Forum home› Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

question on overwintering Pelargoniums

earlydazeearlydaze Posts: 105
in Plants
I am overwintering some pelargoniums inside house (was my first time doing this and thought I would take easiest route)-my question is should I take off any flowering shoots? would this help with root development? many thanks as always for any advice-

Posts

  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    Personally l would remove them and let the plants conserve their energy  :)
  • earlydazeearlydaze Posts: 105
    Thanks AnniD- of course that makes sense- as a newbie I am always second guessing myself!
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I would too. All plants need a period of rest/dormancy   :)
    It wouldn't make any great difference to root development  either, unless the plants were tiny little things. A bigger specimen would have plenty of roots.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Papi JoPapi Jo Posts: 4,254
    I wouldn't overwinter pelargoniums inside house. I overwinter them in a cool, non-frost place, my garden shed.
  • earlydazeearlydaze Posts: 105
    thanks fairygirl- they are plugs I potted up last summer for an upcoming plant sale in May- so are still fairly small.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    They would die in a shed  [or even the little growhouse I have] over winter here @Papi Jo. The house is much safer if you're in a colder/damper area. Most people tend to overwinter them in a greenhouse in the UK   :)

    If they're still that small @earlydaze, it's best to keep them drier too. They won't grow a huge amount for another couple of months, so just keep them ticking over. You'll probably need to pot them on - maybe around March/April, but just keep checking them to see how much growth they have. If the roots are filling the pots and coming out the bottom, that's the time to get them in a bigger pot  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • earlydazeearlydaze Posts: 105
    Darn- I just watered them- but only lightly- I have been keeping them quite dry but worried it was a bit too dry!
  • earlydazeearlydaze Posts: 105
    I will try my unheated greenhouse next year- but as this was first time (and didn’t want to risk losing them for the sale) went with what I thought was safest option
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Don't worry too much - as long as they aren't sitting in wet soil all the time, they'll be fine. They can cope with being on the dry side for a while without coming to any harm, but they shouldn't be kept permanently wet.
    You'll get the hang of it as you go along.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Sign In or Register to comment.