If you want to overwinter your geraniums, you should use one of these 4 options. It's fairly easy to keep geraniums intact over the winter.
A terrace or balcony without geraniums (pelargonium) is like a zoo without animals. Geraniums, also known as pelargoniums, are among the most popular balcony and terrace plants in this country. Not just because they're pretty to look at, but because they're perennial plants that survive the winter and can be planted outside again next year. And that, of course, saves the cost of purchasing a new one. Alternatively, you can also get hardy geraniums from the start.
There are various ways to overwinter geraniums, with every hobby gardener having their own preferences. But it also always depends on how much space you have available. The methods presented below should always work.
Pot geraniums and shorten shoots
The first frosts shouldn't really harm the geraniums. So there is no rush when winter approaches. If you then think that the right time has come for your geraniums to hibernate, then loosen them with a small shovel from the flower box and then remove the loose soil from the root ball. Please proceed very carefully, because as many fine roots as possible should be preserved.
Shorten shoots before wintering
After the stuffing, you have to shorten all the shoots with secateurs to a length of about 10 cm. It is enough if there are two or three thick knots on each lateral shoot. The geranium will then sprout again the following year. It is best to take this opportunity to remove most of the leaves at the same time so that they are not so susceptible to pests and diseases in the winter quarters.
A little tip:
It is also possible to bring the complete flower boxes to the winter quarters. This is recommended if you have enough space for it and there are no other plants in the flower boxes that have to be disposed of anyway. This one is particularly goodWintering method also for geranium trees.
Ways of wintering geraniums
❖ Option 1 - Overwinter geraniums in flower pots
Most hobby gardeners put the potted geraniums in flower pots over the winter.
- Loosely bundle three or four plants at a time. Then loosely cover the roots of the geraniums with potting soil, which you have previously enriched with a little sand.
- In the winter quarters it should be as light as possible and between five and ten degrees cold. If it is darker in the winter quarters, the temperature must also be correspondingly lower.
- If you keep the geraniums too dark and too warm, they will sprout prematurely with tiny leaves and weak, long shoots.
- By the way, keep the soil only slightly moist during the hibernation.
If you do all this, you can plant the geraniums in fresh soil in balcony boxes next spring.
❖ Option 2 - overwinter bare-root geraniums without a pot
You don't need to overwinter potted geraniums in soil. After removing them from the window box, you can also store them bare-root in a cool, dark basement. In any case, the plants must be completely dry so that they do not rot.
- Simply wrap the plants in several layers of newspaper and then store the bundles in the cellar at a temperature between two and ten degrees.
- If it is warmer in the basement, you can store the geraniums in a shed or in the garage.
❖ Possibility 3 - Hibernation in a burrow
Another way to overwinter geraniums is to bury them in the ground. However, it is important that you live in a region with rather mild winters, where temperatures do not fall below minus two degrees.
- Dig a trench about 80 cm deep in the garden.
- Fill these with brushwood, straw or branches and then place the geraniums that have been defoliated and freed from soil.
- After covering them with a mat of straw or coir, pour the excavated earth back over it.
❖ Option 4 - wintering in the plastic bag
What sounds strange at first is a method used by many plant lovers.
- The potted and trimmed geraniums are wrapped in a plastic bag so that no moisture is lost.
- Only the roots are allowed a littleget air. However, the plants must never dry out.
- You can then hang the geraniums upside down in a dark, cool place that is protected from frost.
You save yourself the care in the winter quarters completely. However, it must not be too warm under any circumstances, otherwise the geraniums would not only sprout, but would also die due to a lack of water.