WINTERIZING PELARGONIUMS

Phyllis Knutson of PK Growers in Langley, B.C. offers the following advice on wintering Pelargoniums:

When you want to save your beautiful Martha Washingtons for next year, one of my suggestions would be to take cuttings. For those of you who do not have a greenhouse, you can propogate your cuttings on top of your refridgerator. One way is to fill small pots with soil (premix soil with some perlite) and have some rooting medium to dip your cuttings in. When taking your cuttings, take the top tender growth on the plant, cut below the second or third node, clean off the leaves up to the two top leaves plus growing tip. Dip the cuttings into the medium and shake off the excess, then push cuttings into the pots and tamp the soil around the stem to make it airtight. When you have finished with putting the cuttings into pots, place them in a clear plastic bag to create a greenhouse effect, being sure to water them in so they will create condensation in the bag. Do not let your cuttings dry out, but be careful not to overwater either. After 2 or 3 weeks, your cuttings should start to root (you can tell this by a light tug on the cutting). When the cutting has taken and the roots have reached the side of the pot, take the plastic bag off and transplant the new plant into a larger pot.

To overwinter existing pelargoniums, take the plant before the first frost into a basement or garage where it does not go below 40 degrees F. You can cut them back to six inches or the new growth. Water very sparingly, as you just want to keep your plants slightly damp. Do not let the plants dry out as that is when you can lose them. You can also bury them the same as fuchsias but remember to use lots of leaves under and over the plants and pot in the trench. Do not use soil to cover them with as this is where the weeds get started! Peat and/or sand make good covers.

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