Dad’s geraniums are still blooming but he will soon be taking them inside to overwinter for next year. Late in the summer dad gave his geraniums a good pruning–removing dead blooms etc.  watered them and then fertilized them with Miracle Grow.  His geraniums loved it and produced many more buds and blooms soon after this treatment.

We had quite a few questions regarding dad’s process for overwintering his geraniums, so I am sharing his process with some tips below. We hope you find this information helpful and you have success in overwintering your own geraniums!

Overwintering Geraniums

1. During late autumn dad allows his geraniums to completely dry out. He stops watering them and leaves them out to dry for a few days. If rain is predicted it is best to delay, until a few days of clear weather.

2. After the geraniums are completely dry, he stores them in his workshop all winter. The workshop is not heated over the winter, but it does not go below freezing. In other words, it is very cold, but not freezing.

3. During the winter, dad ignores his geraniums! He doesn’t water them, pick dead blossoms off etc. Just set them aside and let them go dormant until next Spring.

4. When Spring arrives and there is not a risk of frost anymore, dad moves his geraniums outside. By this point, they will look quite lifeless. Once he places them outside, dad gives them a good watering.

5. After a couple of days when they are wet, he will give them a liquid fertilizer of Miracle Grow.

6. Dad does not pick off all the dead blooms for a bit, allowing the spring winds to do that for him. Once they are quite cleared of debris from the wind, he picks off any leftover dead plant material.

After being in sunlight for a few weeks your plants should begin to show signs of life! Dad has been doing this for years and owns quite a collection of Geraniums. We hope you are able to create a beautiful collection of your own!

Steve’s Tips

Make sure your geraniums are completely dry before you take them in for the season. If they are still damp, you will run the risk of them rotting.

Don’t store your geraniums in a location where they will freeze. A cold area like a root cellar etc. is ideal.

In the spring once your plants are taken back outside, make sure they are wet before you fertilize them or else you run the risk of burning them.

Deadhead your geraniums throughout the season to encourage new buds.

Warmly,

Steve and Debbie

Added Note

I visited dad today to get approval on the information above. Wink, wink.  He really liked the post and felt I had included all the information he had shared with me this year.

Dad took his geraniums inside yesterday. This year he did a bit more in his preparations once they were inside, so I will share that with you in a day or so. I am going back up to see him this weekend and will take a few more photos of his geraniums now that they are inside.

Happy Weekend! I hope you have a bit of time to relax in nature!

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