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Keeping geraniums in the house over the winter?

14 years ago

I have several geraniums blooming in pots outside. I would like to take them into the house for the winter. What do I have to do to them to keep enjoying them in the coming winter? Do I have to cut them back? Do they need a lot of light? Does the room have to be cool or warm? Will they continue to flower or at least stay green? Thanks

Comments (6)

ljpother
14 years ago
I keep some of my geraniums in pots in east and south windows. They retain blooms for about a month and start blooming again as the days get longer in April. I have one I let grow for a tree form. The others I use as a source of cuttings to start new plants. Last year I lost several (light colours and variegated) to frost. Don't wait until the last moment to bring them in.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
14 years ago
its possible ... i suppose lots of things are ...

but it will become a hassle ...

they are full sun plants... any window immediately becomes half sun ... plus all the cloudy days in winter... so light is an issue...

then the furnace.. and it effect on humidity in the house.. if you have forced air.. you will be lucky to run the house at 30% humidity ....

then there is the issue of potting media ... and water retention.. with the furnace.. to wet.. and you will get root rot ... etc ...

ALWAYS TRY THE EXPERIMENT .... do not be surprised if they fail .. and revel if you succeed ... just ID all the variables.. and TRY to address each one ...

good luck

ken
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The plant called geraniums that is grown as a bedding annual is actually a pelargonium. There was a mix-up back when old Linnaeus was running around naming things, and the name stuck ;-) Pelargoniums are annuals in the north, as a hard freeze will kill them. I keep some old blankets and sheets around, and just watch the forecasts. 'Pellies' aren't sissies about the cold though, they will do fine through a light frost with a blanket. I extend the season in the fall with blankets too. They just grow much slower when it is chilly. They also don't like it too hot either, by the way. Mine suffer a bit when it gets in the mid-high nineties. True geraniums are hardy perennials, many are native to North America. There is some similarities to the leaves, and the flower shape between the two species. But, pelargoniums are native to Africa, where they are perennials, and succulents at that. Both are great plants. Both get discussed on this forum. It is a bit confusing at first. If you overwintered yours in the house, you have pelargoniums. :-) The FAQs on this forum has a better explanation of the name mix-up than I gave. I can hardly wait to put my pellies outside for the year. :-) Oh, and I'm just a gardener out to learn. More knowledgeable posters, please correct anything that I was incorrect about.
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I don't know whether I'd trust an unheated garage to store a plant over a northern winter but if you have a basement that stays above 40ÃÂº, can be put where it can be left alone....no watering, no giving light of any kind, no feeding....it can come back better than ever. No thinking a little sprinkling will do it some good...it wont. When we give plants light, we are expecting it to do something....like grow....same with heat....same with food. Leave the poor plant alone....do not do anything to encourage growth. In February--or March....bring the plant out...remove it from its pot if you left it there, or you might have hung it--upside down...which is equally the way to leave it.... cut it back to about 4"....removing all dead branches..inspect the roots and remove any that appear dead or damaged. With a clean pot, put something in the bottom to keep the soil away from the drainage holes---the pot MUST DRAIN....fresh potting soil, place the plant in, water it to drainage, then place it in a sunny window where it is left to gain leaves. Turn it every other day to ensure all parts receive adequate sunlight. Do not feed it until sufficient foliage returns and then only as it requires. Do not let the drainage sit under the pot longer than 5 - 10 minutes.... Within 6 weeks your plant should have foliage that will signify its beginning to return to its old self.
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Comments (2)
I have kept them indoors in pots and they survived, although they didn't look that wonderful. Still, survival is all I was hoping for. I have removed the plants from their pots, shaken all the soil off the roots, and hung them upside down to overwinter in the tornado shelter. Some survived, some did not. This works best if you let them get pretty dry in the pot before you remove them, and you need to get them into their winter home long before the first frost. In some very mild winters, I've had them survive outdoors in pots, but that has happened only 1 or 2 times in the dozen years we've been here. None of the above methods works every time though, and there seems to be no rhyme or reason to why they survive some years and not others. I haven't overwintered any the last couple of years....just not enough time or space. Dawn
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And it must go through dormancy. Unless you follow Mike's advice (which I would do as well - plant now), I'd leave it outside until it drops its leaves and then you can bring in over winter but not in a warm, sunny window. Somewhere where the temps won't exceed 40-45F and doesn't drop much below freezing. And when dormant, light is not an issue.
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oilpainter
14 years ago
If you have a south or west facing window you sure can over winter them inside. I have been doing it for more years than I can remember. There are other ways to save them for the next year too, but I'll get into that in a bit.

First here is what I do. I try to get the shortest bushiest ones.I remove all the flowers and buds, and cut them back, to a leaf, to make a nicely shaped plant. I pot them up and put them in my south facing window. I only fertilize once or twice during the winter with diluted strength and only water when they are dry. When they get tall shoots during the winter, I cut them back. Every time you cut them back they make new shoots and I want this so I can take cuttings in the spring. I got 41 cuttings off of 4 plants this spring.

If you have a cold cellar or a place that is just above freezing you can store them there for the winter and let them go dormant or you can hang them upside down, bare root, in a paper bag(punch holes in the bag) For both these 2 you need a cool dry dark place that is just above freezing. In the spring, pot up the bare roots--the rest is for both ways. Move into indirect light and give a little water. Not too much--they have no feeder roots yet. Gradually increase the water and move more and more into direct sunlight and only then when they are growing well give them a mild 1/4 strength fertilizer
I hope this helps
lindac
14 years ago
I used to bring in my potted geraniums every winter. I filled the south window with them, kept them watered and they bloomed, but not gloriously, all winter. I repotted in Early march and took cuttings,,,,that didn't do much until June....but they lived.
You can also just put the plant in the basement in the dark and only water enough to keep the stems plump....just a little every month or so....then re pot and bring into the light about march 1.
Linda C
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
14 years ago
linda.. you said USED TO do it ...

why did you stop.. just not worth the hassle????

ken
oilpainter
14 years ago
Ken:

It's not much hassle to grow them in the house. No more than having house plants. They really thrive on neglect, because they go into a semi dormant state. A watering once a week or so and a little cutting back when they grow long shoots. The bonus is that you get all those cuttings in the spring.

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