Growing Geraniums for the First Time-Need Help

14 years ago

I drove by a city square that was beautifully landscaped with red geraniums. I came home determined to grow them in my own garden. I went to Walmart this morning and guess what they had in abundance AND on clearance! I now have two very large geraniums that I'd like to divide for next year. I have an area of my front yard that gets full sun and intense heat all day long. Nothing will grow there. I'm hoping the geraniums will do well. My plan is to overwinter them in the house or in my cool, dry, unfinished basement. I'm familiar with the Geraniums Forum but I'm posting here because I I'd like information specific to Georgia. Very few people can understand our weather and what it's like to garden here - LOL.

Questions

1. What is the best time of year to divide and or take cuttings? Am I too late for this year? I've read they are easy to propagate by simply planting the cuttings in moist sand.

2. Have you successfully overwintered multiple plants? What steps work best for you? I've read: remove soil, allow plants to dry out, wrap in newspaper, place them, roots up, in paper bag until February, then replant. Others have said to simply hang them upside down in a cool dry place until Spring.

3. When do you begin the process of overwintering? Is this determined by weather, a specific date or signals given off by the plant?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

girlgroupgirl
14 years ago
Geraniums are easy to propagate. Cuttings can be taken at any time. They can be water or soil rooted: medium can be moist sand, or a rich potting soil cut with some extra vermiculite for drainage.
I find my plants get huge and rangy over the winter because I don't have enough 'large space" light for large containers, so I take cuttings in fall. The cuttings go into rooting medium in a shady outdoor space and are kept moist. By early October they are ready to be potted in 4" pots and brought inside and into the window for winter. I grow them like a houseplant in the Southerly windows all winter and just keep some pretty pots on hand for them to be showy in. By spring they are a good size (easily fit into a large 5.5" pot) and ready for going outside. Zonal geraniums don't do as well for me inside, and I don't grow them at home. We found at the store I worked in that they need better drainage and much more light and warmth. My "regular" geraniums are kept all winter at 58 degrees (or slightly warmer) - a barely heated house but in the window
I over winter before frost. Geraniums are not frost tolerant.
ourhappyhome
Original Author
14 years ago
Thank you GGG. Your information is really helpful. I'd read of others overwintering plants on the windowsill. I don't have much window space so I'll have to find another solution. I'd like to take 20 - 30 small cuttings and have plants ready to go out in the spring.

If I keep the large plants indoors, alive and watered in my cool basement, will they survive until Spring? If so, maybe I can take cuttings in February, grow them out, then plant outdoors in March/April.
Related Professionals
Elizabeth City Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Myrtle Beach Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Clarksville Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · San Marcos Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Bowling Green Landscape Contractors · Wilmington Landscape Contractors · Beaumont Landscape Contractors · Lincoln Landscape Contractors · Allentown Landscape Contractors · Albuquerque Landscape Contractors · Mount Vernon Architects & Building Designers · Bartlesville Architects & Building Designers · Killeen Architects & Building Designers · Charleston Architects & Building Designers · Poughkeepsie Architects & Building Designers
girlgroupgirl
14 years ago
The plants will live but will look pretty wrangy unless you have some very bright lights. My mom lives up north and overwinters her geraniums in a cool room with loads of sun from two windows. They do pretty well.
The other option is the old shop lights option. You can also be creative about window spaces for plants. We put narrow shelves across the middle of our windows, just big enough for some small pots. Great for cuttings.
ourhappyhome
Original Author
14 years ago
Shop lights - yuck! They bring visions of white flies. Thanks GGG. I appreciate your help.