Geranium's, what to do?

[Unknown]

Hello, can any of you gardening folk give me some advice re my geraniums?

They have just lost the last of their red flowers, but are still very green.  What should I do with them for the winter, I live in the Deux Sevres.

Many thanks

 

[Sunday Driver]

Our's are still a mass of red flowers (North Deux-Sevres) and we've just brought the pots into our veranda for the winter.  I've cut down on the watering and I'm going to clip them back when the flowers have gone.   An alternative is to cut them right back, remove them from the pots and clean the soil from the roots then store them in a dry place.  Repot them up again in the spring.

 

 

[Lori]

I have cut mine back and put the pots in the garage for winter.   I water them here and there during winter.   Did the same thing last year and they were perfect in Spring.

[Unknown]

Thankyou for your replies.  So its ok for them to be in the dark?

Dotty

[Cassis]

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]

An alternative is to cut them right back, remove them from the pots and clean the soil from the roots then store them in a dry place.  Repot them up again in the spring.

[/quote]

Surely geranium roots dry out and die if you take all the soil off and store them in a dry place? 

Are you sure you aren't talking about dahlias, SD? [8-)]

[Cassis]

[quote user="Dotty "]

Thankyou for your replies.  So its ok for them to be in the dark?

Dotty

[/quote]

Yes, they remain dormant as long as you keep them in the cold (but frost-free) and dark.  Don't over-water - let them almost dry out but not quite.  Too much water over winter will cause them to rot.

[Sunday Driver]

I got the dry geraniums bit from a website a few weeks ago before I brought mine in  - surely you don't think I'm green fingered - my specialism is oily motorbikes [;-)]

Here it is:

Bare Root Plants

Dig the geraniums and carefully shake all the soil from their roots. Then hang the plants upside down in a cool (45-50šF), dry place. An alternate method is to place 1 or 2 plants in a large paper sack. Once a month during winter, soak the roots of each plant in water for 1 to 2 hours. Most of the leaves will eventually fall off. (The paper sack method is much cleaner than the hanging method.) In March, prune or cut back each plant. Remove all shriveled, dead material. Healthy, live stems will be firm and solid. After pruning, pot up the plants and water thoroughly. Place the potted geraniums in a sunny window or under artificial lighting. Geraniums that are pruned and potted in March should produce green, attractive plants that can be planted outdoors in May.

 

[Cassis]

Do us a favour SD - try it on some of yours as an experiment, will you?

I can't believe that much will actually come back after that - once you've cut away the shrivelled, dead material I don't think there will be anything left!

However, hats off if it works for more than half of the plants - I'll eat your shrivelled dead bits. 

Of geranium, that is.  [:D]

[Ron Avery]

Cassis

We always take ours indoors, the only place big enough for them all is a cave with little daylight, but they can grow a bit in the winter and get very leggy with little light , so perhaps SD's idea of cutting back before repotting might prevent that, in our experience they cannot survive an entire even short winter without any water at all.   We have kept the bizzies and begonias over winter in the same cave but with limited success, the bizzies do not like the cold at all!!

[Sunday Driver]

Ye of little faith !

I accept Cassis' challenge - watch this space.........[:)]

 

[Cassis]

I'm totally with the cutting back regime - it's what I do as well - I just hope Steve's don't all die when they are bereft of soil all winter!  Don't, please don't, do that to all of them, SD!  Leave a few in pots, for pity's sake.  Someone call the RSPG!

[Iceni]

[quote user="Dotty "]

Hello, can any of you gardening folk give me some advice re my geraniums?

They have just lost the last of their red flowers, but are still very green.  What should I do with them for the winter, I live in the Deux Sevres.

Many thanks

 

[/quote]

Our geraniums remain in the ground all year without coming to any harm.

Though the pelargoniums have to be taken up, preferably before the frosts arrive, and left in a cool, dark place e.g. windowless sous-sol until spring.

John

not

[Cassis]

I don't think the OP is talking about geraniums of the hardy perennial type - rather, the common or 'garden centre' geranium, more correctly called pelargoniums, as Iceni points out.

[Blanche Neige]

Our geraniums are in pots at our maison secondaire and we were always resigned to losing them to frost over winter.  Last year for the first time we put the pots of geraniums in the garage that has a small window and they nearly all survived and were good again for this last summer. A Fr. friend said that she lived in Paris in her youth and they kept their geraniums in the cave during the winter.