Geraniums bring vibrant color to gardens, but cold weather can threaten their survival. You can save your favorite geraniums by overwintering them indoors.
With proper care, you can keep your geraniums alive through winter and replant them in spring for another season of beautiful blooms.
Depending on your climate and available space, you have several options for overwintering geraniums.
You can bring potted plants inside, store dormant plants, or take cuttings.
Each method has its advantages, and you can choose the one that works best for your situation.
Reviving geraniums after winter storage takes some effort, but it’s worth it to enjoy these lovely flowers year after year.
By following a few simple steps, you can successfully transition your geraniums back outdoors when warm weather returns.
Key Takeaways
- You can overwinter geraniums indoors as growing plants, dormant plants, or cuttings
- Proper storage conditions and care are crucial for geranium survival during winter
- Gradually reintroduce geraniums to outdoor conditions in spring for successful regrowth
Preparing Outdoor Geraniums for Winter
As cold weather approaches, it’s time to get your geraniums ready for winter. Start this process when temperatures drop below 45°F (7°C) in late fall.
First, check your plants for pests like aphids and spider mites. Remove any damaged leaves or stems to keep your geraniums healthy.
Next, trim your plants back by about one-third. This helps them fit indoors and promotes new growth. Cut off long or weak stems to shape the plant.
For geraniums in the ground, dig them up carefully. Shake off extra soil and put them in pots with good drainage. Use fresh potting soil to give them a boost.
Before bringing geraniums inside, let them adjust. Put the pots in a shady spot outside for a few days. This helps reduce stress on the plants.
You have options for overwintering your geraniums:
- Keep as houseplants in a sunny window
- Store dormant in a cool, dark place
- Take cuttings to grow new plants
Taking Cuttings To Preserve Your Geranium Plants
If you don’t have room for multiple large plants indoors during the winter, you can still preserve, and even increase, your plants by taking cuttings and propagating them during the wintertime.
Follow these 10 steps to grow geraniums from cuttings so that you’ll have plenty of pretty new plants in the springtime:
- Prepare Cuttings: Use a clean, sharp implement to take cuttings that are about three or four inches long. Remove the lower leaves from each cutting, as well as any flowers. Leave a couple of healthy leaves at the tip of the cutting.
- Apply Rooting Hormone: Dip the ends of the cuttings into rooting hormone or honey.
- Select Containers: Use containers that have good drainage. Fill them with a light, airy, well-draining media such as vermiculite, perlite, or coarse sand.
- Moisten Planting Media: Moisten the planting media and poke holes in it to receive the cuttings.
- Plant Cuttings: Put the cuttings in the holes and firm the planting media around them.
- Provide Optimal Conditions: Place your cuttings in an area that is consistently warm and receives ample bright, indirect sunlight.
- Maintain Humidity: You may wish to place a clear plastic bag lightly over the plants to help retain moisture and improve humidity levels.
- Water Carefully: Maintain the rooting media at a moderate moisture level. It should never be soggy, and it should never dry out.
- Monitor Growth: Within a couple of months, your cuttings should take root and begin to show new leaf growth. At this point, you can plant them into 3 to 4-inch pots using a good quality, well-draining commercial potting mix.
- Care for Young Plants: Place the young plants in a sunny location and care for them as you would mature plants brought indoors for the winter.
Indoor Care for Geraniums During Winter
To keep your geraniums healthy indoors during winter, follow these steps:
- Prune Before Bringing Indoors: In late autumn, before the first frost, prune your geraniums. Remove diseased or damaged leaves and stems. Reduce the plant size by about half.
- Inspect for Pests: Check for pests like aphids or spider mites. Treat any infestations to prevent problems indoors.
- Pot the Plants: Dig up your geraniums if they’re in the ground. Plant them in containers with good drainage using high-quality, well-draining commercial potting mix. Avoid garden soil, which may not drain well enough for containers.
- Choose the Right Spot: Place your geraniums near a sunny window with at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily. If natural light is insufficient, use grow lights. Keep them in a cool location to prevent active growth; temperatures between 55°F and 65°F (12°C to 18°C) are ideal.
- Water Properly: Give your plants a thorough initial watering. Then, use the soak-and-dry method—allow the soil to dry out between waterings. Ensure pots have good drainage to prevent root rot.
- Manage Growth: Discourage active growth during winter by pinching off new tips and buds as they appear. This prevents weak, leggy growth.
- Provide Humidity: If your home is dry, use a humidity tray or humidifier. Geraniums appreciate some moisture in the air.
- Monitor for Pests and Disease: Regularly check your plants for signs of pests or disease. Remove dead leaves to keep them clean and healthy.
- Avoid Fertilizing in Winter: Do not fertilize during winter. Feeding can encourage unwanted growth. Wait until early spring to begin light fertilization with a balanced fertilizer.
- Fertilize in Spring: As the weather warms, provide a light feeding of a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer to promote growth.
