Winterize your plants from balconies and terraces now

We have witnessed many weather changes recently and they seem to happen very quickly. Yesterday the temperatures jumped above 30 °C but today, we all feel like we should turn the heater on… These temperature changes are not good for your plants growing on balconies or terraces either so you should winterize them in time. The beginning of October is the right time to do that. We give you a short guide how to winterize different types flowers.

Geraniums, also known as muscats

One of the most popular balcony flowers is geraniums. Don’t let geraniums face even weak frosts. They contain a lot of water and water and freezing temperature do not mix well. Winterizing geraniums is not difficult at all. You just need to know whether you have upright or climbing geraniums.

Upright geraniums

Remove upright geraniums from boxes or pots and wrap them in newspapers (three to four layers of paper should be okay and store in a dark cellar where the temperature remains between 5 and 10 °C. Leave the pruning for spring and do it before replanting. If you do not have a suitable cold and dark cellar, it is better to winterize them in their original boxes and flower pots. Choose the coolest place you have in your house (hallway or an unheated garage for example) and leave them there in the natural light. If you are winterizing plants like this you need to cut the above-ground part of the plant.

Climbing geraniums

If you have climbing geraniums there are small differences you need to consider. Do not take them out of the boxes. Leave them in their original boxes or pots. Choose a bright but cool place (around 5 to 10 °C). If the temperature is too high, geraniums will not be able to rest sufficiently over the winter and remain weak during the spring. You may shorten the plants for easier storage and do not move them during the winter storage. Water them slightly from time to time.

Begonias

Because begonias belong to tuberous plants it is necessary to winterize them before the first frosts hit. This usually happens after the end of the vegetation period. Remove begonias from the soil and clean the tubers of all dirt. Store tubers in a paper bag or box together with dry fibrous peat and in a well-ventilated room where the temperature ranges from 10 to 12 °C. Leave them there until spring, when you can plant them again.

Photo: Pixabay

Dahlias

Only take dahlias out of their boxes after the first frosts hit and store only properly matured tubers. You can tell a properly matured tuber if it has lignified root neck – the part that sticks above the ground. Shorten green shoots to 10 to 15 cm. You do not need to wrap tubers in any way. Just leave them in a dry and well-ventilated room. After seven to ten days clean the tubers and put them in a container with dry peat or sawdust. Cover all tubers but leave the green part open to the air. The ideal temperature for storage is from 5 to 10 °C.

Preview photo: Pixabay