| My question is: How/if I can store my potted geraniums over the winter months so that I can put them out again in the spring. I will be storing them in my garage which is warm enough, but it lacks sufficient light. |
| You can treat them as houseplants for the winter if you have space (and/or install florescent lights in your garage). They require lots of sun and watering about once per week. Feel free to cut them back, since they'll send out new, tender growth and blooms. If you don't have lights, put them into dormant storage. Gradually reduce watering, and when the foliage dies back, store them in a dim, cool (40-45F) basement or garage. Check them occasionally during the winter to make sure they don't dry out completely but don't overwater or they will rot. In spring when danger of hard frost has passed, repot, water, and place them outside. After a year or two, your geraniums will become woody and produce fewer blooms - at that point, you can start new plants from cuttings. Some gardeners will also start new cuttings each fall and overwinter the cuttings as houseplants rather than storing the larger plants. This is helpful if you are low on space. |
