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Geraniums - keeping them for next year


Kitty
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I have been reading threads about overwintering geraniums, such as this one:

 

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1021585/ShowPost.aspx

 

What I would like to know is:

 

  • When do you take geraniums indoors (in my case, the hangar)?

 

  • I need to take some geraniums out of their pots (I am using the pots for winter planting).  Would you recommend repotting them before putting them in the hangar or taking them out of the pots and keeping them in newspaper?

 

  • Do you ever water them in the winter?

 

  • When you do you get them out again?

 

Any advice gratefully received.

EDIT; Because of problems with my computer, I have to type offline and then cut and paste, hence the wide gaps.

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[quote user="Cathy"]

EDIT; Because of problems with my computer, I have to type offline and then cut and paste, hence the wide gaps.

[/quote]

I know nothing (imagine Manuel (Fawlty Towers) accent) about geraniums but, though I know I am going to regret this I still have to ask, what is the problem with your computer that you have to cut and paste to post?

Sue

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Cathy, I have managed to keep the same geraniums going since I posted the message.

A few had to be replaced, about 10 over two years out of a total of 80-odd plants.

The first winter, I cut them back and kept them in the gite, but found there was not enough light and the plants got very leggy. They kept growing because I kept watering them.

Last winter, I simply removed the dead foliage, did not cut them back at all and kept them in a room with more light. I hardly watered them yet they survived in better shape.

Both winters, I had to spray against greenfly.

The idea is to keep them away from the frost. If you hanger is open to the wind, they'll suffer.

I left mine in the window boxes and simply added fresh compost and feed when I got them outside again.

I kept them outside but away from the wind for a few weeks before hanging them out.

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[quote user="suein56"][quote user="Cathy"]

EDIT; Because of problems with my computer, I have to type offline and then cut and paste, hence the wide gaps.

[/quote]
I know nothing (imagine Manuel (Fawlty Towers) accent) about geraniums but, though I know I am going to regret this I still have to ask, what is the problem with your computer that you have to cut and paste to post?

Sue
[/quote]

If I have a long post, Internet Explorer cuts in and gets cross and tells me that it has encountered a problem.  I reckon that Internet Explorer is just like a man telling his wife to get off the phone.  If I have a short post, I.E. lets me off (like this one).

P.S. Thank you Clair.  I'm going to take your advice and bring them into the house.

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[quote user="Cathy"]

If I have a long post, Internet Explorer cuts in and gets cross and tells me that it has encountered a problem.  I reckon that Internet Explorer is just like a man telling his wife to get off the phone.  If I have a short post, I.E. lets me off (like this one).

[/quote]

Aaahh; ditch IE and opt for Firefox which, mercifully, is not so possessive.

Sue [:)]

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[quote user="suein56"][quote user="Cathy"]

If I have a long post, Internet Explorer cuts in and gets cross and tells me that it has encountered a problem.  I reckon that Internet Explorer is just like a man telling his wife to get off the phone.  If I have a short post, I.E. lets me off (like this one).

[/quote]
Aaahh; ditch IE and opt for Firefox which, mercifully, is not so possessive.

Sue [:)]
[/quote]

Thanks for the advice, Sue.  I shall look into doing this (whilst sorting out my geraniums....).

EDIT: I have just googled Firefox and am confused which is the download?  Do you know the correct web address?

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[quote user="Cathy"]

Thanks for the advice, Sue.  I shall look into doing this (whilst sorting out my geraniums....).

EDIT: I have just googled Firefox and am confused which is the download?  Do you know the correct web address?

[/quote]

How about this - if you like English?

I might not know anything about geraniums but my OH adores them.  He used to keep them in their pots, cut them down quite severely and put them in our (huge) garage, when we lived in the UK - it was really huge with a solid fuel boiler, so it never froze in there. There they would be quite ignored and unbefriended til he resurrected them when required in the spring. They were always magnificent, according to our friends/neighbours, but, as I don't like 'red/strong red/pink' they did nothing for me. Here, in Brittany, we have lots of blue and blue/purple plants - guess who's favourite colours [:D] - 'cos I do the border planting in our garden - whilst OH plays lots of golf.

Sue

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They are wonderful plants for the climate here in the Gers. I think you can propagate with cuttings too, but not sure which time of the year is best for this.

The special fertiliser they sell makes a big difference to length of flowering period.

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Cathy, I cut my geraniums back quite hard, then put them in a box of used compost slightly damp, and keep them in a frost free green house, or the spare bedroom (remembering to open shutters during the day)they must not be wet and don't let them get too dry either, when they start to shoot in the early Spring, use the new shoots to build your supply or replace the odd casualty. Make sure you check them regularly.

Jeanne

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Thanks for the link to the RHS , I was just wondering what to do, but here in the Herault the previous owner had abandoned some geraniums and they came back after winter looking really healthy but a bit of a nasty colour but I've some really unusual white starry flowers which I really want to propagate for next year so I need to do a belt and braces job with them!
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