Overwintering geranium advice please!

[Nicos]

Every year I fail miserably to do this...so, any advice please is most welcome!

i have about 30 geraniums both trailing and normal ones.

What is the best way to keep them alive until next May/June given that I don't have any indoor space at all, nor greenhouse.

What I do have are 2 frost free cellars which have no windows and a dark barn which isn't quite frost free when it's -18C outside...but things can be fleeced in there.

do I leave in pots, roll in newspaper with/ without soil...keep damp ( how damp)???

nothing as yet has worked for me....HELP!...it's getting too expensive replacing them every year

[Aberdeenplotter]

How to Overwinter Geraniums | The Vernon Geranium Nursery There ya go Missus . Hope you find something helpful there. I don't do flowers . I do use zonal pelargoniums in our tubs at the house though and like you, I grudge having to replace them annually

[Alison]

I assume you mean pelegonium ones not the perenial ones? That being the case I find the best way us chop them back a bit in pots and keeping them very dry over winter as I find it's the freezing of damp soil that is the problem. Last year they survived fine outside as it was so mild but normally I do utilise the greenhouse. I do however seem to remember that my grandad used to store some in the garage where it would have been quite dark, suppose as they're not growing they don't need light. I always repot, feed and start watering again when the weather starts to warm up and they really take off. Suppose I'm saying that mine have taken a bit of frost but can cope much better when dry and in a kind of stasis.

[Nicos]

Yrp- they are the pelegonium type.

Nice site AP- thanks!

Alison- I think I may have left them too dry???
I sort of recall seeing my grandpa's rolled up in newspaper left in his coal shed now I think about it..

[Bigmallly]

Like you Nic, I've tried Bassets & have had no joy so gonna give Alison's idea a whirl. Not tried that yet.

[Alison]

Like you Nic, I've tried Bassets & have had no joy so gonna give Alison's idea a whirl. Not tried that yet.

It's not fail safe but with the exception of very long cold winters I get a decent percentage through, as I said my main problem is when the pots are very wet, the soil freezes and kills the roots. Some frost damage to the tops isn't a problem even though they look very scruffy in spring. Don't forget you can take cuttings too so if the plants are gangly after a few years you can take off all the tips and have a dozen new plants for free. I'm rubbish with cutting but even I can get them to root.

[Bigmallly]

Cheers Alison, I'll bob them in the garage as I'm sure to forget about them there.........

[Nicos]

Thanks Alison...I'll go with the frost free cellar then!


Fingers crossed

[Two_Sheds]

I always used to take pelargonium cuttings to overwinter in the unheated GH, but last year I was too busy, so I just shoved the hanging baskets in there.

It was a very mild winter of course, but all the pellies survived and even flowered, really early in the year. I then took cuttings in the spring to increase my stock

I do the same with dahlias now too

[Nicos]

Thanks 2sheds!

I did wonder how much I should cut the main plants back to if at all if I store them as plants rather than cuttings?

[Two_Sheds]

all the leaves will fall off or go mouldy if it gets too cold for them anyway, so it wouldn't hurt to cut them all off, perhaps bar the lowest one or two ? (I'm guessing, because I can't remember what I did last year)

Pellies prefer dry conditions, so keep them on the dry side definitely

[bend1pa]

This is the most practical method of overwintering pelargoniums, if you don't have a greenhouse or a sunny window to pot them by. What you do is force them into dormancy instead. No pots required. A shoebox, newspaper or a few large paper bags to hold them is all that is needed. Make sure there is no botrytis or any rotten bits on the plant before storing them. I like to spray mine with fungicide and let them dry before putting them away for the winter.

How to Overwinter Geraniums by Storing Them Dormant and Bare Root

[Nicos]

That would tie in a bit with what I saw my grandpa do ...except I never saw the spraying of the roots..nor the ventilation bit?

Good link...thank you!

[bend1pa]

Even better illustrated version of this method here, which is useful where you have a lot of plants.

Just to add that the key precautions are to ensure the plants don't dry out completely, so inspect every few weeks for signs of shrivelling. The other crucial thing is to inspect plants for any mould or botrytis. Spraying plants with fungicide and isolating any plants that showed fungal problems at the start of dormancy period should hopefully deter that. Sprinkling powdered sulphur over plants is an alternative to spraying fungicide. Also store the plants upside down.

[Nicos]

Nice link...thank you!