Geranium care: Tips for overwintering plants

To ensure geraniums (pelargoniums) survive the winter and bloom again in the spring, gardeners should move them indoors before the first frost. Ideally, plants should be relocated when temperatures regularly drop toward 5 °C, typically in late October or November, to prevent irreversible damage to leaves, stems, and roots.

Preparation involves pruning the plants by approximately half their length, leaving 4–5 nodes on healthy stems. It is essential to remove all flowers, diseased leaves, and damaged or dead parts to prevent rot. For successful overwintering, plants should be placed in a bright, cool location with temperatures between 5 °C and 12 °C, such as a light garage or hallway. Overwatering should be avoided; the substrate should dry out significantly between waterings, and fertilizing should be suspended until active spring growth begins.

Alternatively, gardeners can propagate plants using cuttings. Healthy, non-flowering shoots of 8–13 cm can be cut, stripped of lower leaves, and placed in water in a warm, bright spot. Roots typically appear within two to four weeks, after which the cuttings can be transplanted into small pots.