I can’t wait to try this. Now center the plant in its pot. I cut several holes in the bag to prevent stagnant air. DO pinch off all flowering buds. Zonal geraniums become actual shrubs in SoCal!! Chopsticks would also work, or slim branches from trees. This area has the worst weeds ever! This was so much fun! And truly don’t know how you have the time to read all the notes people,send you? Love this post. Looking forward to giving it a try. Just recently signed up to your blog and ADORE it! Master Gardener AssociationsPacific N.W./Canada/UK, Please consider the environment before printing any material from this website. I did about 30 cuttings of three different types of geraniums. Was wondering if I could still do what this article suggests or will I be stuck with the Giants till next year. I’ve been doing this with my geraniums for a few of years now and it’s great to have plants ready to go in the gardens the following Spring. The last couple of years I’ve been sticking my hardwood cuttings at the end of winter/early spring. These can rot in damp soil. Q. Eucalyptus Leaves Changing Shape - The new leaves on my Dalrympleana mountain gum eucalyptus tree, which was planted this spring, have grown pear shaped and… Q. Eucalyptus Tree - I have a eucalyptus tree that is two years old and it is planted outside. Each year about half of them bear fruit and half don't. Good luck with your geraniums! I took a small stem yesterday and to did the way to said to do inlet it dry out over night. Thanks so much for the steps by step propagation method for geraniums, Kevin. I lived in Ireland for 2 years and these sun rooms had loads of vines etc. How to Design a Window Garden This year was not so good for my roses. I so love this blog. Thanks for your prompt reply. The blooms are great color and brighten my environment two to four times during the cabin fever months. Thank you so much. I’m really hoping to expand my collection indoors. Thank you, […] hanging basket that I got for my birthday (pictured near the top of the post). I’m very excited about this post, but then most of your posts excite me. As for the ivy-leaved geranium, or Pelargonium peltatum, I’ve overwintered this one many times. Thanks for your help in doing so. Perveez, Veez for short. Is there any chance the trimmed off root mass would grow if it was planted with new potting soil above and below it? It finally died. It is white but really doesn’t look like a geranium. I’ll share a tip I read in Mother Earth news: if you do not have chards/gravel for the drainage hole on your pots, used coffee filters work well and can be dumped on the compost pile ( I use non bleached filters). Many years ago I purchased (via mail-order) apple, nutmeg, lemon, and other scented varieties from Logees in Danielson, CT. You can visit their website: Logees.com. A WONDERFUL source of scented geraniums is Well-Sweep Herb Farm in Port Murray, New Jersey. Beautiful layout and clear instructions with gorgeous photos! Should I cut lower and just leave stems if they look like they have nodes low down, or do they need leaves in place for growth? Am definitely going to do this. And watered it till.the water ran out the bottom.the color of this germanium is a,peach orange a beautiful color. Oh, my question is, at what point do you bring them indoors for the winter? My geraniums thank you for this one. ‘America’ looks lovely in my Herb Garden, too. But how do I prepare my leggy geraniums for going back outside this spring? I want to know about that knife you are using to slice the rootball! I just wanted to tell you I found this germanium bush at this place we always go to eat. You’ve given me a few new tips. and I’ve gotten too old to enjoy the invigorating experience of shoveling snow .We used to live in Larchmont , NY when the kids were little…. The older 1 has only bloomed once in the old location, which was beside the house with morning sun. Now to get propagating! I appreciate this clear tutorial and will follow this method come August. A Walk in the Early-August Garden, BY Kevin Lee Jacobs | August 13, 2013 137 Comments. The winter cold can kill off these pests, so if you do prune off the old foliage right away as the flowers are emerging, it takes away the hiding place of any garden snails and kills off any whiteflies or mold that may be hanging about, ready to get a foothold. I’ve lost some of my geranium cuttings to rot in the past…now I know how to do this correctly. During the spring and summer months, Aloe can grow outside in most areas. So once I bring them in, in they stay. Gloxinia (Sinningia speciosa) has oblong fuzzy leaves, large velvety bell- shaped flowers with ruffled edges.This tender tuberous perennial is a member of the Gesneriaceae family, a relative of the African Violet. Insert a pencil in the center of the soil, to a depth which approximates the length of your cutting. Thanks for the great tips! If, after pressing down, the soil