Hi daliah. I have been successful keeping mine in a cool garage for the winter. The garage is kept just above freezing and I only water a few times to keep the plant from completely drying out. I then start watering weekly about Mar. and when it is actively growing again, I start to fertilize. Then you have a nice geranium to plant out in the spring. Just don't forget to harden off the plant by putting it out for a few hours when its nice out. Here's how I do it. In the fall, I dig up the plant, trim the roots and the top. Then I repot in fresh soil and water with well. I also spray the plant with insecticidal soap. If I use the original container it was in I spray that to. This will help kill any insect eggs. There were times I brought the container in. When I did this I placed the container in a dry cleaners bag/large garbage bag and sprayed with the soap mix and poured the rest over the soil. That makes sure the spray got in every nook and cranny. Some people just hang them upside down in the basement. I have never had luck with that. You could also take cuttings. Hope this helps some. Marg

I do something similar to Marg. I dig them up, trim the roots, cut back the above ground growth by half, and pot them up into 4" pots. I spray with neem oil (insecticide).

I don't have a cool basement or garage, so my geraniums don't ever go fully dormant. Their growth does slow to almost nothing, but if I don't use the lights they grow like mad trying to find the light. I put them under a fluorescent shop light and water lightly every two to three weeks. They do not look good by the time spring arrives, but they are alive and quickly bounce back.

In mid April, I cut off any growth that occured over the winter (these bits can be rooted for more plants), I start watering more and I start fertilizing with 1/4 strength fertilizer. About a week later, I start acclimating them to the outdoors. I do this with both the regular and the Martha Washington types of geraniums (MW is supposed to be fussy, but I haven't found it to be so).

I had no luck with just storing them in a paper bag as I have read that some people do. Whatever their secret is, it has eluded me :-)

BP

BP, my gran hung her geraniums in paper bags in a cool basement, I think she left some of the soil on and potted them up in the spring. Maybe it's the cool basement that did the trick. A

Hi daliah.I keep my Geraniums in hanging baskets.Just before first frost I remove dead leaves and flower heads,clean the soil.spray with insecticide entire plant and the soil as well and bring them home. Hang the baskets at the basements windows where they receive no sun,only light.Water them sparingly and let them grow and bloom.In Spring after last frost I take them outside.At that time they are huge and have a lot of blooms.
I have one Geranium in ground,so I am going to dig them out,put them in to hanging basket or a pot and let them grow like others at the basement window.
This is my only method which never failed.
Hala.