Gardeners frequently have trouble overwintering geraniums. Following instructions explicitly, they knock the plants out of their pots in fall, brush off the dirt and hang them, bareroot and upside down, in the basement to spend the winter in a state of suspended animation.
Then they wonder why every one of them dies.What the instructions fail to mention is that the rules have changed. The hand-and-dry method worked fine when homes had root cellars. But when cellars were replaced with dry, centrally heated basements, no one bothered to consult the geraniums.
And they're having none of it.
Gardeners fortunate enough to have root cellars can still use the old-fashioned method to overwinter their geraniums. The rest of us will have to find another way to coax buds from these popular annual flowers. Or buy new plants next spring.
If space next to a sunny, south-facing window is plentiful, try carrying geraniums over as houseplants.
Check carefully for insects and diseases before bringing them indoors. The winter will be a struggle for them as it is, and no one needs aphids or botrytis blight attacking other houseplants.
Trim plants gently to reduce tops by about a third. Move the pots to the windowsill before the first killing frost.
Water and feed geraniums sparingly throughout the winter months. Foliage will turn pale green or yellow, and many leaves will fall off, leaving the plants looking pretty shabby by winter's end.
But if they're alive in early spring, new buds will appear as days grow longer and brighter. Prune back to healthy shoots near the base of each plant. Begin fertilizing regularly. Set the pots outside in a protected place for two weeks to give the geraniums a chance to adjust to conditions outdoors before planting them in the garden.
Some folks prefer to overwinter their geraniums as rooted cuttings. It takes less space; those with grow lights can save many more plants.
Some gardeners believe that geraniums started from cuttings each fall turn into healthier, more vigorous plants the next season.
In early autumn, take 3- to 4-inch cuttings from non-flowering stems. Strip off the bottom leaves and dip the ends of the cuttings in rooting powder.
Press the cuttings into damp perlite or vermiculite, place them in a flat and cover the whole thing with clear plastic wrap to conserve moisture. (Geranium cuttings rot easily in a soggy potting soil, so stick with perlite or vermiculite instead of a peat-based soilless mix.)
Cuttings will root in three to four weeks. When they have, move each rooted cutting into a 3-inch pot filled with soilless medium. Place the plants close to the light source, watering them only when the soil dries out.
To keep plants short and bushy, pinch off about two inches of growth when the cuttings reach a height of six inches. Continue to grow the cuttings as houseplants until it's warm enough to put them out in spring.