I removed all the soil and most of the leaves from my geranium plants boxed them and left them. did nothing to them e.g. water. took a boo at them recently and they looked deader than a door nail. question is are the dead or is there a chance that they might come back and when should I pot them up if there is a chance.
thankyou
These are two very good questions.
If your plants are annual pelargoniums (commonly known as annual geraniums), then without soil and water etc… the chances of their survival over the winter depends mostly on where you had the boxed up roots stored. If the box was kept in somewhere dark, dry and above freezing, then there is a slim chance they could regenerate if planted up.
If your plants are perennial geraniums that are used to overwintering in the soil in our climate, then your chances of them coming back are better as their habit is to go dormant for the winter anyway. Again, where they were stored is a factor, dry and dark being ideal.
If you want to give either type a try, wait until the end of March/beginning of April to go about this. Take a close look at the dried out plants then to see if there are any signs of node swelling or buds beginning to sprout – these are the plants you want to pot up into containers with a good quality potting mix making sure your containers have a drainage hole in the bottom. Water them in, bring the pots into the light (south facing window), keep them warm and be patient. Any that appear really dry & shrivelled with no signs of life (nodes or buds), are rotten & moldy or are broken & badly damaged can be disposed of with your garden waste.
Fingers crossed you’ll get some of these to regrow. Hope this helps.
26/02/2022