- Transition Outdoors: After the danger of frost has passed, gradually acclimate your geraniums to outdoor conditions before planting them back in the garden.
By following these steps, your geraniums should remain healthy indoors throughout the winter, ready to thrive again in the spring.
Growing Geraniums as Houseplants in Winter
It’s easy to pot your garden geraniums and bring them indoors for the winter. Follow these 8 simple steps:
- Prune Before Frost: In late autumn, give your geraniums a good pruning before the first frost. Remove any diseased or damaged leaves and stems. You should reduce the size of the plant by about half.
- Inspect for Pests: Check for, and deal with, any pest infestations.
- Pot the Plants: Give the plants a few days to rest, and then dig them up and put them into containers using a good quality, well-draining commercial potting mix. Don’t use garden soil because it is heavy and doesn’t drain well enough for container use.
- Choose the Right Spot: Choose a brightly lit, cool location for your indoor geraniums. They should receive lots of direct sunlight but shouldn’t stay so warm that they continue to grow actively through the winter—they need a rest.
- Water Properly: Give your plants a thorough initial watering, and then use the soak-and-dry method of watering through the winter.
- Manage Growth: Discourage active growth through the winter by pinching off tips and buds as they appear. Allowing them to grow can result in weak, leggy plants.
- Fertilize in Spring: Early in the springtime, when the weather begins to warm, provide a light feeding of a standard houseplant fertilizer to give your plants a jump-start on warm-weather growth.
- Transition Outdoors: After all danger of frost has passed, begin transitioning your plants to their outdoor setting.
Transitioning Geraniums Back Outdoors in Spring
When spring arrives, it’s time to prepare your geraniums for the outdoors. Begin after the last frost when nighttime temperatures stay above 50°F (10°C).
Revive Dormant Geraniums:
- Bring Out of Storage: In late winter or early spring, remove dormant geraniums from storage.
- Prune Dead Material: Cut away any dead or shriveled stems to encourage new growth.
- Pot the Plants: Plant them in containers with fresh, well-draining potting mix.
- Provide Light and Water: Place the pots in a sunny location indoors. Gradually increase watering.
- Fertilize: Start light fertilization once new growth appears.
Acclimate to Outdoor Conditions:
- Gradual Exposure: Place your geraniums outside in a shaded spot for a few hours each day. Over 7–10 days, slowly increase their sun exposure.
- Monitor for Stress: Watch for wilting leaves or sunburned foliage. If you notice these signs, reduce sun exposure and provide more shade.
- Prepare Planting Area: Choose a sunny spot with well-draining soil. Mix in compost for extra nutrients.
- Transplant Carefully: After acclimation, plant your geraniums in the garden or larger pots. Keep them at the same depth as in their containers.
- Water Thoroughly: Water the plants well immediately after transplanting.
Resume Regular Care:
- Water Regularly: Keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged.
- Fertilize: Continue using a balanced fertilizer to support growth.
- Deadhead Spent Blooms: Remove faded flowers to encourage more blooms.
With proper care, your geraniums will thrive and display beautiful blooms all season long.
Understanding Geranium Overwintering
Geraniums can survive winter. Some varieties naturally go dormant, while others need assistance. Your location and the type of geranium determine the best overwintering method.
The Biology of Geranium Dormancy
Geraniums enter dormancy to endure cold weather. In this state, they slow down growth and conserve energy. Leaves may turn yellow and fall off.
During dormancy, geraniums store nutrients in their roots and stems, helping them survive the cold months. You can encourage dormancy by:
- Reducing Water: Water less frequently.
- Stopping Fertilizer: Halt fertilization during this period.
- Cutting Back Stems: Prune the plants to minimize energy expenditure.
Dormant geraniums require minimal care. Keep them in a cool, dark place at 45–50°F (7–10°C). Check them monthly to remove any dead parts.
Differentiating Between Perennial and Annual Geraniums
Understanding your geranium type helps you choose the right winter care method.
- Perennial Geraniums:
- Hardy in USDA zones 3–8.
- Have smaller flowers and palmate leaves.
- Can stay outside in winter in warmer areas.
- Annual Geraniums (Pelargoniums):
- Tender perennials hardy in USDA zones 10–11.
- Feature larger, showier flowers and rounded leaves.
- Need to be brought indoors in colder regions.
By identifying your geraniums, you can provide appropriate care to ensure they survive the winter and flourish in the spring.
Differentiating Between Perennial and Annual Geraniums
Perennial geraniums come back year after year. They’re hardy in USDA zones 3-8. These plants can stay outside in winter if you live in a warm area.
Annual geraniums, also called pelargoniums, are tender perennials. They only survive year-round in USDA zones 10 and 11. In colder areas, you need to bring them inside for winter.
To tell them apart:
- Perennial geraniums have smaller flowers and palmate leaves
- Annual geraniums have larger, showier flowers and rounded leaves
Knowing your geranium type helps you choose the right winter care method. Perennials often need less work to overwinter than annuals.
