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How To Save Geraniums Over Winter

Store your geraniums over winter Keep your geraniums in a cool, dry location, at about 50 to 60 degrees F. Check for mold about once a month and remove dried leaves from the bag or box. At the same time do a quick check of the stems — they should be firm. If you find shriveled, dried-out stems, throw them away.

Can you keep geraniums in pots over winter?

If you have room for the pots in a sunny location, you can bring your potted geraniums (Pelargoniums) into your house for the winter. While they need sun, they do best with moderate temperatures 55°-65°F (12°-18°C).

How do I save my geraniums for next year?

To overwinter geraniums in dormant storage, dig up the entire plant before frost and gently shake the soil from the roots. Place the plants inside open paper bags or hang them upside-down from the rafters in a cool, dark location for the winter. Ideally the temperature should be between 45-50 F.

Should you cut back geraniums for winter?

After a perennial geranium has spent the season in bloom and begins to die back, you’ll want to prune it. This keeps the plant dormant for the winter and also helps it store energy for spring. Remove any leaves or additional flowers that remain. You’ll end up with a fairly unattractive grouping of thick stems.

What do you do with geraniums in pots over winter?

Geraniums like it cool in the winter — 55 to 65 F is ideal — so a drafty west-facing window would be ideal to overwinter your potted geranium. To avoid bringing in unwelcome pests from outdoors, wash the foliage thoroughly with your hose and repot the plant into fresh potting soil.

Do geraniums come back after winter?

All of these things are a testament to how tough geraniums actually are, but they are an annual, not a perennial, so they do not die back and begin new growth each year, they continue growing from the same plant structure.

How do you bring geraniums back to life?

Reviving Dormant Geraniums About 6-8 weeks before the last expected frost, relocate your dormant geraniums to indirect light. Clean up the plants by cutting off any dead leaves, and cut stems back to a healthy green growth. Give the potted plants a thorough watering and a diluted dose of fertilizer.

When should I overwinter my geraniums?

It’s time to pot your geraniums 6 to 8 weeks before the last average frost date in your area. Pull the geraniums out of the bag or box it’s been sitting in for the past few months and tidy up the plants — snip off any extra-long roots, and cut the stems back to healthy green growth, as you see in the inset.

Can I cut back geraniums in January?

You can either: Cut back the plants you have in pots, so that they spend the winter re-growing and bushing out. This works if you have plenty of frost-free space. Take pelargonium cuttings and leave the old plants to get on as best they can, or throw them away.

How do you prune overwintered geraniums?

Remove all of the dead and brown leaves from the geranium plant. Next trim away any unhealthy stems. Healthy geranium stems will feel firm if gently squeezed. If you would like a less woody and leggy geranium, cut back the geranium plant by one-third, focusing on stems that have started to turn woody.

Can geraniums survive frost?

Some surprises from the recent cold snaps: Geraniums, one of my favorite container plants, cannot tolerate a freeze, according to the University of Florida. But they can tolerate a light frost if they have had a chance to adjust to cool temperatures.

Will my geraniums grow back?

True hardy geraniums are perennials that come back each year, while pelargoniums die in the winter and are frequently treated like annuals, re-planted each year.

Can I keep geraniums in pots over winter UK?

Generally it is easiest to keep them in pots and to move them into a light, airy and fros- free space such as a greenhouse or conservatory. However, if you want to overwinter lots of geraniums it may be better to store them in bar- root form within paper bags and kept in a cool, dry place.

What time of year do you cut geraniums back?

Jane recommends pruning geraniums and pelargoniums back by between one third to one half during March or April. Come spring, the plants will rocket away, bush up beautifully and give a lovely flush of flowers. When pruning, don’t throw the cuttings away – they are really great for propagating.

Should you cut off dead geranium flowers?

When you deadhead geraniums, it’s important to take care with the blooms and stems so you don’t damage the base of the plant. If other healthy blooms remain in the flower cluster, you can pick out and remove only the dead petals. If the entire flower cluster has faded, you should remove the entire stem.

Can you cut back leggy geraniums?

Pruning Leggy Geraniums Try pruning. Prior to bringing plants indoors (usually late fall), you should cut back about a third of your spindly geraniums. Make sure you remove any unhealthy or dead stems as well. Pruning leggy geraniums also prevents them from becoming overgrown and unsightly.