Overwintering geraniums
The geranium is one of the most popular balcony and pot plants, but unfortunately it is not hardy. These beautiful cranesbill plants are often thrown away over the winter. But this does not have to be the case. With the right precautions, your geraniums will blossom beautifully again next spring.
The geranium is one of the most popular balcony and pot plants, but unfortunately it is not hardy. These beautiful cranesbill plants are often thrown away over the winter. But this does not have to be the case. With the right precautions, your geraniums will blossom beautifully again next spring.
Timing
The colourful pot plants have their roots in southern Africa. Accordingly, they don't enjoy the cold season. Nevertheless, geraniums can still withstand a light frost down to -5 degrees Celsius. But before the temperatures drop any further, you should definitely move them to their winter quarters. This is usually between the end of October and the beginning of November. To be on the safe side, we recommend moving them at the beginning of October.
Relocating
It only takes a few steps to get your pelargoniums - another name for geraniums - ready for relocation:
- Unpot the plant and carefully expose the fine roots.
- Trim the roots back to 10cm in length, but leave woody parts whole.
- Remove all the leaves.
- Sprinkle a mixture of sand and potting soil over the roots.
- Pot. Alternatively, you can wrap the plant in newspaper and put it in a box.
Now where to put it?
- The basement is the best place to overwinter geraniums. They need to be kept in a cool, dark place so that they no longer produce shoots.
- Alternatively, geraniums can be kept a bright place like a conservatory with a temperature between 5 and 10 degrees Celsius.
- The last option is to keep the plants indoors on a windowsill. But be careful: some species actually need a cold period of several weeks to be able to flower again in spring.
Overwintering
In a dark, cool winter quarter, pelargoniums only need a little water now and again. In a bright, warm area, the plants will continue to sprout. If there are too many shoots, the new shoots should be cut off. Fertiliser should not be used. Check regularly for pests and rot and spray the shoots with water from time to time to prevent them from drying out.
Acclimatising and potting
If your geraniums have been in the basement over winter, you can put them on the windowsill in the living room at the end of February or beginning of March, where you will need to water them more heavily. This allows the plants to acclimatise slowly. Remove any horny shoots and cut back new shoots. From the middle of May, the plants can be kept completely outside again, provided the danger of frost has passed.
With an external storage room you have enough space to bring your geraniums and other potted plants safely through the winter. Zebrabox offers individual self storage solutions starting at just one square meter of rental space.
Rent storage space at Zebrabox
The scarce space in the basement and the winter garden is overrun?
With an external storage room you have enough space to bring your geraniums and other potted plants safely through the winter. Zebrabox offers individual self storage solutions starting at just one square meter of rental space.