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Pelargonium - overwintering

19 years ago

My mother used to leave her pelargoniums in their pots and put them into her basement, when the weather got cool, and basically just left them til spring. She would start watering them again, in the spring and 'voila' they would come back to life! Does anyone else do this??? I would like to try it...but am afraid of killing my geraniums. Any hints??

Thanks

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Comments (6)

tresa1
19 years ago
You know I have heard of people doing this with other things, brugmansias mainly, but have never had the guts to try it. Like you say, I'm afraid of killing the plant. Would definitely be interested in what others know about this. Tresa
shrubs_n_bulbs
19 years ago
Pelargoniums are very drought tolerant. They go dormant when they don't have sufficient water. In a cool place with little light they can go through a whole winter without water. Its one way to overwinter them.
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I just happened to find this forum and thought I would tell you my story. Mother used to shake the dirt off, drop them, leaves and all, into a open large plastic pail, leaving them in the garage all winter. In the spring, the stocks would start to change into a sort of translucent green or you would see little red nodules on the older stocks, signaling the time to replant. She would clean up all the dead leaves and cut off the dead portions of the stocks, put them into soil and start to lightly water. Outside they would go when it warmed up enough. She gave me some a number of years ago and while I have good success using her method, I've managed to keep some very old pelargoniums year after year but in a different way. I have three that I leave in pots. Stopping all watering as the outside temp gets colder, I bring them into the house when it starts dropping to about 40 - 45 degrees F. The coolest room in the house is best but I have kept them in rooms with the daytime temp as high a 65 F. Of course you want to keep them away from any heat source. I water, but very little and only when I see the plant asking for a sip. Trust me, you'll know. A fair number of the leaves will yellow through the winter season and I just pick them off when they appear. I pick off any flower buds and even do some pinching. As long as you keep them clean of dead leaves, they don't look too bad! I get them outside as soon as possible, when the days get longer and hotter. I won't put them out too early because the cold will slow the growth. I continue to pinch off the flower buds as this seems to trick the plants into growing more leaves...so they can form more flowers...that I continue to pick off. I'm watering more often now and fertilizing. When I think the plants are "green" enough, I let them flower. And boy...do they flower. My pride is a pelargonium "bush" that I estimate to be about 9 years old. It's almost 5 feet tall with a main stock that's two inches in diameter. Happy gardening everybody!
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sullicorbitt
19 years ago
I did this years ago with about 20 plants that I grew from seed. I potted them up and put them in my basement with almost no water. It did work but you can't let them get too dry for too long. I brought them up from the basement in Mid February and put them all on a window seat, watered them, and they all or most came back. Now I guess I don't have the energy to pot them all up and lug them in :)
amy_z6_swpa
19 years ago
I overwinter mine in their pots, but I put mine in a windowsill for the winter. I suppose I could place them in the basement where it's almost always dark, but I'd rather see them keep growing. They get long leaf stalks, but that's ok. Last winter they even bloomed toward the end of winter. Then when they go back out, they get bushier again. :o)
DianeKaryl
19 years ago
K W....do you have such a place like your mother...a cool basement where the temperature is not allowed to go much above 55 or down below the freezing mark.
Geraniums must never be allowed to freeze...if you ever hope to bring them back......but..back they will come..better than ever.

No water, no light, no nothing should touch them after you remove them from their soil...container or bed.
Shake off any loose soil, take them to that cool part of your basement, hang them up...upside down...and leave them alone...never to be touched by anything.

In mid February, you bring them out, cut them back as you please...by 1/3...1/2...remove all old leaves, inspect the roots for any damage.
Into fresh potting soil, water them and take them to a sunny window. They will soon put on new leaves...eventually new budding and new bloom.

The key is to not believe they must be given water....what for..they're not growing...or they must be given some light....again..what for...they're not growing.
They must be allowed to remain cool and dry.

I kid you not....this is the way to ensure your plants from this season come back next season, and the next, and the next and the.........
busylizzy
19 years ago
Howdy,
I overwinter geraniums in the basement in their pots, give them light watering once a month. About March I bring them up for more light and start watering, they are beutiful this year, (2nd yr) and are huge. Have so many I started from seed this year that I am going to try the dry hanging for some of them and see how that works.

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