Most people only grow their geraniums for one season and then throw them away in the fall. Instead, you can overwinter the plants without much effort, although this requires vigorous pruning - in this way you increase the chances of survival of the non-hardy flowers and also ensure that they sprout again more beautifully the following year. Further pruning is also necessary in spring.
How to prune geraniums correctly?
Cut geraniums correctly: In autumn, before frost begins, remove all leaves, flowers and buds and shorten the shoots by around half to two thirds. In spring, remove horny shoots and dead plant parts and cut back the roots.
Strong pruning in autumn
The autumn pruning is carried out before the first frost, ideally around mid to late October, and is quite radical. All leaves, flowers and buds are removed so that only the bare skeleton remains. Finally, you also shorten this by around half to two thirds. The reason for this clear-cutting is that the plant loses little moisture in winter, does not need to be watered and still does not dry out. This cut also minimizes the risk of bacteria and fungi.
Pruning again in spring
Despite the radical autumn pruning, a second pruning is often necessary in spring, in which you remove horny shoots - these are long, thin and weak new shoots. Horny shoots occur when the plant receives too little light and nutrients, as is usual in winter. Flowers cannot develop on these shoots, and they will wither over the course of the summer and form an entry point for bacteria and other pathogens.
How to recognize dead shoots
You should also remove dead parts of the plant during spring pruning, although you should do this carefully. Older, woody geranium shoots in particular often look dead, but they are not. So that you don't accidentally cut back the wrong stems, if in doubt you should err on the side of caution and test the supposedly dead shoots:
- Take the questionable shoot between two fingers
- and press lightly.
- Living shoots feel solid,
- Dead ones, on the other hand, are soft and often rotten.
- If you are unsure, simply cut off a small piece.
- If the shoot is juicy on the inside, it is alive.
- Dead shoots also look dried up from the inside
- and are mostly hollow inside.
Don’t forget to cut the roots
During the spring pruning, not only the above-ground shoots but also the roots are cut back heavily. Generously remove fibrous, thin roots and rotten and dead areas. You should also cut back a piece of the main and trunk roots. This measure thins and rejuvenates the rootstock; It also ensures that new roots are strongly stimulated to grow - the stronger and more beautiful the above-ground parts of the plant ultimately grow.
Tip
In addition to the pruning measures described, you should also regularly remove or cut away any dead flowers. In this way, you not only minimize the risk of disease, but also ensure that the plant invests its energy in the formation of new flowers.