Makes me wonder... maybe because I am storing those other bulbs in my sump pump closet, the water in the sump is adding a little bit of humidity to the small enclosed space?

I assume you mean Pelargonium (annual geraniums). I think it would work in the 50F+ area. My father used to try all the various ways to save geraniums because he ran a cemetery. When he saved them "bare root", he would shake off the loose dirt and hang them upside-down from string in the cool basement or attic. Most survived.

Yes, Pelargoniums. I think I'll give this a try. Not so much because the ones I have right now are special: but to see if it works for me. If it does I can apply it to special ones going forward.

What is the rationale for upside down, I wonder? party_music50 , did your father also put them in a paper bag? Wonder if the paper bag assists survival or if it is just to catch dry leaves falling off.

the water in the sump is adding a little bit of humidity to the small enclosed space?

==>>> i think you are on to something there .... my point was .... humidity is a variable.. that needs to be addressed based on heating ... storage.. etc ....

i tried the hanging upside down ... the forced air furnace won ...

always wondered.. why upside down ???

ken

linnea, I don't remember him placing bareroot plants in paper bags to hang or not, but he may have. I recall him hanging plants by string or leaving them potted in the basement, and also recall him just laying them on newspaper or screens in the attic. If they're already potted, it's easiest to keep them potted and just lower the amount of water they get. I do think it's worth trying any of the methods to save them and I believe the key is to not let them dry out so much that they can't recover.

I save geraniums every year, but I keep them potted and grow them inside near sunny windows or under grow lights in the basement. I love seeing the vivid blooms and smelling something fresh and green in the middle of our winters. :)

I wait until they get lightly (note lighty) frosted then dig and let dry for a few days, either outside if no rain is predicted, or inside the garage or barn. When the soil is dry, I shake off the excess and throw them into those giant paper yard waste bags, close up the top of the bag and put in the crawl space when the temps cool down enough. I don't cut anything back in the fall -- just dry the root mass and store. You do have to wait until it's cold enough, though, or the plant may try to start growing again, and you don't want to bring inside if it's too warm inside -- key is to get them dormant and keep them dormant. You can leave them out in the garage or shed until the really cold weather hits and your basement walls cool down to bring them in. You want dark and cool -- warm spots won't work.

Come early March, I pull them out of storage, cut back severely (down to about an inch), pot up and put under the grow lights. A sunny windowsill will work, too. You'll be able to tell which ones survived because the stems will show green and usually be plump when you cut into them. A few losses over the years, but overall the method works well.

Again -- key is get them dormant, keep them dormant. Can't emphasize this enough.

I never hung them upside down, I'm not sure why people do that -- maybe that's just the way folks did it before paper bags became available {shrug}

Again -- key is get them dormant, keep them dormant. Can't emphasize this enough.

===>>>> i heard that before.. lol ... if i had a nickle for every time i said it.. i would have in excess of a quarter ... lol ...

ken

ps: its an up north thing ....

^^ But who did you hear it from LOL!!!

Ah! Thanks, mxk3. I did not leave them out to get lightly frosted, I brought them into the garage when outside temps got into the lower 40's. They are still there.

Some leaves are turning yellow, though. Maybe that means they got slightly nipped?

I'd put them back outside but it's been raining too much. Rain due all weekend now, too.

Hopefully they'll be fine -- just don't bring them in the house yet, they can take a bit of cold in the state you have them, but don't let them freeze.

Having always brought them indoors before, I don't know how cold is too cold.

I'm going to leave one in a pot as my semi-scientific "control", lol. If the others live bare-root I can compare how they grow next year.

I usually shake off the soil, wash away any bugs and repot into a large planter to overwinter by a sunny window. I've seen someone on Youtube replant in a very nutrient poor soil mix, trimmed of leaves and overwintered in semi-dark conditions (only watering sparingly). Haven't tried that yet but his comes back every year.