Saving Plants Over Winter

Saturday, September 19, 2009 03:45 AM

September is fall cleanup time.

Many annuals have past their prime and are ready to be thrown into the compost. Geraniums and fuchsias can be saved for next year by bringing them indoors before the first killing frost. Check the plants for any disease or insects before bringing them indoors as you do not want to bring any problems from outdoors to your indoor tropical plants. It is always a good idea to spray the plants with an insecticide such as an insecticidal soap or Malathion before bringing them into the house, in case there are insects on the plants. If you are digging them out of the garden plant those into a 6 inch pot using potting soil. After you have brought them indoors you can continue to have them bloom and when they have finished blooming prune back half of the new growth. Store the plant in its pot in a cool (8-10 Celsius) dark area and water it just enough to keep the plant from drying out.

In February the plant should be trimmed back to one third of its original size. To get it to start growing place it in a warm sunny location such as a south facing window or under a grow light. Increase the watering but do not over water, so allow the soil to go slightly dry before watering again, and start to fertilize with 20-20-20. Soon there should be signs of new growth and this is the time to take the plant out of the pot, and replant it into a pot just large enough to hold the plants roots. This will cause the plant to produce new shoots and these new shoots are made into cuttings when they are 3-4 inches long. By doing this you will create new plants and the old plant can either be tossed or saved.

Another method of storing geraniums is dormant storage.

For this you need the right conditions in order for it to be successful so perhaps just try it on one or two plants the first time to see how it works.

To do this you would carefully dig up the plant before the first killing frost and gently shake the soil off the plants roots. Then the plants are hung upside down from the rafters (a clothes line should work) in a cool dark location where the temperature remains at 8-10 Celsius. (If you cannot hang them you could try placing the geraniums in an open paper bag.) A cold room, slightly heated garage, or root cellar would be ideal. Periodically the plants should be taken down and checked to see if they are still healthy and the roots need to be soaked in water for an hour or two. You want the plant to remain dormant but not to dry out. The leaves will fall off and that is okay.

In March or early April take the geraniums down and trim off any dead or dried off parts. Plant them into pots using potting soil and give them thorough water before placing it in a warm sunny location. It may take several weeks before it comes out of its dormancy.

-Jos

Jos Van Hage owns and operates two Art Knapp Garden Centres in Prince George: