Don’t Throw Away Your Geraniums This Fall! 3 Ways to Save Them for Next Spring
Those colorful geraniums on your porch do not necessarily need to end up on the compost pile when summer finishes. With the right indoor conditions, you can keep favorite plants through winter and return them to your garden when warm weather arrives.
The three main ways to overwinter geraniums are keeping them as potted plants, rooting stem cuttings, and storing suitable plants dormant with bare roots. Move plants indoors or take your cuttings before the first autumn frost. Yard and Garden
The best choice depends on your available light, storage temperature, and space. A sunny windowsill suits a different approach from a cool basement.
First, Make Sure You Have the Right Kind of Geranium
This guide covers Pelargoniums, the tender plants commonly sold as annual geraniums for pots, hanging baskets, and summer bedding.
They are different from hardy geraniums, also called cranesbills, which belong to the genus Geranium. Many hardy geraniums can remain outdoors through winter when suited to the local climate.
Pelargoniums are perennial plants, but they need protection from frost. Being sold as an “annual” does not mean they must die after one season. rhs.org.uk
Prepare Your Plants Before Frost Arrives
Choose healthy plants with firm stems and worthwhile growth. Inspect the undersides of leaves, stem joints, and pot surfaces before bringing anything indoors.
Remove faded flower stalks, dead leaves, and loose debris. Check for insects and signs of disease, and keep questionable plants separate from your indoor collection until you have identified the problem.
Illinois Extension recommends inspecting geraniums before overwintering because pests and diseases can spread to other plants indoors. Illinois
Label each plant with its flower color or variety. Once flowers and leaves disappear, similar-looking stems can be surprisingly difficult to tell apart.
Method 1: Keep Geraniums Growing in Pots Indoors
Best for: Gardeners with a sunny window, suitable grow lights, or a bright, frost-free conservatory.
This is a convenient option if your geraniums already grow in containers. Plants growing in the ground can also be lifted carefully and placed in pots with drainage holes.
Use a suitable container potting mix and a pot that accommodates the roots without leaving a large volume of unused wet compost.
Place the plants in your brightest suitable location. Iowa State University Extension recommends a sunny window or artificial lighting, with daytime temperatures around 65–70°F, or 18–21°C, and slightly cooler nights. Yard and Garden
Water According to the Soil
Check the potting mix before watering. When the surface has dried, water and allow excess moisture to drain away.
Do not continue an outdoor summer watering schedule indoors. Winter light, room temperature, pot size, and plant growth all affect how quickly the mix dries.
Empty saucers after watering. Persistently wet roots are particularly troublesome when plants are growing slowly.
Manage Leggy Growth
Geraniums may stretch toward the light during winter. If stems become long and weak, improve the light rather than trying to correct the problem with extra fertilizer.
Plants can be shaped as needed, with more substantial pruning in spring before the main growing season. Iowa State notes that overwintered plants often benefit from spring cutting back. Yard and Garden
Some plants may flower indoors, but winter survival and healthy growth are more useful goals than uninterrupted blooms.
Method 2: Take Cuttings to Save Space
Best for: Gardeners with limited room or large plants that are difficult to bring indoors.
Cuttings preserve a favorite plant as smaller new plants. They are especially useful when a hanging basket or mature container takes up too much space.
Take cuttings while the parent plant is healthy and before frost damages its growth. Earlier preparation gives the young plants more time to establish.
How to Prepare Geranium Cuttings
- Select a healthy stem tip without signs of pests or disease.
- Cut a section about 3–4 inches, or 8–10 centimeters, long using a clean, sharp blade.
- Remove lower leaves and any flower stalks or buds.
- Keep a few healthy leaves at the top.
- Insert the base into fresh, freely draining propagation mix.
- Firm the mix gently so the cutting stands upright.
- Water lightly and let excess water drain.
Place the cuttings in bright light, protected from harsh direct sunlight while they lack roots. Keep the rooting medium lightly moist rather than saturated.
Illinois Extension advises allowing approximately four to eight weeks for rooting, although actual timing varies with conditions. Illinois
Avoid Trapping Too Much Moisture
Pelargonium cuttings can rot when conditions remain excessively wet. They do not need to sit in a constantly dripping, sealed enclosure.
Give them space, remove fallen leaves, and monitor the stem bases. A cutting with a soft, darkening base should be removed promptly.
Rooting hormone is not essential for every geranium cutting; Chicago Botanic Garden specifically advises against using it for Pelargonium cuttings. Chicago Botanic Garden
Grow Rooted Cuttings Through Winter
Once roots have developed, move the young plants into individual small pots as needed.
Keep them in good light and water according to their drying rate. Avoid moving a tiny rooted cutting into an oversized container.
This method saves the variety rather than the original mature plant. It also gives you young plants to shape for next season.
Method 3: Store Suitable Geraniums Dormant with Bare Roots
Best for: Gardeners with a cool, frost-free storage area and sturdy plants suitable for this method.
Bare-root storage takes less space and does not require maintaining leafy plants in a window. However, it is less dependable than the other approaches.
The RHS describes this as the least reliable method and recommends it only for varieties with tough, woody stems. Take backup cuttings of especially valued plants. rhs.org.uk
Prepare Plants for Storage
Before frost:
- Lift plants from the garden or remove them from their pots.
- Gently shake excess soil from the roots.
- Remove dead flowers and unhealthy material.
- Let surface moisture dry in a sheltered, frost-free place.
- Place plants loosely in a large paper bag.
Avoid sealing them in plastic, which can trap moisture around the stems.
Iowa State University Extension recommends a cool, dry storage location around 45–55°F, or 7–13°C. Hanging plants upside down is another traditional option, but a paper bag is often less messy. Yard and Garden
Check Them During Winter
A basement, porch, or garage is suitable only if its actual conditions are appropriate. Many garages freeze, while heated basements may be too warm.
Check stored plants periodically. Leaf loss and some dead shoot tips are expected. Watch for spreading mold, soft decay, or stems becoming completely brittle.
Bare-root storage can be challenging, as University of Minnesota Extension notes. It should not be treated as a guaranteed “put them away and forget them” method. UMN Extension
Restart Plants Before Outdoor Planting Time
In late winter or early spring, inspect each plant and cut away dead material until you reach firm, living stem tissue.
Pot surviving plants into fresh potting mix, water thoroughly, and let them drain. Move them into bright light.
Allow several weeks for recovery before their return outdoors. Iowa State’s example uses March repotting for May planting, but your local frost dates should determine your schedule. Yard and Garden
Which Method Should You Choose?
Choose indoor pots if you have strong light and room for mature plants.
Choose cuttings if space is limited or you want younger plants for next year.
Choose bare-root storage if you have suitable cool storage and sturdy plants, while accepting a greater chance of losses.
You can combine methods. Keeping one favorite plant in a pot and rooting a few cuttings provides a useful backup.
Should You Fertilize Geraniums During Winter?
Match feeding to growth.
Plants resting in cool conditions need little or no fertilizer. Bare-root stored plants should not be fed.
Plants actively growing in strong light may need occasional feeding, following the product label. Avoid using fertilizer to force growth when light is inadequate.
The RHS advises reducing feeding in autumn and winter and stopping completely for plants that have been dried off for winter rest. rhs.org.uk
How to Move Geraniums Back Outside in Spring
Wait until frost risk has passed, then gradually introduce your plants to outdoor conditions.
Start with a sheltered location and limited exposure. Increase their time outdoors and exposure to sunlight over approximately one to two weeks, bringing them back under cover if cold weather threatens.
Repot where necessary and resume normal watering and feeding as growth strengthens.
The RHS recommends hardening off overwintered Pelargoniums before placing them outside permanently. rhs.org.uk
Flowering time will depend on the variety, light, temperature, and how much pruning the plant needed. Surviving winter does not guarantee immediate spring flowers.
Common Overwintering Mistakes to Avoid
- Waiting until frost has damaged the plants.
- Bringing pests indoors with the pots.
- Keeping leafy plants in a warm, dark room.
- Watering as frequently as during summer.
- Storing bare-root plants in sealed plastic.
- Assuming an unheated garage cannot freeze.
- Feeding dormant plants.
- Moving plants directly from indoor conditions into strong sun.
- Discarding leafless stored plants without checking whether their stems are alive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Geraniums Survive Winter Outside?
Tender Pelargoniums may remain outside in reliably frost-free climates, but they need protection where freezing temperatures occur. Hardy cranesbill geraniums are a different group and should be managed according to their variety and hardiness.
Do I Have to Cut Geraniums Back Before Bringing Them Indoors?
Not always. Pruning depends on available space and whether you intend to keep the plants actively growing. Remove damaged material, and shape oversized plants as needed. Further pruning can be done in spring.
Can I Keep Geraniums in a Dark Basement?
A dark space can suit appropriate dormant bare-root plants if the temperature and moisture conditions are right. Leafy plants kept growing in pots need light.
How Often Should I Water Indoor Geraniums?
Check the potting mix rather than following a fixed calendar. Water when it has dried appropriately, then allow excess water to drain. Cool, slow-growing plants need much less water than actively growing ones.
Is It Normal for Stored Geraniums to Lose Their Leaves?
Yes. Bare-root stored plants commonly lose leaves and some shoot tips. Firm, living stems matter more than retaining foliage during storage.
Which Method Saves the Most Space?
Cuttings take up little windowsill space and preserve favorite varieties as young plants. Bare-root storage also saves space but is less reliable.
Gardening Disclaimer
This guide applies to tender Pelargoniums commonly sold as annual geraniums. Survival varies with plant health, variety, light, temperature, and moisture. Use local frost forecasts rather than a fixed calendar date when moving plants indoors or outside.