level drops more than one inch below the top of the pot, just add a little more mixture and re-adjust the stem. I love the plant window you created for your own home, I may have to try that one out on some other windows! ((((hug hug))). They seemed to have already gone into a dormant state but recently started putting out new growth. Keep up the good work. or maybe 1/2 c. Can I mix some osmocte in the potting mix when I plant the cuttings instead of going out and buying the product you suggested? If you do need to re-pot it, look for a 5 US gal (19 L) pot for a 2 to 3 year-old tree or a 10 US gal (38 L) pot for trees older than that. Will also check garden shop of Lowe’s and maybe Big Lots. Looking forward to doing this your way this year. PEST ALERT: Japanese Beetle | What You Need to Know, *ONLINE* Na’ʔk’ʷulamən (what we do): Wild Tea Blends, Vancouver Island Rock and Alpine Garden Society. Kevin, where have you been for the past year? Recommendation for those doing the same with petunias: soak the new potting soil so it is good and wet, and keep watering it well for the first 2 weeks while the plant snips adjust to being on their own and not part of a big plant. Hi Sanna – Thanks for writing. I have several scenteds struggling along in their pots. With this I will stop because I respect an individuals’ right to garden without being lectured…. My mom had such a green thumb and being a member of the garden club, she had alot of garden ‘stuff’ and pretty things. You’ll find my Holiday cactus tutorial in this post: November Brilliance: The “Thanksgiving Cactus”. It was like having free plants! Thank you, thank you! Kevin, In so many ways, I thought I would never regain what I had lost and though it’s not the same as having my mom’s plants, you are the first person I have actually thought of that can help me replace some of the things, some of the sentiments, some of the charm that I lost in her. I took some cuttings off the geranium last evening, got some fresh potting mix and this afternoon, plan to plant them. In April I start to water the geraniums twice a month, and if possible bring them to a brighter location. great fun then. Hi Laura – Yellowing leaves can be the result of several factors, including too-low humidity, too much or too little water, not enough light, or a lack of nutrients. Kevin, should I add the phosphorous every time I water? Geranium is also the botanical name and common name of a separate genus of related plants, also known as cranesbills. I was curious to know how you center yourself and clear your mind before writing. –>Seeking rose-scented leaves now Armed with your helpful instructions, I’ll be cutting up my pelargoniums in the next two weeks too. Add new soil so the new roots have new material to grow into. Kudos! Well, I was going through this article on propagating Geraniums and low and behold, there it was!!! You give the best directions for overwintering plants! No photo for these next three steps, because I don’t think you need them: Take a 4-inch clay pot, and place a piece of broken pottery over its drainage hole. Properly potted, there will be a one-inch opening between the soil surface and the top of the pot to allow for water. It was on sale for $1.00 each. I planted a leaf per your instructions. The old ones get leggy and don’t produce many blooms, still I take them indoors in winter, and keep them in a sunny window. No east or south window for you? You have a blooming Hydrangea IN your house? Click on links below to jump to that question. My Wintering Over Experiments - Organic Gardening Advice & Tips. In December, 2011, lavender-pink ‘Americana’ made a handsome sight in my Music Room window. I just pull them off, not a big deal since the plants always grow more shoots. Thank you, Behold, for sort of answering my question about pinching for bushiness–I guess Kevin did not see my question or did not think it was worthy of a reply (too bad I am not Joan Crawford!). What would I do without you?! I couldn’t figure out what I had done wrong when my cuttings all rotted, but obviously letting the bottom scab over was a step I didn’t know about! Illuminated for 16 hours per day, I can tell you that zonal geraniums will bloom in winter almost as well as they do in summer. I have an ivy leaf geranium that I would like to try to propagate over the winter as you describe. Please advise…. I think she would have adored you. I have found though that housebound geraniums do not do well being put back outside as they get acclimated to sun exposure and regulated temps. Do you see any dead or rotting stems? I never tried letting them get a callus but I will definitely try that this year. The dome of plastic keeps extra moisture close to the foliage, without misting (which I perpetually forget to do). Kevin- do you have any suggestions for Martha Washington geraniums- they are so beautiful in the greenhouse that I can’t resist buying them, but within a very