GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Many of us buy geraniums each spring as annuals, but with just a little work, you can save this year’s flowers to plant again next year… for free! I like free flowers.
First clean up this year’s plant by trimming off any dead or dying foliage.
Then there’s a couple different options for you to choose.
The first is to keep your geranium right in the pot and treat it as a houseplant. If it’s in the ground, dig it up and plant in a pot with drainage holes. Find it a cool, but bright, location in your home to live for the winter. Water occasionally as the soil dries out. It will get tall and leggy, but in March you’ll trim it back by trimming off one half to two thirds of the plant. They’ll regrow from there and be beautiful again by May. Put back outdoors wither in the pot or back in the ground as Mother Nature allows.
You can also choose to overwinter them as bare root plants. Dig up or remove your geranium from it’s pot. Remove as much soil from the roots as you can. You don’t have to wash them. Either put the plants in a paper sack, one or two to a bag, or hang them. Store them in a cool, dry location over the winter months. The foliage and some of the shoots will die over the coming months.
In March, prune off the dead material and the root ends and repot. Give the dormant plants a good water and as much sunlight as you can. Some people like to soak the plants overnight before potting. The plants will start growing again within a couple weeks and will be ready for another great summer season of blooms.