Geraniums winter storage
 

I've heard various conflicting advice for this.

What I'd like to know is whether they can be stored lais sideways in a box
of barely damp soil, in a dark cold, but frost-free garage as eg one stores
tunerous begonias? Would they need to be cut back hard first before storage?

Geraniums winter storage
 

On 04/11/2014 18:18, FrankB wrote:
I've heard various conflicting advice for this.

What I'd like to know is whether they can be stored lais sideways in a box
of barely damp soil, in a dark cold, but frost-free garage as eg one stores
tunerous begonias? Would they need to be cut back hard first before storage?



I think I've read it all! My understanding is that they can stand cold
but not cold AND wet. Assuming your garage is unheated, there should be
enough moisture around to prevent them drying out completely. Very
interesting discussion/argument on Gardenweb about whether they need
moisture at all in winter. Putting them on top of the wardrobe wrapped
in newspaper might have worked in the old days but that was before
central heating. Last year I cut mine back to 4" and put them in a cold
frame. The vast majority survived

Geraniums winter storage
 

On 04/11/2014 19:02, stuart noble wrote:
On 04/11/2014 18:18, FrankB wrote:
I've heard various conflicting advice for this.

What I'd like to know is whether they can be stored lais sideways in a
box
of barely damp soil, in a dark cold, but frost-free garage as eg one
stores
tunerous begonias? Would they need to be cut back hard first before
storage?



I think I've read it all! My understanding is that they can stand cold
but not cold AND wet. Assuming your garage is unheated, there should be
enough moisture around to prevent them drying out completely. Very
interesting discussion/argument on Gardenweb about whether they need
moisture at all in winter. Putting them on top of the wardrobe wrapped
in newspaper might have worked in the old days but that was before
central heating. Last year I cut mine back to 4" and put them in a cold
frame. The vast majority survived

Last winter I had a few surviving in pots outdoors and totally
unprotected. Not a typical winter - if there is such a thing.

Geraniums winter storage
 

On 05/11/2014 09:39, Paul Luton wrote:
On 04/11/2014 19:02, stuart noble wrote:
On 04/11/2014 18:18, FrankB wrote:
I've heard various conflicting advice for this.

What I'd like to know is whether they can be stored lais sideways in a
box
of barely damp soil, in a dark cold, but frost-free garage as eg one
stores
tunerous begonias? Would they need to be cut back hard first before
storage?

Only if they are particularly leggy. You can keep them growing and
flowering indoors on a windowledge (or last year out of doors). I still
have some in flower outside at the moment but tonights frost well might
do for them. They don't like being frozen or cold damp wet roots.

I think I've read it all! My understanding is that they can stand cold
but not cold AND wet. Assuming your garage is unheated, there should be
enough moisture around to prevent them drying out completely. Very
interesting discussion/argument on Gardenweb about whether they need
moisture at all in winter. Putting them on top of the wardrobe wrapped
in newspaper might have worked in the old days but that was before
central heating. Last year I cut mine back to 4" and put them in a cold
frame. The vast majority survived

In an unheated frost free place they can keep for the winter months with
no soil on the roots and go dormant. The fat stems hold a fair amount of
water and it is in their nature to go dormant for winter.

Last winter I had a few surviving in pots outdoors and totally
unprotected. Not a typical winter - if there is such a thing.

Last year was peculiar I had some still in flower at Xmas!
Almost all survived the winter.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

Geraniums winter storage
 

In an unheated frost free place they can keep for the winter months with
no soil on the roots and go dormant. The fat stems hold a fair amount of
water and it is in their nature to go dormant for winter.


This was part of what the argument was about on Gardenweb. Is the
dormancy natural or forced on the plant in colder climates?

Geraniums winter storage
 

On 06/11/2014 08:51, stuart noble wrote:

In an unheated frost free place they can keep for the winter months with
no soil on the roots and go dormant. The fat stems hold a fair amount of
water and it is in their nature to go dormant for winter.


This was part of what the argument was about on Gardenweb. Is the
dormancy natural or forced on the plant in colder climates?

I think it is natural. You just have to get the right combination of low
humidity and frost free cold for them to be happy. That is harder to do
in the UK than it sounds and some may be lost to damp rots.

Some of the hardest plants to grow in the UK are cacti that naturally
grow in places at high altitude with a continental winter. In their
natural habitat the winters are very cold but with essentially zero
humidity until the thaw when they start to grow again. eg Sclerocactus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sclerocactus

They are inclined to rot in the UK winter climate.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

Geraniums winter storage
 

In article ,
Martin Brown wrote:
On 06/11/2014 08:51, stuart noble wrote:

In an unheated frost free place they can keep for the winter months with
no soil on the roots and go dormant. The fat stems hold a fair amount of
water and it is in their nature to go dormant for winter.

This was part of what the argument was about on Gardenweb. Is the
dormancy natural or forced on the plant in colder climates?

I think it is natural. You just have to get the right combination of low
humidity and frost free cold for them to be happy. That is harder to do
in the UK than it sounds and some may be lost to damp rots.

Some of the hardest plants to grow in the UK are cacti that naturally
grow in places at high altitude with a continental winter. In their
natural habitat the winters are very cold but with essentially zero
humidity until the thaw when they start to grow again. eg Sclerocactus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sclerocactus

They are inclined to rot in the UK winter climate.

There are a lot of other plants that have the same characteristic
to a greater or lesser degree - many Cyclamen among them. And
Passiflora incarnata, which grows over most of the south-eastern
USA and up into Canada, but is very iffy here. Its roots normally
survive in the very dry soil under the frozen ground in the cold
winter areas.



Regards,
Nick Maclaren.