Kim,
Pelargoniums are frost tender perennial plants and must be lifted and placed in Frost Free conditions at about 5 degrees Celsius or 40 degrees Fahrenheit BEFORE the first frosts.
Have a look at FAQ

Ron

Thanks, Ron - I took a quick look at FAQs before posting, but I must have missed that. I'll take a closer look. Guess I better get busy, then, as first frost will likely occur within the next two weeks here. Thanks - you saved my pelargoniums!

You're right, drippy: it's not in the FAQs. I'm hoping to store mine too!

Hopefully Drippy you got your pels into a safe place before any frost hit them. They can be kept going for a time in a sunny window or put into a cool storage and left until mid February/March when they can be brought out and rewnewed to their old self.

I too live in Ma and have overwintered my geraniums for several years. I keep them in a southwest window in a room that is kept at about 55 to 60 degrees and they have done beautifully. But - this year I would like to store some in the cellar and am not sure how to prepare them for this kind of storage. I would appreciate any help in this.

riverrat,

If your cellar area is slightly above freezing and dark, you don't need to do much. Just by a fluke, last year I brought mine in after shaking the dirt off the roots, placed them in a box with roots belly-up, and placed the box - still opened - in a cool closet in the basement thinking I would return in a couple of days and 'take care of them'.

In early February while storing holiday decorations back in this closet - DH had removed the decorations and never said anything about the pelargoniums sitting there - I rediscovered them. Despite being in the dark and cold (about +5C), one was flowering?????, and all others had tiny leaves on them. So, I left them there.

In April I took them out and from 4 plants began to do stem propagations. I had over 20 plants by June.

Doing the same this winter...

River, it is quite simple IF you can provide your pel a cool, dry, dark plasce to store them.
Cool....in the range of 35 to 50 F....not so warm that the plant would initiate any new growth....it wouldn't last long if it did.
Dark....light again, initiates growth...it too wouldn't amount to anything.
Dry....because you want your plant to not be subject to any hint of mildew or rot....which moisture can begin.

It can be stored either by hanging your plant upside down...or in its pot and turned to its side.

About mid February...and into March, you bring out your geranium...it should be like a prune...dry...practically falling apart.

Take to a well-papered table to catch the debris...
cut the plant back how you choose....but generally about 4" to 6"...remove all old leaves, any weak or damaged stems.
Look at the roots, tear them apart. Remove all old soil.

Into a pot (clay is nice) that you have placed some shards of ??? to effectively keep the roots up above the drainage holes. Fresh potting soil, place your plant in and firm it up.

Take to the sunniest window you have....but north will not do.
Water to drainage.....and that's the last watering you do until new leaves form. That should be within 2 weeks.
Then water as necessary but always, water to drainage and dump the excess.

Don't fertilize until new leaves form and then at 1/4 rate 20/20/20....and turn your plant about every day to ensure all parts receive equal sun.

It can depend on just how good your sun is whether you get buds to appear before the time you set them out..but don't despair, new flowering will come...in time.

Increase fertilizer as the plant warrants...about every 2nd watering.
When bloom appears switch over to 15/30/15...(Miracle Gro)

That's it.....and if you use this formula year after year, there is no reason your plant cant come back each and every year thereafter.

I have nothing new to add....just wanted to bring this thread up .....just heard it is suppose to get 37 tonite and thought it might be of some help to some.... 37 tonite and then tomorrow a warming trend....in 80's again next week....never know about Mother Nature.

Here is a link to some short videos about overwintering geraniums. I hope it helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Gate

Glad you brought this back up , SHirl, as I was just starting to search!
Does any one know if I can over winter the seed type geraniums? A friend gave me the most beautiful red one with a kinda black tinge to it, and I'd love to keep it going, but I know you can't do it like the regular kind.
Thanks.

Hi All - I was about to dig mine and put them in pots in the greenhouse, do you think I should just put them in the basement instead? I'd love to see some color thoughout the winter in the GH, but would much prefer healthy geraniums in the spring/summer. I'm a newbie, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

If you have a room warm and light enough to keep them hascholten, you can keep them as an indoor plant for the winter. People do it all the time. Then take them back outside when it is appropriate.

For several years I've overwintered my geraniums by digging up, shaking the soil off, putting them in a paper bag and storing in the basement. In March, I pot them up and about 75-80% will start new growth. I just place several plants of a color in a bag and label it.

Thank-you Hopflower for the video. Now that I've seen it in action, and seen what the plant looks like after being stored for a while, I may just brave it and try this overwintering thing again, next year (what's to lose?).

Exactly, although I would take a cutting for the house as well. You can't lose then; either way.

Once again time for this post to surface to the top. Lots of good information for overwintering geraniums. Just sacked and hauled mine into the basements today. This
year had 10 pots of overwintered geraniums. They were beautiful.

I wanted to let folks know, I tried the technique discussed here in this forum of digging up the geraniums, storing upside-down in boxes in a cool (around 40 degrees) closet & taking them out once a month over the winter to soak the roots. I had success with about 50% of them. The ones that lived are covered with giant green leaves 2 weeks after potting them up according to the instructions. They were the basic type you find on the 1$ rack at Lowes at the end of the summer. Unfortunately, my prized cascading geranium (ivy geranium?) didn't make it! Last winter I brought it indoors & tried to keep it alive over the winter. It was so slow coming back (didn't really flower till late july) I decided to try the deep sleep method. Too bad. I can't afford the $20 they charge at my local nursery this year!

suzeprich, I don't know what kind of instructions you received from your source but there is nothing to prevent a pelargonium from coming back year after year after year IF they are treated so that they are not forced to do something they cant do properly.

That is, if you provide warmth, the plant will want to grow...if you provide sun, same thing, if you water your plant....same thing.

But how much growth can one expect when the sun is low in December and January. So the plant just sits and tries to survive on what it has done and hopes the March sun comes fast.

Think of a prune...the dried up plum that looks like a ...well...like a prune.
That's how your geranium can look through winter and come back better than ever.
But, it must not be given something to initiate growth at the wrong time.

The method above is without ifs, ands or buts...its faultless.

The other method, to bring it along through winter and enjoy what bloom is on the plant and the little that continues into winter. But, such low sun prevents any strength in the plant to keep going. So it too, can be cut back, given fresh potting soil and it will flower just as good, maybe better, than last year.

These are 3 of my ivy pellies that thrived well in the house over the winter. 2 are on the top shelf, and one is on the floor. They were all cuttings taken last summer. This photo was taken a few weeks ago. All of these 3 are starting to bloom now. Of the other ones not in the picture, one of those has given me lots of grief this winter. I think it's just getting old. =(

Thanks for the thread with the great tips!

I just dug my geraniums out of the back of the garage and, much to my surprise, they've got new leaves going. I had just left them there in their pots from last year, which is how my mom always did hers. Time to prune and repot and see if they all come back fully.