Geraniums

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Jamie Butterworth

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Geraniums
« on: December 20, 2010, 20:13 »
I lifted all my geraniums a month ago to store them in my potting shed until next year as they are perenials i think, do they need cutting back or should i just leave them to it?
If you want to be happy for a short time - get drunk.

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mumofstig

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Re: Geraniums
« Reply #1 on: December 20, 2010, 20:45 »
I'd leave them well alone, just the odd spoonful of water to keep them alive.

In the spring see where they start to grow from, so you can tell which bits are dead and which bits are still alive, so you can see where to cut back. Fingers crossed the cold hasn't killed them. Mine look far from alive in the greenhouse, but we'll see :unsure:

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robbodaveuk

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Re: Geraniums
« Reply #2 on: December 21, 2010, 13:12 »
First of all Jamie, are they geraniums or are they pelagoniums which are mistakenly called geraniums. If they are the former, they are a hardy perennial and can be left to their own devices in the garden. If they are pelagoniums, they are also a perennial but are not hardy and will be killed by the frosts.
If they are pelagoniums there are two things you can do, either pot the whole plant up and bring it in the house, somewhere warm and light where it will carry on growing over winter although it will tend to grow 'leggy'. Or the method I was told by someone with a lot more knowledge than me and which works for me.  
The way I do my pelagoniums Jamie, I cut all tops off to about 3 or 4 inches and trim all the roots so there is only a ball of roots left. I then re pot them in a mixture of compost, sharp sand and a little bone-meal and just keep them damp enough not to be bone dry. The storage is a bit of a problem, they need to be kept cool but frost free so in this weather the greenhouse is a no-no. I keep some in the unheated conservatory and some in my bedroom which is also unheated (purposely for the sake of my seedlings). The plants will put out loads of new shoots and continue to grow throughout the winter. When the new shoots get too big (they tend to be a bit 'leggy' through the lack of light), I trim them back and also remove any dead bits. Come planting out time the plants are well established with loads of shoots on them and if you like, some of the shoots can be taken off and potted on to be grown on as new plants.
As I said, I am no expert, I just know what has worked for me, so if anybody sees anything that is not right in my post please don't hesitate in putting me right.

  Robbo.
« Last Edit: December 28, 2010, 09:41 by robbodaveuk »
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mumofstig

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Re: Geraniums
« Reply #3 on: December 21, 2010, 13:25 »
Good advice robbodave, but a bit late for jamie, and me, we left ours in the g/house.
(the early cold caught me unawares as they usually go in the spare room :nowink: )

All we can do now is to see if they make it ...my fingers are firmly crossed  :)

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Jamie Butterworth

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Re: Geraniums
« Reply #4 on: December 21, 2010, 13:51 »
Thanks for the advice mate :D

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Yorkie

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Re: Geraniums
« Reply #5 on: December 21, 2010, 14:06 »
some in my bedroom which is also unheated (purposely for the sake of my seedlings).

Now that's what I call dedication Robbo  :lol:
I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days all attack me at once...

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robbodaveuk

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Re: Geraniums
« Reply #6 on: December 21, 2010, 14:17 »
The end results justify the means Yorkie, my onion seedlings need a temperature between 10 and 15C and for the pelargoniums next years growth will be bigger and better. Jamie and Mum bring them indoors, give them a chance if there is any spark of life in them.

  Robbo.
« Last Edit: December 21, 2010, 14:22 by robbodaveuk »

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compostqueen

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Re: Geraniums
« Reply #7 on: December 22, 2010, 00:02 »
I grow mine fresh from seed each year rather than saving them in the greenhouse which I've never been able to do very successfully. I buy the seeds at the end of the season from Wilko, usually about 26 p a packet and look for a dark red variety or a white. They grow readily from seed  :)

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fatcat1955

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Re: Geraniums
« Reply #8 on: December 22, 2010, 10:23 »
My dad used to trim the tops off them and roll them up in newspaper and put them in the shed. He had a very good survival rate.

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Jamie Butterworth

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Re: Geraniums
« Reply #9 on: December 26, 2010, 21:04 »
Is it just me or are geranium seeds very expensive :ohmy: :unsure: ???

6 seeds for £2.49 at Mr Fothergills ???

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robbodaveuk

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Re: Geraniums
« Reply #10 on: December 27, 2010, 13:21 »
No, Mr Fothergills is expensive.

  Robbo.

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New shoot

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Re: Geraniums
« Reply #11 on: December 27, 2010, 17:26 »
F1 geranium seeds are pretty expensive, but F2s or general mixed geranium seeds are usually pretty cheap. 

Your other option Jamie is to buy seedlings from the garden centre.  It's usually around £2.99 ish for a pot of seedlings and they'll be in the centres in a few weeks.  If providing light and heat is a problem, leave it until later, get a bigger plant and take cuttings.  You can overwinter cuttings on the windowsill as well.  I've got some scented leaved geranium cuttings on the kitchen windowsill that I took in the autumn  ;)

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robbodaveuk

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Re: Geraniums
« Reply #12 on: December 28, 2010, 02:25 »
As I mentioned in a previous post, is it Geranium seeds or Pelagonium seeds you are after Jamie. If it's Geranium seeds I have quite a few spare seeds from a few varieties of hardy Geraniums. If you are interested, I will check which variety of geranium seeds I have.

  Robbo.
« Last Edit: December 28, 2010, 09:40 by robbodaveuk »

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DD.

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Re: Geraniums
« Reply #13 on: December 28, 2010, 06:01 »
Assuming it's Pelagoniums you're after, Moles seeds have F2's at £4.90 for 250 seed. (I can see a profit there!).

They call them Geraniums though and treat them as annuals. Here's an example:

Geraniums?
Did it really tell you to do THAT on the packet?

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Jamie Butterworth

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Re: Geraniums
« Reply #14 on: December 28, 2010, 12:02 »
Thanks for all the advice everyone :D

As I mentioned in a previous post, is it Geranium seeds or Pelagonium seeds you are after Jamie. If it's Geranium seeds I have quite a few spare seeds from a few varieties of hardy Geraniums. If you are interested, I will check which variety of geranium seeds I have.

  Robbo.

Thatd be brill mate, thanyou :D :D :D :D :D

Assuming it's Pelagoniums you're after, Moles seeds have F2's at £4.90 for 250 seed. (I can see a profit there!).

They call them Geraniums though and treat them as annuals. Here's an example:

Geraniums?


Thanks for the link DD :D :D :D



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