When you find a geranium in the perfect color for your landscape, you don’t want to let it die with the first frost. And you don’t have to. Geraniums can be overwintered using three different methods so you can enjoy them again next spring. Here are the best practices for overwintering geraniums.
Overwinter Geranium Cuttings
Cuttings must be taken in the fall while the plant is still blooming and healthy, a few weeks before the first predicted frost in your growing zone.
- Fill pots with good drainage holes with potting soil. The cuttings can be propagated in small, four inch individual pots or several cuttings placed in larger pots.
- Cut a 4- to 6-inch section of green stem just above a node using clean, sharp garden shears. Do not select a brown or woody section of the plant.
- Remove any blooms or buds from the top of the cutting, and the lower leaves on the stem. Leave only two sets of leaves at the top of the stem.
- Dip the bottom two inches of the stem in powdered or gel rooting hormone.
- Make a hole in the potting soil using your finger or a bamboo stake and insert the cutting at least two inches deep.
- Tamp down the soil around the cutting to remove air pockets.
- Water the cutting and place the pot near a bright, sunny window.
- Continue watering the plant, ensuring that the soil does not dry out.
The cutting should root in six to eight weeks and the geranium should be kept inside until the danger of freezing temperatures has passed and it can be transplanted outside.
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Overwinter Geraniums as Houseplants
An easy method for overwintering geraniums is to move them inside as a houseplant before the first frost. Geraniums must have plenty of bright light from a west- or south-facing window, or you should provide grow lights. Start this process several weeks before the first frost so garden-grown plants can adjust to being in a container before bringing them inside.
- Inspect the plant for insects or diseases. If the plant has powdery mildew or evidence of insect activity, it should be discarded. Only overwinter healthy plants.
- Dig up healthy, garden-grown geraniums and pot them with fresh soil in containers with good drainage holes.
- Prune the plant leaving it about one-third its original size.
- Water the potting soil well and place the pot in an outdoor location with bright light while temperatures are still mild.
- Allow the soil to dry out and begin watering lightly before bringing the container inside for the winter.
Geraniums Will Go Dormant
The plant will have a dormant period after pruning and will not be an attractive houseplant. After a few bare weeks, the geranium will begin to put out fresh, tender leaves. Healthy container-grown geraniums can be pruned several weeks before the first frost and then moved inside.
Overwinter Bareroot Geraniums
Geraniums can also be overwintered with bare roots (no soil) if you have a location for storage that remains cool, dark, and damp but above freezing temperatures, like a garage or garden shed.
- Dig up or remove the geraniums from containers before the first frost.
- Shake off the soil from the roots. It’s best to stop watering a couple of days before you plan to store the bare root plants.
- Cut back the top of the plants by approximately half using sharp garden shears.
- Place the plants in a cool, dry location for two or three days so the roots and leaves begin to dry in order to avoid mold growth while in storage.
- Place the plants upside down in a cardboard box or paper bag and close it loosely so there is still airflow and put in a cool, dark, damp space like a basement or garage.
- Check the plants every two to three weeks. If the stems are shriveling, dampen the roots with water but ensure the plants are completely dry before putting them back in the box or bag.
How to Get Started Ahead of Springtime
Potted cuttings: Using your fingers, gently pinch back some leaf tips during the winter to stimulate a bushier growth pattern. After the danger of frost has passed, gradually acclimate the potted cuttings to outdoor conditions by placing them in a sheltered spot outside for a week or two before planting.
Houseplant geraniums: Six weeks before the last expected frost, add a diluted, water-based fertilizer to your watering routine to stimulate growth. The plants can be moved outside when nighttime temperatures remain consistently above 55°F.
Bare root plants: About six weeks before the last expected frost, cut stems back to healthy green growth. Fill a pot with moistened potting mix, and plant the geranium so that two nodes are buried. Place the pots in indirect light and gradually move to brighter light. Water and fertilize with a diluted liquid fertilizer.