short time they cease blooming altogether. Then, I take them with me to southern Arizona and they spend the fall and spring there on my patin. I will use your method to keep my beauties alive and healthy; do you think they would do well in my greenhouse instead of inside the house? Here, it recently attracted a hummingbird moth. I do not have a big window garden like yous . i will try your method for the coming The dome draws my attention to the new plant, keeping it on the “front burner” and properly attended to amidst the piles of potted specimens that surround me. Then repot in fresh mixture. Kevin, How do you manage to water all your window plants through winter without carrying them all to the sink? I had some beautiful dark pink geraniums that ended up on the compost pile this year. I have over-wintered geraniums with great success. There’s nothing so cheerful as blooming geraniums on a winter windowsill! (Don’t ask) Is it too late to plant them outside? Thankyou. There is no vigorous growth during this period. You always have the best gardening ideas! This past spring we used your technique for preventing weeds in our front garden bed. Will be trying your suggestions. I carefully shake the old soil off the roots, and plant them in a 1 gallon pot or larger if necessary. Kevin- I have been wanting to do this for 2 years! Be sure to have a look-see…. Continued Love Peace and Joy to You! Or “thumb,” if you are holding a camera while you work. Yes, cutting the old roots off is important. It’s kind of hard to decide between beautiful plants and ocean life but think dolphins and manatees and this will help. I have several geraniums, some from my mother who passed away in 1995. I love the stuff you send out. Grab a glass of milk because we're about to dunk peanut butter cookies, oatmeal-raisin cookies, snickerdoodle cookies, and many more of our all-time favorite cookie recipes. Thanks for refreshing my memory. One could use cedar chips I would think. You described it exactly as I remembered it. (Geranium, Coleus, Passiflora, Sweet Potato Vine, Pineapple Sage, Lemon Verbena, Hypoestes, Roses, Pittosporum, Persian Shield, Angel Wing Begonia). I have never successfully brought my geraniums indoors for the winter. We can get very harsh winters, down to -20C, with deep snow, but for the last two years the winters were long but not so … However, taller varieties should be cut back by a third in September to reduce the risk of wind damage. Place the plants under fluorescent lights. So, your lesson on doing it right makes a big difference. Love scented geraniums too but haven’t been successful with those either. Gosh, they are already putting Christmas stuff out in the Home Depot. When you are cutting down the geraniums, do you cut down just as far as there are leaves? Never fails me. I have geraniums that live inside, in my dining room window year-round. The firm said yes in could take a piece. It is still thriving and since she passed away in 2012, it is a nice on-going reminder of her. I have to use 20 gallon milk jugs full of water and I used to use 1/4 tsp. I can’t see how this could possibly happen but I didn’t want to insult her by saying I’ve NEVER ever heard of being able to do this. We haven’t had a hard freeze yet, and it doesn’t look like we will for at least a full week. feeds to my Google account. Thank you for also inspiring me today. Now, what to do with all the stems we cut ? I’ll see if Home Depot has any 4 in. One of the oldest and most common varieties, Asparagus Mary Washington (Asparagus officinalis) is fast growing and extremely hardy. I have grown this geranium for a year with success in southern California. Through propagation efforts, your mother’s geranium will live forever. I have in the past suffered with little gnats on my houseplants during winter. Required fields are marked *. Colonialcreekfarms.com of Georgia also looks like a good source of scenteds. Unless they are being grown in a container, they don't even require much in the way of fertilization. I have successfully grown many plants by cuttings from these four. November Brilliance: The “Thanksgiving Cactus”. ha!) FEATURE — As you pack away the garden hose, tools and other supplies or transition to your winter garden, do not overlook those leftover seeds. I’ve got them in a big raised bed (60cms high, 1.5m square) with glads, lilies and aquilegias. I have kept them alive, but they are not very attractive. HI Ruth – Sounds like you’re becoming a geranium-rejuvenating pro! The plant offered is over 5 years old with a stout, well branched 1 inch wide trunk standing 5 inches tall. Thanks for all the great tips and news! They can NOT handle frost. I have abused this tool at length and it still does the job. I have always wanted blue in my garden, but the blue perrienials are too short lived. Hi -- We have 16 40-year-old avocado trees of various flavors (basically, everything except Haas). No sunshine