Geraniums are grown as summer annuals in many parts of the country, but they are actually tender perennials. Forcing them into a dormant state to overwinter indoors allows you to keep them from year to year with no need for replacement plants. After spending the winter dormant, you must "un-winterize" the geraniums before transplanting them back into the garden. Bringing the plants out of dormancy isn’t difficult, but the proper method must be used to avoid damaging your geraniums.
- Difficulty:
- Easy
Instructions
Things You’ll Need
- Pot
- Soil
- Compost
- Peat moss
- Vermiculite
- Shears
- Dig up each geranium plant before the first frost in fall kills off the foliage. Shake the excess soil from the roots and hang them upside down in a dark room with a temperature between 45 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit to store over winter.
- Fill an 8-inch diameter pot with a quality potting mix in early spring. Make your own potting mix by combining one part compost, one part peat moss and one part vermiculite.
- Plant one geranium per pot. Plant so the crown of the plant, the place where the stems emerge from the root ball, is even with the soil surface.
- Water immediately after planting until the excess moisture begins dripping from the bottom drainage holes. Keep the soil moist at all times.
- Cut off the dead stem tips with a pair of garden shears. Cut off the parts that have begun to shrivel, leaving the healthy firm stems on the plant.
- Place the geranium in a sunny window to encourage it out of dormancy. New growth begins within two to four weeks.
Tips & Warnings
-
Soak geranium roots in water for an hour two or three times while they are in storage to rehydrate them.
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Leave geraniums potted over summer or transplant them into a garden bed once all danger of frost has passed.
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While the leaves may die off while the plant is dormant, the stems should remain healthy. Dispose of plants if the stems begin to shrivel and die.
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