Overwintering Geraniums

I live in Wisconsin, home of the Frozen Tundra. Last winter was brutal. Green Bay certainly lived up to its nickname of the Frozen Tundra!  Below zero temps, ice storms and it just seemed to linger.  

Our plants wouldn’t survive outdoors. So, we have two choices, throw them out or bring them indoors. Time to try an overwintering method.

Steps For Overwintering

1.) Remove each individual geranium plant from the soil and shake off the dirt.

2.) Cut the greens and stems back to around 2 inches.

3.) Place all the plants in a paper bag and store in a dark space.  I stored mine in a hallway closet.

4.) Set a reminder on your calendar or phone once a month to take your plants out and spray them down.  Place them on a towel for a quick dry.  Return to bag and dark place.

5.) 4-6 weeks before you wish to plant your geraniums take them out and place them in a jar of water in a sunny window.

6.) Your stems will green up and you will see growth.  After your plants start to form buds, plant in pots.

7.) Slowly expose your geraniums back to the elements.

The steps above are really THAT simple.  It works extremely well for those of us that can’t keep geraniums healthy enough indoors.  I do believe my plants have doubled in size from last year using this method of overwintering geraniums.  I only lost 5 plants out of 42 plants.  Small potatoes for me. Most certainly, will be doing this method next year as well. I don’t have to lug the pots up and down the stairs.  Booyah!

Source: nikkilynndesign.com