Help needed with overwintering my geraniums; winter is fast approaching...?

Question

I would like to know how to take cuttings and preserve geraniums over winter so that in spring they can be replanted....I live in Great Britain, so the climate & weather considerations for this issue are relevant for this query.

Answer 1

you can take them up and put them indoors or if the area is very sheltered they will survive outside i have one its still alive after five years i live in scotland i moved it this year i hope it still survives they look like they have died but come back in the spring mine is a pink one i dont know if they are hardier than the red i have put red ones in this year so ill have to wait and see i dont think you can take cuttings although ive never actually tried

Answer 2

I live in the coastal region of California. We don't get snow often just lots of fog mostly. Geraniums are very hardy here. We cut them way back and they just grow again. If I want to move the plant, I start a new one by breaking off several stems without flowers and sticking it in the ground (start two just in case one won't take) -- remembering to keep them watered, not allowing it to dry-out before the roots have formed and taken hold.

Just break off several healthy looking stems with leaves but without flowers as a flower takes the energy needed for re-establishing new root system and stick in soil in a pot. (Pinch off the flower bud if there is one on the steam) Put it inside near a window to get some sunlight. Water: keep it wet and new roots will form. When spring comes, replant it outside.

Some varieties are hardier than others. I have one that seems to think it is a tree.

Answer 3

You have some good answers here so I'm just going to add my 2¢.

Every time you cut a stem, you force it to branch. As a greenhouse grower I used to bring my "mother" plants in before frost and cut them back fairly hard. They would branch, and when the new growth was about 6" long, I pinched off the growing tips to force branching again. You can repeat this up until about 8 weeks before you want them to bloom. By the time they finally do bloom, you have a huge plant, almost a shrub, covered with flowers!

Answer 4

Lift them before the first frost. Store in a cool dark place in damp (not wet) covering. Ideal is to put them in a cardboard box and cover them with damp (not wet) wood bark chippings or coconut matting. The idea is to maintain the water level to stop complete dehyydration, but to avoid rotting. The dark and cool condition ensures that the plants don't continue trying to grow. Remove before the first frosts and repot indoors to start with and harden off outdoors as frosts recede. Free Geraniums for ever!

Answer 5

Either bring them indoors and let them become winter house plants or cut them back, dig them, remove excess dirt from roots and hang upside down in cool dark place for winter. Come spring re-pot water and as soon as growth appears feed well. Geraniums are ravenous feeders.

Answer 6

Well I don't have a song but there's a story that always reminds me of winter. "The Ant and the Grasshopper" The moral of the story was to not be lazy and work hard during the summer because winter is coming. I never want to be homeless in the winter time, and I always want to have heat and shelter along with food and a nice cozy bed to rest in. Try to save your money in the summer so you'll always have a head to rest during the nasty cold death killing temperatures of winter. I hate Winter by the way.

Answer 7

just cut parts of the plant off and put it in water and they grow some more roots thats what my mums always done

Answer 8

Yes you can go to www. suite 101.com for an easy explanation.

Answer 9

Great Britain or UK

Answer 10

keep the seeds and plant it next year