How to Re-cycle summer Geraniums and Save Dollars

Snow-White Geranium Bloom

Elegant simplicity is an accurate theme for this splendid new white geranium bloom. This is my first bloom on the white geranium flower, gracing my kitchen, on the southern windows. The white is so bright and the bud is so tender and fresh. It is hard to communicate the delight I experience with the first bloom.

Common Red Geranium 

The second picture is the first red bloom from a geranium cutting that I made this Spring. This is more of a traditional red, or ordinary red. Common red, may be a more accurate description. None the less, it is a long stem, reaching for the light and it almost gives the impression of being a Christmas flower.

How to Start our Own Geraniums from plants you dig up in the fall

If you think you would enjoy having early geranium blooms in your kitchen next Spring here are a few simple steps to make it happen. Plan ahead and make a note on your calendar. (bring in a few geranium plants)

1. Dig up a healthy geranium plant about one week before typical frost arrives ( third week of Oct in Ohio)
2. Shake the dirt off the roots gently and whatever falls off is fine. Its OK if some dirt remains.
3. Allow the plant to remain outside for a day or two. Shake the remaining dirt that may have dried in two days.
4.  Remove any spent blooms and stems that are yellowing.
5. Place the geranium plants upright in a big plastic garbage bag. (place as many as five or six plants)
6. Tie a knot at the top of the bag and punch about 20 air holes in the plastic using your pointing  finger.
7. Attach the bag on a nail that is pounded  into a rafter in the basement. There should be good air flow around the bag, and it should hang freely, with nothing pushed up against the bag.
8. Around January 1 take a peek in the bag (through an expanded air hole)   and see if buds are starting to protrude from the plant. If so, this is a good time to take those budding plants out of the bag and plant them in an appropriate sized (Plastic) flower pot. Save a five gallon container of good planting mix from the fall and keep in the basement, starting in late October
9. Before planting, remove any dried out stems that were on the plant in the fall and discard.
10. Mix up some good planting soil in the fall. Ideally you want 50% peat moss, 25% pearlite and 25% humus (rich black soil) Mix in a wheel barrow and then place in a five gallon bucket. (can get these at Home Depot)     
11. Planting your geraniums. Put some of the good planting mix  into the flower pot and stand up your plant, and then place soil around the entire plant to stabilize it. Place the pots on a stable shelf, table, at a southern window exposure. Place a drainage plate underneath and give the plant a good drink of water. Give the plant a drink about once per week.Make sure there are drainage holes in the bottom of your flower pots. Do not over water, if the soil does not seem to be drying out in a week.
12. You will see steady growth of the buds that have started, and soon new leaves will appear and before long, after a few months, (April, you will see your first flower buds and blooms to follow shortly thereafter. Enjoy your hand crafted, re-cycled  new geraniums.

Typically, geraniums cost about $4.00 per plant at the greenhouse. So if you like to watch your penny's, there is a nice little savings opportunity here as well. Obviously, it adds up if you eventually do about a dozen plants.

I generally avoid planting my hand crafted geraniums into my garden until after Memorial day; when the threat of frost is virtually gone. Happy planting. If you have any questions, you can subscribe to my Blog and make comments. I will post an answer. See you in the garden.