the 2 techniques you need to know to keep them from one year to the next

Geraniums and their sublime flowering brighten up gardens and balconies all summer long. However, many people do not know that it is possible to keep them from one year to the next, as geraniums are perennial plants that can be overwintered. There are two techniques available to you to enjoy their colorful flowers the following spring: overwintering and/or cutting them. Here is the procedure to follow.

When to overwinter geraniums?

If their flowering is summer, geraniums offer evergreen foliage and appreciable hardiness, since they resist winter temperatures, as long as they do not drop below -2°C. Because geraniums fear frost.

Better then overwinter geraniums before the first frostbringing them inside. If you prefer to leave your geraniums outside all winter, they will not grow back the following spring, unless you live in a region with a particularly mild climate.

How to keep geraniums from one year to the next?

In winter and before the first episodes of frost, successfully overwinter geraniums therefore means storing them in a cool and ventilated place, which must be frost-free. The procedure to follow is somewhat different depending on their planting.

Wintering geraniums in pots or planters

Pour plants in planters or potsif possible bring them into a sheltered, dry and bright place, the temperature of which is between between 10 and 15°C. Reduce watering little by little, stopping it completely during the coldest winter weeks. Watering will be resumed gradually from February-March, before bringing them out again in spring.

Cut the geranium stems about two thirds and take the opportunity to remove dry flowers and other damaged parts. At the end of winter, they will need to be repotted in new potting soil to encourage their flowering.

Trick : If you do not have enough space indoors to keep your geraniums in a pot, you can extract the plants with their roots from their container. Just be careful not to damage the rootlets too much, then wrap each geranium individually in newspaper. Place them in a large box.

Also read – 9 plants not to forget to prune in winter for a good recovery in spring

Wintering geraniums in open ground

As for geraniums in the ground that cannot be overwintered indoors, pull them out just before the first frosts arrivethen cut off the ends of their roots. Prune their branches by about two thirds as well, to store them in a cool, bright place until spring arrives. To do this, wrap each geranium in newspaper, then place them in a large container.

Once the nice weather returns, you can replant them outside in a mixture of soil and fresh potting mix.

If you do not want to uproot your geraniums and leave them in the ground all winter, then consider protect them with a winter veil. An essential operation, to be carried out after taking care to fold them down about two thirds of their length. In addition to a winter veil, we also advise you to mulch the ground at their feetto protect their roots from frost.

Watering geraniumswhether they have been brought in or left outside, must be reduced to be completely stopped during the coldest winter weeks. Resume it at the very end of winter, avoiding watering them if frosts still occur.

Wintering geraniumswhether upright varieties or hanging geraniums, is therefore particularly simple. Another technique allows you to enjoy their flowers from one year to the next: cuttings. Enough to multiply this much appreciated plant by taking advantage of the stems cut during their wintering.

Also read – Preparing rose bushes for winter: 5 essential actions for their survival

Cutting geraniums to multiply them

Pour take geranium cuttingsstart by putting aside the stems cut during the cleaning operation preceding the arrival of the first frosts. Then, let these stems dry for a few days.

Trick : To prevent the development of rot, it is possible to cover the geranium cuttings with charcoal powder.

A few days after their collection, push rods per pack of 3in a pot approximately 10 cm in diameter filled with a mixture of sand and potting soil. Be sure to keep this soil moist by covering it, for example, with perforated plastic film. Place the pots in a bright, cool and ventilated place and wait for them to recover.

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