Geraniums (Pelargonium xhortorum Geraniaceae) are popular in summer flower gardens. They are colorful and dependable, flowering all the time without requiring a lot of attention. They are a perennial, but in many cold winter areas, they are treated as an annual, as they will die from a hard freeze. Geraniums can be "overwintered" and you can keep them year-round.
There are different methods for keeping your geranium plants until the spring, when you can put them outdoors again.
Method 1: Bare Root Plants - Overwintering geraniums in dormant storage. Geraniums have the ability to survive most of the winter without soil. Here are the steps to follow:
(1) Dig up the entire geranium plant and gently shake the soil from their roots.
(2) Hang plants upside down in a cool (45-50 degrees), dry place.
(3) An alternate method is to place 1 or 2 plants in a large open paper bag or sack. The paper bag method is much cleaner than the hanging method.
(4) Once a month during the winter, soak the roots of each plant in water for 1 to 2 hours. Most of the leaves will eventually fall off.
(5) In the spring, when here's no chance of frost, prune or cut back each plant and remove all shriveled dead material. Discard any geraniums with shriveled stems, since they won't survive. Healthy, live stems will be firm and solid.
(6) After pruning, in late March or early April, put healthy dormant geraniums in pots. Water plants thoroughly and place in indirect light to initiate new growth. It may take several weeks for plants to initiate growth after dormant storage.
Method 2: You can also choose another dormant storage method--Store the potted plant in a place where they will stay cold (above freezing) and will remain in the dark where they won't dry out completely. Follow these simple steps:
(1) After digging up the entire geranium plant, put the plant in a pot and let the soil dry out.
(2) Cut plant back about one half its original size.
(3) Put a paper bag over each plant.
(4) Store in a cool, dry location, such as the basement.
(5) Check every couple of weeks to see if the plants are shriveling or drying out completely. If they are, spritz water on them or slightly water their root area. Let the plant dry off before replacing the paper bag.
(6) If you followed the dormant storage methods, it will take a few weeks before your geraniums come back to life for the spring. About 6 weeks before the last expected frost (I know it's hard to gauge. So let's say late March or early April.), bring your geraniums back into indirect light.
(7) Thoroughly water potted plants and lightly fertilize. They should become greener and grow new leaves. Move them outdoors when there's no chance of frost. Be careful, you wouldn't want to lose them after taking care of them over the winter!
Method 3: It's not the most recommended method, but you don't necessarily have to let your geranium go dormant over the winter. This is another easy way to keep your geraniums alive until spring, but make sure they get enough light.
(1) Prune the geranium back to half to one-third their original height, and carefully dig up each plant.
(2) Place in 6- to 8-inch pot. Use potting soil mix, as garden soil will be too heavy and drains poorly.
(3) Water them well and place them in a bright, sunny window under artificial lighting.
(4) Keep them in cool indoor temperatures. Daytime temperatures near 65 degrees F. and nighttime around 55 degrees F.
(5) Avoid warm, poorly lit areas.
(6) Water plants only when the soil becomes dry.
(7) Occasionally pinch the geraniums to promote branching and prevent weak plants.
(8) Before planting outside when weather permits in late spring, fertilize lightly.
Plants kept in containers over the winter are usually larger than geraniums sold in the spring. You will have a head start on growth and blooms for next year's garden!
I'm not going to go over it in this column, but there's yet another method of overwintering that gardeners either love or hate--taking cuttings from outdoor plants. The attraction this method holds is that it's a good way to multiply the number of plants for next year's garden.
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