Geranium

QUESTION: How do we over-winter geraniums? We bought them locally for a cancer fundraiser at Lowes. Thank you.

ANSWER: The newer hybrids grown from seed may only live for about 18 months. Cut your plants back by a third and use the cuttings to try to start new plants.

Choose strong, stiff pieces about four-six inches long. Let the cuttings lay out in the air for a day so that the cut ends seal up. This helps prevent the cutting from rotting.

Pot the cuttings in soil-less potting mix, (usually peat and perlite). Make sure at least one node (bump on the skin) is below soil level. That's where roots will develop. The cuttings might not all survive so pot up plenty. If you end up with extras, you can share with friends. Water them, and put them in a sunny window or under fluorescent lights.

Put the cutback mother plants in a brightly lit area, too. Water all of them when the top of the soil dries out. Fertilize them weekly with a water-soluble fertilizer. Dilute by a quarter the recommended dose on the package directions. (If it says 1 teaspoon to a quart of water, just mix one-quarter teaspoon to a quart of water.)

Geraniums like it cool, at around 75 degrees during the day and 65 at night. Keep them away from any drying heat source.

Next spring, acclimate the plants slowly outdoors, after the danger of frost has passed, by increasing the amount of sunlight they receive each day.

Thanks for visiting The Plant Coach! Coach Anne.