here…. Jo-Anne – Congratulations — I’m sure you’ll enjoy your window garden(s)! By April I gradually move them outdoors, but avoid direct sunlight. In warmer climates, such as Florida, Aloe can be planted outside for year-round growing, provided that the planting area is free of frost. I am going to share some with friends on Valentine’s Day. Susan. I hope this tutorial was useful to you in some small measure. Minimal flowering is ok as long as the plant lives. The median age of Wrentham is 43 years old. Two surprises were a Solomon's Seal hosta that I had given up for dead, it sprung back to life. Hopefully they will survive the surgery and I can propogate new ones. I will keep it in the pot. The pictures and explanations were so clear and concise. After an mishap rendezvous with our pot belly pig, i have only one surviving geranium instead of a dozen…i am going to use your method & make startlings out of the cuttings. I think one of them has bloomed in last 2 years. How to Winterize Strawberry Plants in the Ground First, ensure that the plants are truly dormant by checking the crowns to make certain there is no active new growth growing. They have an amazing selection of scenteds and other pelargoniums and geraniums, including some really lovely blue varieties. Plants delivered to your door with easy care instructions. I posted one of your posts on one of my facebook and pinned this one. Sorry for the gray cloud. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Kevin you are so wonderful to keep this blog. I dread the short days and lack of flowers . Thanks so much! I have switched all my fluorescent lights to LED lights. They will bloom all winter if kept in a sunny window. Hi Mary Elia – You are indeed correct. Some of my plants are 4-5 years old….I have managed to keep them going by trial and error….but now you have set me straight. Can you add me to your list? I love your whole blog. Yesterday we saw a strange bug on our roses and my husband thought it was a strange variety of Hummingbird. plastic pots, but I will wash/soak in bleach before using. So, are you considering ideas for getting going on a gardening book? You always come up with projects that are doable in scale and scope, and can be enjoyed over a several-month period. Phosporus is not good for the ocean. Well, I guess I could put the pictures on my website – if I can figure out how to do that! Have fun with your project! Hi Betty819 – You can start the cuttings in plastic or clay. I am a geranium lover….I must have about a dozen or more big pots of them all around my place here in Kitchener Ontario Canada. Ceramic houseplant pots, indoor planters, and indoor gardening supplies. In the past I found that if the geraniums bloomed during the winter, they were extremely slow to bloom once I returned them to the garden in the summer. Leaves can wither if the soil is permitted to dry out between waterings. I just found your website! Can I use a larger pot and put more than one cutting in it?? I now will have to hang my new little plants in my living room by my E-SE bay window~by my large (6′ long) spider plant and a philodendron. I plant the cuttings which have successfully rooted into larger pots in good potting soil. Is it too late to cut back the roots and reset the plant as you suggest? As for geranium and other cuttings, you’ll know they have rooted when new leaves appear on the stems. (I’m not a winter loving person. COPYRIGHT © 2009 - 2019 | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | KEVIN LEE JACOBS. In your experience, how long do you keep senior geraniums before sending them to the compost pile? Thanks! Give it the same treatment as described above — remove most of the top growth, and an equal proportion of roots. I love humming bird moth’s. (They loved their indoor setting with light from the east, south, and west and grew profusely.) I asked if I could get a,small slip of it and mind yo the plant is huge. I have it in front of a window and I water it when it needs it. also i noticed that these flower plants don’t like alot of wind like from a fan plus they do like alot of light they don’t like water misting on the leaves but do in the soil around the stems mine have red flowers. Do you want what I want? Then invert the pot, and, holding the bottom of the pot with your other hand, bang the rim against a hard surface. again ….many thanks …. I’m repotting them in Miracle-Gro moisture-control potting soil, as I sometimes don’t get around to watering them until 2 weeks have passed. Gardening is a funny thing, isn’t it? I also have one the man at Lowes called Austrailian Geranium. I must tell you some time about my never blooming ‘endless summer’ hydrangea.bye now. I read one time, when the nights drop to 50 degrees, bring your plants inside, this will help with the dropping of leaves, which they so often do. Since there are no lower leaves, how far back should I cut the plants and root balls?? You