Geraniums (or pelargoniums, as botanists correctly call them) are not hardy, but can be overwintered to save space. All you have to do is wrap the bare-root plants in newspaper and store them in the dark basement (or in the attic if you prefer) at temperatures between five and ten degrees Celsius. Furthermore, you only need to spray the plants with water occasionally over the winter, so that they do not dry out.
Geraniums can be wrapped in newspaper for the winter
Prepare and trim geraniums
But before you overwinter the geraniums, well wrapped in newspaper, you must first prepare them. In addition
- pot them out of their planter before the first frost
- cut them back vigorously
- and remove all leaves as well as remaining flowers and buds
- shake the soil from the rootstock (any leftovers can remain)
- and trim the roots as well
- especially thin and weak roots should be cut back.
Now you can wrap the leafless and bare-rooted geraniums in newspaper, wrapping either just the rootstock or the whole plant.
Store and care for packaged geraniums properly
Now place the plants next to each other in a box or crate. Then put them in the basement or in the attic, provided it is dark and cool there. Temperatures between five and ten degrees Celsius are ideal. Do not forget to spray the geraniums with a little water from a spray bottle from time to time - this will prevent the shoots from drying out. From February, but no later than March, you can finally get the geraniums out again and pot them properly. Don't expose the plants just yet, but slowly acclimate them to rising temperatures and increasing brightness. At the beginning, temperatures between 10 and 15 °C are just right.
tips
One of the most important rules when overwintering plants - not just geraniums - is this: the warmer the winter quarters, the brighter it must be.