How to Transplant Geraniums

Geraniums are everywhere in the spring and summer. They’re prized for their bright, abundant flowers, their versatility and their resistance to pests. However, many people give up at the end of the season when geraniums have outgrown their pots or must be brought inside in the fall to escape the frost. Using these guidelines, you will keep these wonderful flowers going from year to year as you learn how to transplant geraniums.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You’ll Need

• Annual geraniums
• Clay pots of the appropriate size
• Clay or plastic trays to put under pot
• High-drainage potting soil

How to Transplant Geraniums

1. Thoroughly water the geranium you want to transplant.
2. Select a porous clay pot that is one size bigger than the pot your geranium outgrew. Cover the drainage hole with broken clay or a rock — just block the hole partially, though, so water can come through but soil cannot. Put a tray under the pot to protect the surface where the pot rests (plastic if indoors, clay if on a stone or brick patio).
3. Put a loamy potting soil in the new pot, filling it about halfway. Loosen the geranium from the current pot by turning the pot on its side and sliding the whole ball of soil out, and then settle the entire ball in the new pot. Add or remove potting soil in the new pot as needed. The roots should be completely covered, and there should be about an inch between the top of the soil and the top of the pot.
4. Add water to the geranium until the new soil is saturated.Set the geranium in a sunny window where it will get at least four hours of sun, or put it in the yard or patio where it will be shaded at mid-day.
5. Let the soil become completely dry in between waterings, but do not let the geranium wilt. Fertilize with a balanced annual fertilizer every month, more often if the pots are large and the geranium plant is vigorously flowering and quickly growing.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are planting your geranium directly into a garden plot, choose well-drained soil and add porous material like peat moss. Make sure the plants get partial shade during mid-day, but at least four hours of direct sun.

• You can keep your geraniums through the winter: Bring pots inside, or move inside pots to frost-protected area. Take side stem cuttings to root in water for new plants next summer. If your plants are in a cool, relatively dark area, reduce the amount of water they get throughout the winter. In the spring, root cuttings in potting soil, following the transplant instructions, and move pots back into the sun. Give them a thorough watering and begin feeding again.

• If you live in a moderate climate, your plants may continue flowering in a sunny window all year round.

• The biggest killer of geraniums is over-watering. Make sure the soil is dry to the touch before watering.