inspired me to tackle the huge task of repotting my geraniums and slipping them. HI there, I have 2 beautiful oakleaf hydrangeas and they are 10 years old and 1 is far older than that, maybe 13 years. Every winter I just bring them inside, put them insouth facing windows, and water once a month. I also add 1/4 tsp. Sara – So sorry I missed your question! Christine. It looks enormous. Especially the detailed photo instructions. a top-cut and a root-cut. These aren’t your grandmother’s old-fashioned flowers. Kevin, I have been growing geraniums for years now here in SE Colorado out on the plains. Information provided on this Website is believed to be correct to the best of our knowledge. Growing up, I always remember plants all around me..in the home, outside. X Research source A pot bigger than 15 US gal (57 L) will be really hard to move around. Any suggestions on evening that out, or is that just the natural cycle? So far, I have made the broth for Scotch Broth, 2 pumpkin pies from a volunteer blue hubbard squash and 4 loaves of pumpkin nut bread. Cheers! Also, I will be bringing in geraniums that have been in the ground. Thanks so much for all these great tips and explanations! Currently, the population of Wrentham consists of 11,597 people. I haven’t seen any new growth yet though. For potted cuttings of many types, I rely on vented plastic bags, positioned as humidity domes. My overwintered plants thrive as do my tomatos and peppers I start on the same rig. In 2002 my Mom visited us in Colorado and brought me a pink geranium from Ohio. . i found the one i have on a sidewalk just was a 4inch broken limb i thought it was some kind of succulent ground cover plant and took it, then found out its a geranium. Kevin, your new web site is very classy – I love it. or hints? What do you use to fertilize your geraniums, Kevin? This works fairly well–sometimes–but your method sounds even better. I dip the cuttings in hormone rooting powder and pot them in a light potting or starting soil, and pat them in firmly. Cutting back any of these plants will cause new side-shoots to form. Using your technique, we have not had one weed so far this summer! Or could it be divided and planted in several pots, or must one have the green leafy cutting to absorb sunshine? I have put you on my desktop, so I can read more of you. The only difference with the petunias vs. the geraniums is that I kept the geraniums outside and brought the tunies inside. To keep the foliage off the plastic itself, I support the bag with home made bamboo “skewers” which are the slim side branches of my harvested black bamboo canes. Any way to encourage more blooms? if so after that you will absolutely get pleasant A Senior Human Nearly Ready for the Compost Pile Herself. I place them next to the mother geranium and wait. Thank you Kevin for the tips on how to do geraniums these are my favourite plant & I have one which is called Rose Geranium – it is white with pink frilly edges it looks like tiny rose buds just beautiful – I hope I can keep it over the because this one is hard to come by. I usually slip them in jelly jars full of water, using marker over scotch tape on the sides for labels. I still shy away from putting my slips in soil. Be careful! I love your humor and your penchant for knowing what to write about, how to share your knowledge in a fun way. Today, I am going to do it. because i think they would like to have a geranium flowering plant. The total population of Southborough consists of 10,021 people. Be well. Cool. If so, is there a way to over winter them to plant next spring? Same ruthless cutting? Well, each of these can become a new plant. Got the LED shop lights there too). I get excellent results on my ‘plant wall’ ( a five shelf wire rack from Costco. I have overwintered my geraniums Your inspiring instructions never fail for me! I have three huge geraniums, nurtured through 3-4 winters, that need to be tamed and revitalized. Thank you! I have been looking all over the internet and stumbled across your blog. Kevin, your blog helps satisfy the propagation freak in me….thanks for the great tips…now I just need a south facing mansion for all my pots. A day late and a whole pile of geranium cuttings short! I couldn’t even get mine to thrive in my garden. Love, Pam couch, Kevin! I have ordered from them several times (most recently five years ago) and their plants have always been well grown, properly labelled, nicely packed, and promptly shipped. I love geraniums. Thanks. I just thought I’d share a few sources of scented pelargoniums (geraniums) I’ve ordered from scentedgeraniumsofne.com in the past with good success. Finally, I found someone who knows what to do with my spindly, leggy, woody plants that I can never bear to throw on the compost pile! (Seattle.) Marise. Mid-August — or at least 6 weeks before the first expected frost — is a good time to restore and propagate zonal and scented-leaved geraniums.