Now that I've got a nice dry shed, I'm going to try the wrapping in
newspaper method this winter, but can it really be true that
pelargoniums require neither light nor water for a whole 6 months? Why
don't they just shrivel up and die?

"stuart noble" wrote
Now that I've got a nice dry shed, I'm going to try the wrapping in
newspaper method this winter, but can it really be true that pelargoniums
require neither light nor water for a whole 6 months? Why don't they just
shrivel up and die?

They come from South Africa and get periods of hot/dry weather.
Personally I would leave them in their pots (provided there are no vine
weevil) and simply place the pots on their side covered in newspaper so it's
easier to check to see if any are rotting. Even if the plant dies back the
roots will often still produce new growth.
Better still to put them on a frost free windowsill and water lightly only
when they ask for it (slight wilting).

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

On 16/10/2010 08:04, Bob Hobden wrote:


"stuart noble" wrote
Now that I've got a nice dry shed, I'm going to try the wrapping in
newspaper method this winter, but can it really be true that
pelargoniums require neither light nor water for a whole 6 months? Why
don't they just shrivel up and die?

They come from South Africa and get periods of hot/dry weather.
Personally I would leave them in their pots (provided there are no vine
weevil) and simply place the pots on their side covered in newspaper so
it's easier to check to see if any are rotting. Even if the plant dies
back the roots will often still produce new growth.
Better still to put them on a frost free windowsill and water lightly
only when they ask for it (slight wilting).

Alas I don't have the space to do either of those things, but the shed
is in a sheltered position and, at least for now, is bone dry.

On Sat, 16 Oct 2010 09:15:12 +0100, stuart noble
wrote:


pelargoniums require neither light nor water for a whole 6 months? Why
don't they just shrivel up and die?

If they get too dry they will die.

As you have limited space how about taking them out of their pots, and
lie them stacked in a box filled with peat, check monthly through the
winter and make sure the peat is neither damp or bone dry.

More are lost through keeping them wet, light is not needed as when
they are brought back to life in the spring cut back any straggly
white growths.

www.lincolnfuchsiasociety.info

On 16/10/2010 13:23, Derek wrote:
On Sat, 16 Oct 2010 09:15:12 +0100, stuart noble
wrote:


pelargoniums require neither light nor water for a whole 6 months? Why
don't they just shrivel up and die?

If they get too dry they will die.

I suppose the traditional methods (hanging them in a basement etc) are
based on the idea that they're unlikely to get too dry in an unheated
environment, where the relative humidity is likely to be high

As you have limited space how about taking them out of their pots, and
lie them stacked in a box filled with peat, check monthly through the
winter and make sure the peat is neither damp or bone dry.

Thanks. I might try that.

More are lost through keeping them wet, light is not needed as when
they are brought back to life in the spring cut back any straggly
white growths.



www.lincolnfuchsiasociety.info

On 16 Oct, 15:45, stuart noble wrote:
On 16/10/2010 13:23, Derek wrote:

On Sat, 16 Oct 2010 09:15:12 +0100, stuart noble
*wrote:

pelargoniums require neither light nor water for a whole 6 months? Why
don't they just shrivel up and die?

If they get too dry they will die.

I suppose the traditional methods (hanging them in a basement etc) are
based on the idea that they're unlikely to get too dry in an unheated
environment, where the relative humidity is likely to be high



As you have limited space how about taking them out of their pots, and
lie them stacked in a box filled with peat, *check monthly through the
winter and make sure the peat is neither damp or bone dry.

Thanks. I might try that.





More are lost through keeping them wet, light is not needed as when
they are brought back to life in the spring cut back any straggly
white growths.
www.lincolnfuchsiasociety.info- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

There was a time in the last centuary when the recomended method of
storing your "Geraniums" over winter was to lift them and then to
store them in a clamp like potatoes, that is to layer them in straw,
cover with more straw and then cover with soil in a sheltered spot in
the Garden.

On 17/10/2010 12:17, Dave Hill wrote:
On 16 Oct, 15:45, stuart wrote:
On 16/10/2010 13:23, Derek wrote:

On Sat, 16 Oct 2010 09:15:12 +0100, stuart noble
wrote:

pelargoniums require neither light nor water for a whole 6 months? Why
don't they just shrivel up and die?

If they get too dry they will die.

I suppose the traditional methods (hanging them in a basement etc) are
based on the idea that they're unlikely to get too dry in an unheated
environment, where the relative humidity is likely to be high



As you have limited space how about taking them out of their pots, and
lie them stacked in a box filled with peat, check monthly through the
winter and make sure the peat is neither damp or bone dry.

Thanks. I might try that.





More are lost through keeping them wet, light is not needed as when
they are brought back to life in the spring cut back any straggly
white growths.
www.lincolnfuchsiasociety.info- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

There was a time in the last centuary when the recomended method of
storing your "Geraniums" over winter was to lift them and then to
store them in a clamp like potatoes, that is to layer them in straw,
cover with more straw and then cover with soil in a sheltered spot in
the Garden.

Reading between the lines with all these methods, it would seem they
need to be moist but not wet, and cool but not frozen. I'm thinking
there's enough moisture in the air during winter that they're not going
to dry out, and hopefully the newspaper and shed structure will keep the
temperature above freezing.
I've currently got them laid out in the sunshine so they should be
virtually soil free when I shake them off later today. It seems logical
that caked up soil on the roots wouldn't help matters, so I'm glad they
were in a vermiculite/compost mix that allows them to be lifted without
any root damage.