Overwinter Geraniums Desk
Compare potted growth, dormant bare-root storage, and tip cuttings for annual geraniums.
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The Short Answer
Annual geraniums (Pelargonium) can spend winter as potted plants, bare-root plants, or rooted cuttings. Bring plants in or take cuttings before the first fall frost. These instructions are for Pelargonium, not hardy perennial geraniums.
Keep a plant growing
Dig and pot the plant before frost, water thoroughly, and place it in a sunny window or under artificial lighting. Iowa State recommends 65 to 70 F days with slightly cooler nights. Water when the soil surface becomes dry. A tall, lanky plant in late winter can be cut back by one-half to two-thirds in March.
Store bare-root plants
Before frost, dig plants and shake soil from the roots. Place one or two in a large paper sack in a dry location at 45 to 55 F, or hang them upside down in a cool, dry place. Leaves and shoot tips eventually die. This method needs suitable cool storage, not a warm living room.
Take tip cuttings
Take 3 to 4 inch shoot-tip cuttings with a sharp knife. Remove lower leaves, dip the bases in rooting hormone, and insert into vermiculite or a perlite and sphagnum peat mixture in containers with drainage holes. Water, let drain, and cover with a clear bag or dome. Keep in bright light out of direct sun. Iowa State gives 6 to 8 weeks for rooting. Pot rooted cuttings individually and keep in a sunny window or under lights until spring.
March wake-up checklist
For bare-root plants, remove shriveled or dead material and cut back to firm, green, live tissue. Pot up, water thoroughly, and move to a sunny window or artificial lighting. For plants kept growing in pots, Iowa State recommends the separate March cutback of one-half to two-thirds. Do not apply that growing-plant fraction blindly to a stored stem with little living tissue.