Yes you can take cuttings from the top and it will bush out and you will get extra plants. But first--has your geranium been in the same soil and pot all this time? If it has been it is in dire need of repotting and in a larger pot. Be sure to loosen the bottom roots when you do. Take your cuttings first to make the plant easier to handle. Don't worry about the brown leaves--old leaves die.

First you must make sure everything you use is very clean.

Take your cuttings: With a sharp knife or razor blade cut a 4 or 5 inch piece from the growing tip, cutting just below a leaf. All roots and branches come from a leaf joint. Remove all but the top 3 or 4 leaves. Let your cuttings callus over--Lay them out somewhere on newspaper. Mine sit on my spare room floor. Let them sit for about 5 days. The leaves will look wilted and dead but they're not. The cut end will shrivel and dry. Letting them callus over and watching the water cuts down on blackleg a deadly fungal disease especially to cuttings.

Now plant your cuttings. In a clean pail mix your soil with the water so you make sure the soil is damp right through. Use a soilless mix like pro mix or one that is formulated for seeds and cuttings. Just make sure it has no fertilizer in it. You want the soil wet but not too wet. Squeeze a handful and some moisture should come out but not a lot. Fill your pots and make a little hole in the center with your finger or something else that will make a small hole.

Dip about 1/2 inch of the cut end in rooting hormone. It comes in powder or gel, either is OK as long as it's for soft wood cuttings. I use Stim-root NO. 1. After it's dipped put it in the hole and cover it in, and you're done.

Keep the soil moist but not overly wet. They will look wilted at first but that will change as it starts to grow roots. You will know it's rooted when it starts to show new growth. If you are going to plant it outside, wait until it is rooted well before you set it out.

Thank you oilpainter for your helpful info.! I'd wondered about the occasional brown leaf & wondered if it was our city water that was doing it. My Iowa grandmother would in the Fall pull the geraniums in the ground outdoors all summer & then hang them by the roots down in the basement & when replanted in the Spring they would GROW!! Frustrated me when I seem to be able to grow almost anything that I couldn't keep a geranium alive indoors!

I will put the main plant in a bigger container with fresh soil & also hope the top cutting I made will root (hope I didn't make a mistake but I put the cutting in a vase of water to root?) I love that rather musky/musty aroma of the leaves when I brush them ... brings back memories of my grandmother's plants!