy the colour for as long as you can! Best wishes. Thanks Graham do you think im better leaving them in a non heated greenhouse and if so would I just put a fleece over them?
Hi Lynda, yes, that will be absolutely fine, the geraniums will be well protected, have enough light and should be fine next spring.
Thanks for your reply 2 more question please. I wrapped paper around roots put all in boxes in greenhouse and there is a compost bed in ghouse so should I unwrap and put them in the soil or leave as they are? Hi Graham, This blog is really useful. Do you remove all the soil or just leave compost around the root ball? I assume you still leave the foliage sticking out above the newspaper? Do they still need light?
I have a shed which does have a window but it is in a very shady spot with no direct sunlight so is quite dark — would the shed window ledge be suitable? Thanks for your help Simon. The foliage can remain on the plant too and the light level in the shed should be adequate as the plants will be dormant anyway.
I hope the above helps you out. Please let me know if you need anything else. Hello, here in middle Germany have two large Terraces to property, protected by upstairs balcony, have previously, successfully wintered other pot-plants there, well wrapped up. Before the first frost, cut back plants to half of their original size and inspect them for signs of insects or disease.
Then, dig up healthy plants and transplant into containers. Use a potting mix made for containerized plants instead of garden soil. Garden soil is often heavy, compacted, and drains poorly in containers. Place containerized plants in a cool location with plenty of bright, direct sunlight. Water plants well after potting and as needed when the soil begins to dry.
Shoot tips may need pinching once or twice during the winter to promote branching and prevent weak growth. Before planting outside in May, fertilize lightly. Plants kept in containers over the winter are typically larger than most geraniums sold in the spring. This allows you to have a head start on growth and blooms for next year's garden. Taking cuttings from outdoor plants Geraniums root readily from cuttings.
This is also a great way to multiply the number of plants for next year's garden. To take a cutting, remove a 3- to 4-inch section of the plant's stem tip with a sharp knife.
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