overwintering geraniums

15 years ago

I have recently gotten the idea of picking up geraniums form the yard waste at the road sides this coming week. If the plants have been bare root and out in the weather drying, do you think they will survive in my cellar over the winter?

I am also going to do the drive around to look for leaf bags. They are just this weekend falling off the trees in great numbers. I thought I could probably find some pulled up geraniums too. Maybe I'll ask for them on freecycle...

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Comments (10)

marricgardens
15 years ago
You would have to check the roots to see how badly dried out they were. If there is still green in the tops, I would try to salvage it. Do you store them in pots or hang them upside down? I store mine in pots. If I found some I wanted I would take it home, put it in water to try to rehydrate it. Once stored in pots, just water enough to keep it from completely drying out-I water mine about once or twice during the winter. It's worth a try. Another alternative is if the geranium still looks healthy, take some cuttings. Marg
runningtrails
Original Author
15 years ago
I was going to hang them bare root in the cellar but I could plant them in a box in soil, if that would be better. I'm going to look tomorrow, when I go looking for bags of fall leaves to take home.

I used to have neighbors who thought I was nuts, but then I also garden in the dark at 5 in the morning. (I have no neighbors at all now). Maybe I am nuts...
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Gopi, the hardest thing to come by is the cool place to store your geraniums. Not many modern homes have such a place-- a place where the heat put out by the furnace doesn't access. Some basements might have a corner that is not as warm but far from cool. I'm fortunate in that respect because I have a coldcellar--a place much like what farmers have--a fruitcellar--where products are stored over winter for sale in the spring. I put my preserves there on shelves and in-between put the upside down hanging geraniums. I place a plastic sheet on the floor to catch the debris--and there's lots of that when you go retrieve them. Cool is a place where the temperature is not much above 50Âº- 55Âº. Any warmer than that might initiate growth. Light too, if in such mild area, will encourage development. Unfortunately, the growth is slow and doesn't do the plant justice--it is weak and any leaves that might form anew are weak and unable properly to draw light and moisture. You might be encouraged to think the plant, even as dormant as it is, needs some water--it doesn't. Water only causes moisture to hang around. Mildew is often the result. No, the plant ideally is taken out of the ground in the fall and not see light, or water again until we wish it to grow and foliate out like it did the previous summer. February --the ides of March...that is the time that there is sufficient sunlight to encourage developing new leaves. Most plants are not like this---they are unable to be renewed. But geranium is in a class by itself--with a few other exceptions-- like pansy--they can be renewed simply by giving them what is needed....warmth, light, and water. If you cant provide the coolness needed, then don't attempt to do the above--it will only cause disappointment when the plant cant do what it needs to do. Instead, do what you have been doing, keeping the plant going as long as you can through winter, enjoying what bloom it does provide and then, if you can bring it to February or March, then do the cutting back at that time. It should do as well.
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Congrats. I'm currently in my fourth year regrowing geraniums I stored bare-root in the basement. I just remove most of the dirt from the roots and put the plants upside down in boxes on the floor in a dark basement room. The temperature down there stays above 60, which sounds high, but the plants do very well. The first couple winters I soaked the roots a couple times, but I've found that doesn't help their survival. What I have found is that first-year plants with thinner stems just need to be restarted a little early the following spring. Once a geranium is two or more years old it will have thicker stems and will easily survive the winter. My third and fourth-year plants are so mature and thick I could leave them bare-root in the boxes through summer and they'd still be fine. Once I cut them back and pot them up in spring they begin to put out growth in about five days, and then they grow very quickly. I used to pot them up in March, but because of their high growth rate I now wait until sometime in April.
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glen3a
15 years ago
So you drove the neighbors away? (just teasing!) One year I tried pulling all the geraniums out of the flower bed, placing in one container (bunching together) and surrounded the roots with soil and placed in a cool crawlspace. They survived fairly well. Some plants won't survive totally but enough of the stem survives to stick into soil in spring and get it to root.

One question though, do the usual storage methods apply to every type of geranium? I have a scented geranium (coconut) which I would just like to store in a dark spot for winter. I tried making cuttings but it didn't seem to work.

Glen
ladybug6a
15 years ago
I have overwintered geraniums for many years. Take paper bag, shake out soil, put up-side down in bag, cool place till March. Then repot in good soil. Cut back till you see green.But in sunny spot. All the leafs will have fallen of, After a while new leafs will appear, of you go for another year. Very easy.

I have always wanted to to what you do (picking up leafs on the side of the road) Never had the courage. Good for you, great compost.
growerjo
15 years ago
The first year I overwintered geraniums I did by placing them upside down in a box. I soaked them in water once during the winter months then placed them back in the box. When I repotted them in march, they sprouted slowly but once they got going, they were fine. This year I decided to keep them as houseplants. But it's important not to overwater them. If you do, they develop blisters on their leaves.

Here is a link that might be useful: Photography and gardening
dllfb
11 years ago
Thanks for the hints everyone...geraniums are getting expensive at the store so I'm going to try some of your methods. Growerjo...did you put the box with the upside down geraniums in your fruit cellar? Mine is kind of cold..and when you said you soaked them once...did you soak the root or the whole plant?
Ladybug6a, do you close up the whole plant in the paper bag including the roots? Do you use a large size paper bag like the yard waste ones and put a bunch of plants in there or only one per smaller bag? Where do you store the bag? Thanks so much, in advance, for your responses.
otnorot
11 years ago
Every year for the last 30 I stored about 50 geraniums and every spring I have lost 2/3/4 plants.I store them by colour,each colour has its own bag,each bag formally held fertilizer,top soil,potting mix.I dig,shake off soil,put in bag,leaves and all.Stand bags on shelf 6 FT from furnace.Check once a month through the winter,Pot up and cut back in early March.Cuttings are potted 20 or more to a pot,95% root.
Bill A very long time gardener.
dllfb
11 years ago
Thank you for your reply otnorot...just a couple of questions...are these bags you put your geraniums in paper bags? How many plants do you put per bag...I'm wondering if I can use those large outdoor paper leaf bags...or are these paper grocery bags that you use? Do you put the plants upside down on right side up in the bag?..I've read so many different techniques..lol.
dllfb
11 years ago
Thank you for your reply otnorot...just a couple of questions...are these bags you put your geraniums in paper bags? How many plants do you put per bag? I'm thinking of using those large paper leaf bags...or do you use the store grocery type bags? Do you put the plants upside down on right side up in the bag?..I've read so many different techniques...wondering which one is best...lol.
clax66
11 years ago
Hello,
I have a newbie question....what is the process to store geraniums over the winter? I have some currently in planters on my back deck. I'd love to keep them over the winter. Any advice would be welcome, thank you!

overwintering geraniums

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marricgardens

runningtrails
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overwintering geraniums

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