How to Care for Geraniums Indoors Over the Winter
Geraniums are hardy flowers with a pungent scent. Plant geraniums into the ground during the spring, but bring them inside during the winter to protect the plants from frost, especially in colder climates. Geraniums transplant easily and will flourish as a potted plant during these overwintering phases, bringing their cheerful greenery and pleasant odor into your home. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Cut the longest shoots of leaves back toward the central stem of the plant, leaving the trimmed geranium half as wide and half as tall as before.
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Dig down several inches away from the planted geranium to avoid harming the roots, and remove entire plant from the soil.
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Prepare the pot with potting soil, leaving a few inches of space from the surface of the dirt to the lip of the pot. Dig a hole in the potting soil and place the geranium into the pot. Cover with potting soil, letting the geranium stem reach out of the soil at the same place as it did while in the ground. Avoid planting the roots any deeper, as doing so may lead to poor drainage and cause roots to rot.
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Place the potted geranium indoors where it will receive sunlight for the majority of the day. Place the pot on top of a drainage tray to prevent leaks.
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Water the plant, saturating the soil. Do not let the drainage tray pool with excess water, as this leads to rotting.
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Water the plant throughout the winter whenever the soil feels dry. Stick a fingertip into the soil, pushing down to 1 inch to check for dryness.
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Maintain the geranium over the winter by cutting off new growth below the original foliage to encourage taller and stronger growth in the spring. Introduce a balanced fertilizer with last round of watering in April before replanting in the garden.
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References
- Photo Credit geranium image by Konstantin Kaschenko from Fotolia.com
