Wintering Geraniums: Cutting And Care
So that your geraniums survive the first frost well, we have summarized everything for you to successfully overwinter, cut, and care for.
When the first frost sets in, many geraniums ( pelargonium ) end up on the compost after a blooming summer season. The geraniums can be brought over the winter without much effort.
The term “geranium” is actually an unfavorable trivial name, as there is a genus called geranium to which the pelargoniums do not (any longer) belong. Most of the wild species of pelargonium (or, more popularly, geranium) are at home in the warm regions of South Africa. So it is not really surprising that the actually perennial plants bless the temporal in winter freezing temperatures instead of experiencing a second spring.
With a little preparation and the right winter quarters, however, you can help your favorite geraniums over the winter without much effort. Here you can find out how geraniums survive the cold season without any problems so that your most beautiful specimens can amaze your neighbors in the next flowering phase.
Wintering geraniums: the right time
Geraniums can also tolerate light frost down to around -5 ° C (if they are protected). Before the first severe frost, however, the plants should have moved to their winter quarters. This is usually the case at the end of October. If you want to be on the safe side, bring your little plants to the shelter in September or early October.
Note: If the first frost hits you unexpectedly: Plants, where only the leaves and not the stem have frozen, will sprout again in the next year without any problems.
Wintering geraniums: preparations and cutting
To help your geraniums through the dark and cold winter as optimally as possible, you need a few preparations. The plants are removed from their flower boxes, beds, etc. and the loose soil is carefully tapped off. As many fine roots as possible should remain intact. Then all shoots are trimmed to a length of approx. 10 cm, leaving two to three knots per shoot. However, the woody part of the shoots is not cut back. To avoid disease and to minimize evaporation, the leaves of the geranium are removed.
What is left of your once beautifully blooming geraniums is transplanted into suitable pots or bags. The roots are covered with a mixture of sand and potting soil. Even if your once-imposing eye-catcher may now look a bit battered, you don’t need to worry, because new flower-rich shoots will sprout in the next year.
Summary preparation and cut:
- Remove the plants from the container and carefully remove the soil from the roots
- Shorten the unwooded part of the shoots to approx. 10 cm
- Remove leaves
- Cover the roots with sand and potting soil in a pot or bag
Tip: If necessary, you can cut cuttings from the removed shoot parts and use them to multiply your geranium.
You might so like:
