How to Recycle Geraniums over the Winter

Geraniums are the easiest plants to carry over from year to year. There are a few ways to save them over winter. I hope you try my easy recycling suggestion. I’d be very surprised if you told me it didn’t work. This is a dry-root method of storage and takes up very little space.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You’ll Need

• Geranium plants
• A 3-foot length of light-weight string or heavy thread per plant (or per pair of plants if they are small)
• Small nails or hooks
• Storage area that does not get below 50 degrees

1. Before being damaged by frost, remove geraniums from the ground or pot that they are in. Gently shake off the dirt from the roots by tapping the roots on the ground.
2. Remove any remaining flower heads and dried leaves.
3. Tip the plant up-side-down and tangle the roots with one end of the loop of string.
4. Hang them from a nail or hook in a cool dark area that never gets below 50 degrees and has a small amount of moisture in the air. At my house this is the unfinished portion of my basement where the laundry is. It is not heated and has a very low natural-light level.
5. When spring arrives 5 months later, invert the plant, remove any dead leaves, and cut back any shriveled ends of the plant head.
6. Plant in a clean dirt-filled pot or planter, or directly in the soil of your garden, water them regularly, and enjoy for many seasons to come.