Geranium Storage for the Winter. 11.10.18

These Geraniums Were Allowed to Dry, Then Moved to Garage.  11.10.18

These Geraniums Were Allowed to Driy, Then Moved to Garage.  11.10.18

Geraniums are colorful plants with interesting, colorful, nicely scented leaves, dry tolerant, no insects or animals seem to bother them, and have nice flowers in reds, white, pink colors.  They stay compact, need little care, and do well in containers or in the ground.

Geraniums are not expensive, but there is savings in keeping them over the winter for plants next year.  There are many ways to do that.

These plants don't look like much now, because I let them dry out in anticipation of storing.  It's best if they are dormant.  If taken into storage when they are dry, they will grow lanky, tender, weak stems and leaves during the winter. I've had that happen and they survived and recovered, but I like it better if they are just dormant.

These are container grown plants I like to keep on the deck  It was a hot, dry summer, and I watered them as needed.  That's about all.  The plants are several years old.  Each fall in October, I move them to a spot under the eaves where they don't get rain or water.  I let them dry until the containers are light to pick up.  Then I move them to the attached but unheated garage.  In the Spring, I will clean them up, prune, remove dead leaves, and water them for a new season.
 

Geranium Cuttings in Window Sill.  11.10.18

Nerine Among Geraniums.  11.10.18

 This year, there were also some geraniums in a planter, that could not be moved.  Geranium plants can be dug up, soil shaken from the roots, and stored in a paper bag for the winter.  I've had mixed results from that in the past.  I do have some in the garage now, using that method.

Geraniums can be kept in a bright window, over the winter.  I think it's best to aim for maintenance, rather than vigorous growth, over the winter.   So for the plant I'm keeping inside, I won't water it much.  That plant was an accident.  A branch broke off 2 years ago.. I stuck it into some soil and treated as an established plant.  It grew, and I overwintered it last year and repotted this spring. 

It seems strange that a fairly dry tolerant plant will root in water, but geraniums do will with that method.  It's not the nursery growers' vavorite method.  They say the roots can be week.  If not changed once a week, or every other week, the water can become gunky.  But they grow roots, and can be transferred to houseplant soil, and do just as well as purchased plants.  So I took some cuttings, and will keep them in the kitchen window where I can watch for root growth and change the water every week.

Overwintering Smaller Geranium on Window Sill.  11.10.18

That's more than I need.  However, they are fun plants.  The leaf scents and textures are a big part of the attraction, and they are a nostalgia plant.

If all goes well this winter, I'll move the dried plants outside in early Spring, and also have new plants started too.

Geranium (Pelargonium) shrubs. 5.31.15

Overwintered Geraniums.  5.31.15

These are the geraniums (Pelargoniums) that I overwintered for the 2nd or 3rd winter.  The front (right) box was overwintered in sun-room, and stayed green much of winter with blooming.  The back (left) box, less visible, was overwintered dry, in the garage.  Those geraniums have filled in and starting to bloom.  Nice big, full, Pelargonium shrubs.

The center box contains new plants.  Two are purchases, and one is a cutting from the back box, rooted in water after I cleaned up and pruned the plants when brought outside from their winter dormancy.

Overwintered Geraniums.  5.31.15

Indoor plants. Propagating geraniums. 3.14.15

Yellow clivia.  3.14.15

Crassula argenta 14 years old.  3.14.15

 Ning discovered that his clivias are blooming.  This one was grown from seed, from a plant that was grown from seed.  At the time that was sold as "Sahin's yellow" but this being next generation, the variety name may not apply.  Clivias like storage dry and cool for the winter, until they send up flowers.

I repotted the Crassula argenta.  This one  is 14 years old.  It likes the conservatory - like environment of the sunroom.

Geranium scraps for cuttings.  3.14.15

Geranium cuttings in water.  3.14.15

I picked up some geranium scraps from the overwintered plants that I cleaned up last week, pruned of torn or dead parts, and placed them in water.  That often works.  If it does not work, they are free so nothing lost.  Several of my geranium plants were started that way.  The water should be changed every few days, and the plants potted when there are a few roots growing.

Overwintering Pelargonium, Citrus, Brugmansia, Zantedeschia, Opuntia

Time to overwinter containerized plants, or give up on them.

Pelargoniums (zonal geraniums)  are still green and blooming, but some neighborhoods have already experienced frost.  I moved mine into the attached, frost-free but unheated garage.  For most of the winter I don't do anything to them.  I might add a little water late winter.  I think these are just 2 years old.

Braziliopuntia braziliensis, from Wikimedia commons

I have a Opuntia neoargentina also known as Brasioliopuntia braziliensis, which is frost tender.  I've managed to keep it alive for 20 years, by bringing it inside or keeping cuttings.  I think the current plant is about 6 years old.  It will be in a bright cool room at the battleground place.  Last year I kept it in the basement without watering.  It didn't thrive, but it did survive.  I want to repot it into a larger container and would like to see it bloom next year.  Photo from wikimedia commons.  Mine is not nearly that big.

I have an unnamed Zantedeschia that I've grown in containers for 25 years.  I bring it inside for the winter.  It bloomed this year, but not much.  Needs re-potting in fresh growth medium.  It's in the garage now.

The Brugmansias are kept in the garage overwinter.  I try to let them, and the other plants, sit outside in a rain-free location for a few weeks before bringing inside, to start dormancy.  That way they don't grow weak useless growth while in storage.

I also brought Epiphyllum oxypetallum to Battleground to keep in sunny cool room.  I also kept that in the basement last year without water.  It wasn't that healthy looking, but bloomed twice.

The Meyer lemon, Kumquat, and unnamed 15-year-old seed-grown citrus are in cool sunny bedroom window.

That's about all of the overwintering I can handle.  If it doesn't freeze tonight, I have an aloe to bring in.