Most people only grow their geraniums for one season and then discard them in the fall. Instead, you can overwinter the plants without much effort, which, however, requires severe pruning - this way you increase the chances of the non-hardy flowers surviving and also ensure that they sprout all the more beautifully the following year. Another pruning is also necessary in the spring.
Fading should be cut out regularly
Heavy pruning in autumn
The autumn pruning is carried out before the first frost, ideally around the middle to the end of October, and is quite radical. All leaves, flowers and buds are removed so that only the bare skeleton remains. Finally, shorten this by about half to two thirds. The reason for this clear cut is that the plant loses little moisture in winter, does not have to be watered and still does not dry out. This cut also minimizes the risk of bacteria and fungi.
Cut back again in spring
Despite the radical pruning in autumn, a second pruning is often necessary in spring, in which you remove horny shoots - these are long, thin and weak new shoots. Horny shoots develop when the plant, as is usual in winter, receives too little light and nutrients. No flowers can develop on these shoots, and they will wither over the summer and become a gateway for bacteria and other germs.
How to recognize dead shoots
You should also remove dead plant parts when pruning in spring, but you should proceed with caution. Older, lignified geranium shoots in particular often look dead, but they are not. So that you don't accidentally cut back the wrong stems, you should play it safe when in doubt and test the supposedly dead shoots:
- Take the doubtful shoot between two fingers
- and press lightly.
- Living shoots feel solid,
- dead ones, on the other hand, are soft and often rotten.
- If you are unsure, simply cut off a small piece.
- If the shoot is juicy inside, it lives.
- Dead shoots also look dried out from the inside
- and are mostly hollow inside.
Don't forget to trim the roots
In the course of the spring cut, not only the above-ground shoots but also the root system are cut back vigorously. Liberally remove fibrous, thin roots and rotten and dead areas. You should also cut back the main and trunk roots a bit. This measure thins and rejuvenates the rootstock; also ensures that new roots are vigorously stimulated to grow - the above-ground parts of the plant then grow all the more vigorously and beautifully.
tips
In addition to the pruning measures described, you should also regularly break out or cut away faded flowers. In this way you not only minimize the risk of diseases, but also ensure that the plant invests its energy in the formation of new flowers.