You are here:
- Home
- Home/Garden
- Roses
- Annuals
- Geraniums being hit by frost
Annuals/Geraniums being hit by frost
Advertisement
Question
I left my newly purchased geraniums out overnight by accident. They were hit by frost. Is there anything I can do to salvage these plants?
Geraniums - domestic Pelargoniums, that is, and not the wild genus that scientists refer to as 'Geranium' - are hardy to about 28 degrees F. A night of frost would not destroy them under normal conditions ... UNLESS they were accustomed to a balmy, tropical greenhouse environment, which unfortunately yours most certainly were.
Depending on the extent of damage, you can coax them or not back to blooming health by applying one or more of the fairly expensive (does $15 for 10 treatments sound expensive to you?) hormones available at your garden center or on the internet. However, these Geraniums that we buy every year are so cheap many people consider them disposable after a single season, not even worth the effort required to over-winter them.
'Messenger' is the product I most often recommend for plants in distress. This is the state of the art when it comes to triage care for plants. There's a patent on it, and it was developed at Cornell Ag. Need I say more?
There are others out there. If the hearts of your Geraniums are still beating and you think you detect brain activity, by all means, give it a shot. But if these plants are now deformed and it will take a season to get them looking new again, bury the dead and let them R.I.P. And be more careful.
P.S. - Don't think you're the first or the last person who ever made this mistake. EVERYBODY does. There are people out there who are truly traumatized by this experience, too. Think of those who 'inherited' a plant cared for by a deceased green thumb, over decades, and then suddenly lost it in one little mistake. It happens. Life is like that.
THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER
Related Articles
Answers by Expert:
Long Island Gardener
Expertise
Decisions, decisions... If you can't make up your mind which Annuals to grow, you're not alone. Problem with your new flowering Annuals flats? I`ve been there, done that. Petunias, Sweet Alyssum, Larkspur, Marine Blue Lobelia -- they all grow here at my house on Garden Street on Long Island, N.Y.. Cutting and Cottage Gardens, Sun and Shade Gardens, White Gardens and Night Gardens, I`ve done them all. Annuals are the perfect summer flower, bursting with color June through fall's first frost. I can`t speak on Cactus or tender Tropical Plants -- they don`t grow outside in my Zone 7. I`m no Farmer, so I cannot guide you on Fruits and Vegetables. But whether it`s an Annual you want to start from seed, mail-order or pick up at your local garden center, I can help you grow amazing blooms this Summer. Yes, together, we can turn your neighbors green with envy.
Experience
I have a lifetime of gardening behind me here on the North Shore of Long Island. While I have degrees in related fields, there's nothing like hands-on work to build real knowledge. I stay on top of current science -- there's a boom in research, and Kingdom Plantae is filled with surprises. By the way, I really do live on Garden Street.
Publications
Gannett newspapers, The New York Times, and hundreds of others - but not on Annuals.
Education/Credentials
B.A., botany; graduate credits in European Intellectual History and Political Science; minor coursework in related fields, docent training at our local botanical gardens (required for volunteers). I'm currently working on an advanced biochemistry degree.
Awards and Honors
I could tell you, but then you'd know who I am.
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.