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Growing from Seed

Planting Geranium/pelargonium Seeds

11 years ago

I purchased my geranium/ pelargonium x hortotum for 40 cents in June. The plant has flowered a ton outside in full-sun. It has already more than earned its keep.

A few months ago, I collected & saved 11 geranium seeds for the first time. I put them in the freezer for two months, and I have pulled them out of the freezer and am ready to plant.

Should I plant them in pots indoors or outdoors? If I plant them outdoors, will they grow in the spring?

I'd appreciate any tips! I'm not in any rush to see growth/blooms, but I'm excited, and since these seeds are really "bonus plants", I am open to ideas about experimentation.

Thanks.

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Comments (9)

flora_uk
11 years ago
Pelargoniums come from South Africa so I don't think they will need keeping in the fridge. I hope that that hasn't spoiled them. They are not frost hardy so definitely need sowing inside. I have never raised them from seed, either home collected or bought, because the easiest way of reproducing one you like is to do cuttings. However, I have found some info by Googling. Sounds a fiddle. Maybe you could take some cuttings as well as an insurance policy. That way you will get identical plants, which is unlikely with seed.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pelargoniums from seed
rachelthepoet
Original Author
11 years ago
Flora:

Thanks for the input. I'll test it out, but if they don't grow, I won't lose any sleep over it.

I'm not so worried about producing an identical plant--I just enjoy the process and learning.

My pelargonium still has a few seedpods, so I think I'll wait before getting cuttings so I don't interfere with that process. There was a tiny offshoot to the side of my plant, so I went ahead and dug that up, repotted, and brought it inside. So this way, I can try seeds, cuttings, and a miniature pelargonium on my windowsill. One of the three should work!
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flora_uk
11 years ago
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, rachelthepoet, but that plant is not a Pelargonium. If I had to id it I would say it was Hairy Bittercress, Cardamine hirsuta, a common and fast spreading weed. Google some images of Pelargoniums and you'll see the difference. Not remotely similar, I'm afraid. If you take some pics of the one you have outside I can tell you if that, too, is an imposter.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pelargonium seedpods
rachelthepoet
Original Author
11 years ago
Flora:

Oh no!!! The leaves looked just like my leaves in miniature! Guess it comes down to wishful thinking :(

Plus there are only a few leaves left on my pelargonium, so not a lot to compare to. I've attached a pic when there were a lot of leaves.

Now that I look at close up pictures of them side by side, I can see that the my leaves are more heart shaped than this weed. Ugh! Guess this is all part of the learning!
flora_uk
11 years ago
Have you got somewhere you bring your Pelargonium inside? Maybe a sunny window or a glazed porch? If it has lost its leaves outside it might already be feeling the cold.
rachelthepoet
Original Author
11 years ago
I'm at full capacity with houseplants right now, except for some tiny windowsills. Don't think this one will make it inside except for in seeds/cuttings.
flora_uk
11 years ago
Oh well. Maybe you'll have to cut your losses and buy a new one next year. They're pretty cheap over here. I imagine they would be in the States too. Cuttings are very easy for future reference. Or you could go over to the Geraniums Forum and look at ideas for storing your plant almost dry over the winter.

Here is a link that might be useful: Overwintering Pelargoniums
rachelthepoet
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for everything, Flora! I'll figure it out. This geranium only cost 40 cents, and I've enjoyed it for 6 months, so it more than earned its keep! I might still try the cuttings/overwintering as an experiment.
flora_uk
11 years ago
Good luck!

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