Hi I have just collected 11 bags of gerainums off the local council gardeners as they was just going to bin um do thease come back every year and whats best way to store them please. Jimbo
In the greenhouse over winter then out in the garden for the rest, I believe they are half hardy perennials but in sheltered spots they will be okay outdoors. Of course they do self seed too. Are they actual geraniums-cranesbill or pelargonums? Oh Dai will be proud of me.
Look at the leaves at this time of year (lucky blighter if your flowers are still on) these are the true geranium ( cranesbill) And these are the ones commonly referred to as them ( pelargonium) Oooh I am learning thanks to this forum, Just a quick Ta very much to you all.
well going by the pic they are pelargonium (thank heavens for copy and paste) would never have spelt it Jimbo
Like Sweetpea said, cuttings are by far the best way to preserve plants. I would still pot em and bring them indoors for winter, and do cuttings that way you will be quids in.
Jimbo you definitely have Pelargoniums as no councils plant Cranesbills in such quantity, unfortunately the 35,000 I grew for the Parks here will be compostedand we don't take cuttings anymore due to the risk of disease spreading through the stock i.e Geranium rust. The is not normally a problem but check the underside of the leaves for rust coloured spores. if they have any bin or burn them if they are clean they will be fine. this is a good time to propagate from cuttings, three leaves will be enough on a 4in cutting in a 3in pot, they will be ok on a windowsill if no greenhouse is available. Always make a clean cut to avoid blackleg fungus attack. Do not keep gerainium cuttings wet just damp and even allow to dry out between watering during the winter. They can easily be cut back and repotted if prefered but will naturally take up more space, again keep them on the dry side and in a light position. Hope this helps. I have a geranium with 'rust' I'll try and post a pic tomorrow just as a bit of general info.
I once overwintered a pile of pelagoniums. The way I did it, was to... dig them out of the soil. cut off most of the top growth. layered them to begin with in most peat, but let them dry out. The following season,(they looked dead) potted them on and started watering them....they grew a treat. My question is.......is this a normal way to keep the original plant??
I've been overwintering my pelargoniums for years and don't have to buy them any more. I take cuttings, as described above, and also keep the parent plants too - all in the greenhouse of course. They're pretty easy to look after as they don't need much during winter. Just the occasional dribble of water. Good luck!
The biggest problem is that they need space - I find I have so many other tender perennials to overwinter as well. I can understand the view of taking cuttings, so that you are overwintering smaller plants. Strongy - I didn't know that pelargoniums got rust - I have never had it on them, but this year I have been growing Hollyhocks that have terrible rust. Can they catch it from other plants? ie is rust a general virus? Or is it like mildew, which I understand is specific to each species? - so one species cannot catch it from another.
Peter, I am not sure whether the two types of rust are the same. This is Geranium (Pelargonium) rust. I will burn the plant tomorrow to avoid contaminating anything else. It can devastate whole flower beds and can obviously travel great distances through the air. A cold frame will be ok as long as there isn't severe prolonged cold below freezing, and as long as they are kept on the dry side.
Thanks for the pictures Strongy - that's a really sad sight. I have just had a Google on rust. This is a good summary here. http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/advice/pests_and_diseases/nonflash_index.shtml?rust It appears that there are many different types of rust, usually affecting just one family. There is a soya bean rust that affects about 30 members of the legume family, including edible beans. There is also a wheat rust, that is causing concern. Pelargonium rust is specific to Pelargoniums only, and Hollyhock rust (Puccinia malvacearum) is specific to the Mallow family. It appears that wet leaves are a breeding ground for rust, which implies that the weather has made this a bad year. A good cold winter helps to kill it off.
