Remember how I'm overwintering geraniums for the first time ever? They are still doing great!
To recap, I've never overwintered geraniums before yet I always grow them in my front porch planters. It just seemed like a crime to toss them into the compost bin at the end of the season but I never took the time to figure out how to overwinter them.
Until last fall, that is! In October, I did some research and shot a video on how to save them. Two months later, I checked on them and was delighted to see there were some new sprouts on the plants, that they didn't look shriveled up and there was certainly no mold on the plants. Wow.
I carefully put the bulk of them back into the cardboard box they've been stored in and the single red geranium that's been hanging upside-down in a paper bag back into its sack.
Well, today, I decided it was time to check on them and, once again, I was apprehensive of what I might find. And once again, I was pleasantly surprised to find they were doing really well.
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| See all the new leaves? |
As you can see by the main photo, there are even more new sprouts on the plants and each plant is looking healthy. The older leaves are dry and brittle, but that's to be expected. I'll remove them when it's time to pot up the plants.
However, the stems of the single red geranium that's been hanging in a paper bag look slightly shriveled up. I don't see any new growth although, to be honest, I can't remember if there was any when I checked on it a month ago.
Since I figure I can't make matters worse, I decided to lightly spritz the roots on that plant with a fine mist of water. We shall see if that perks it up or is the coup de grace!
So what's the plan now?
I've returned all of them to the basement where they've lived in a dormant state since October. I've marked the first of February as the date to remove the dried-up leaves and re-pot the plants. And I'll keep you posted on how they're doing.
If you, too, are overwintering your geraniums for the first time, I hope you're having similar results. Be sure to mark your February calendar for the big re-potting day, too, provided you see new growth on them. If I can actually pull this off, I will be amazed that it was this simple to do!
