Citronella Plant: Winter Care Successfully

Citronella Plant (Pelargonium citrosum) are tender perennials hardy only in USDA Zones 9 to 11.

Below Zone 9, they will not survive an outdoor winter and must be moved indoors before the first frost.

The key variables are timing, light, and how drastically you cut the plant back. Bring them inside once nighttime temperatures fall to 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

Do not skip the pruning step, an unpruned plant rarely survives indoors.

Every autumn the same frustration plays out across millions of gardens.

You spent all summer growing a beautiful, fragrant citronella plant, it thrived on your patio, and now you have no idea whether to drag it inside, cut it back, leave it in the ground, or simply let it go.

Most of what you read online gives you one vague instruction — bring it in before frost — and nothing else.

Then you do exactly that, and the plant slowly falls apart on your windowsill anyway.

The problem is almost never the cold itself. It is the decisions made in the two weeks before and after you move the plant.

Get those right, and a citronella that looks ratty and woody in October can come back genuinely healthy in May.

This guide covers exactly what to do based on where you live, what your plant currently looks like, and whether overwintering the main plant or rooting a cutting is actually the smarter choice for your situation.

What Is the Citronella Plant and Why Does Winter Kill It

The plant sold at garden centers as a citronella or mosquito plant is almost always Pelargonium citrosum, a scented geranium native to South Africa.

It is closely related to the common annual geraniums you see in window boxes, but with deeply lobed, fern-like leaves that release a strong lemon-citrus scent when touched.

It is not the same plant as citronella grass (Cymbopogon nardus or Cymbopogon winterianus), which is where citronella oil for candles and sprays actually comes from.

The geranium version contains only trace amounts of citronellal — around 0.09 percent — compared to 14 percent in citronella grass.

The mosquito-repelling claims attached to the garden plant are mostly marketing. That said, it is still a genuinely attractive, fast-growing, fragrant plant worth keeping.

The reason it dies in winter has nothing to do with it being delicate in general. In its native South Africa it grows as a woody perennial and can live for years.

The problem is frost. A single hard freeze damages the cell walls in its stems and roots, and the plant collapses within days.

Consistent temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit slow its growth significantly, and anything below 32 degrees is lethal outdoors.

Growing zones that can leave citronella in the ground year-round: USDA Zones 9b through 11, southern California, south Florida, Hawaii, and coastal areas of the Gulf Coast. Everywhere else, you need a plan.

When to Act: The Timing Window Most Gardeners Miss

The most common mistake is waiting too long. Most gardeners bring their citronella inside the night before a predicted frost, often in a rush, having done no preparation.

The plant then goes straight from full outdoor sun into a dim apartment and falls apart within two weeks.

The right trigger is not the frost forecast. It is nighttime temperature. Once your area is consistently seeing nights below 45 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, the plant has begun to slow down.

That is the right time to start the transition — not later.

In practical terms, this usually means mid to late September in Zones 5 and 6, late September to mid-October in Zones 7 and 8, and October to November in Zone 8b and borderline Zone 9 areas.

The key is that you want the plant to have at least a week to ten days of partial transition before it is fully indoors in reduced light.

The Three Overwintering Methods Compared

There is more than one way to carry a citronella through winter. Which one makes the most sense depends on the size of your plant, your indoor light situation, and honestly, how much space you have.

Here is a clear-headed comparison.

For most gardeners in Zones 6 through 8, taking cuttings in late summer is the single best strategy, and it is underused.

You end up with a compact, easy-to-manage plant that roots readily and is ready for spring planting without the struggle of keeping a large, increasingly woody specimen alive indoors for five months.

How to Bring Your Citronella Plant Indoors for Winter

Step 1: Inspect the Plant Thoroughly Before Moving It

Check every stem and the undersides of leaves for aphids, spider mites, and whiteflies. These pests are often invisible at low populations outdoors, where natural predators keep them in check.

Bring an infested plant inside and those same pests will explode in the warm, dry indoor air within weeks.

Look for fine webbing between stems (spider mites), sticky residue on leaves (aphids), or tiny white specks on leaf undersides (whiteflies).

If you see any of these, treat the plant outdoors with insecticidal soap spray before moving it. Give it three to five days after treatment before bringing it in.

If the plant has any signs of root rot, soft, dark stem bases, a sour smell from the soil, or mushy roots when you check, do not attempt to overwinter the main plant.

Take healthy stem cuttings instead and let the parent plant go.

Step 2: Prune to One-Third of Its Size

This step makes the difference between a plant that survives indoors and one that does not. Cut the plant back to about one-third of its current height, removing all leggy, woody, or spindly growth.

Do not try to preserve size, a smaller plant survives better because it has less foliage to support with reduced winter light.

Use clean, sharp pruning shears. Cut just above a leaf node, which is the small bump where a leaf attaches to the stem.

Cuts made between nodes leave dead stubs that invite rot. Remove all flowers and flower buds at this stage, the plant needs to put energy into roots and stems, not reproduction.

The cut stems will look alarming at first. The pale interior and the sudden reduction in size make beginner growers anxious.

Resist the urge to stop cutting early. A properly pruned plant will look stubby and a bit shocking, but it will push new compact growth within three to four weeks.

Step 3: Repot Into Fresh, Well-Draining Potting Mix

If your plant has been in the same pot for more than a year, or if it was growing in garden soil, repot it now using a quality potting mix with good drainage.

Garden soil is too dense for containers and holds moisture against roots much longer than they can tolerate.

Look for a potting mix that contains perlite or coarse sand to ensure good drainage.

Choose a pot that is just slightly larger than the root ball. An oversized pot holds excess moisture around roots that the plant cannot draw up when growth is slow in winter.

Terracotta pots are actually useful here because they breathe and reduce the risk of staying wet too long.

Water the plant thoroughly after repotting, then allow the top two inches of soil to dry out before watering again. This is the watering rhythm you will maintain all winter.

Step 4: Transition the Plant Gradually

Do not move the plant from full outdoor sun directly onto an indoor windowsill in one step.

Spend five to seven days gradually reducing its light exposure, move it to a shadier part of the garden first, then a covered porch, then finally inside.

This gradual transition significantly reduces shock and the leaf drop that typically happens when the move is abrupt.

Leaf drops in the first week or two after moving indoors is normal and should not cause panic.

The plant is adjusting to lower light levels. What you do not want is sustained yellowing and dropping over weeks, which signals that the light situation is genuinely inadequate.

Step 5: Find the Right Indoor Location

A south-facing window is ideal. A west-facing window can work if it gets at least four to five hours of direct light in winter.

North and east-facing windows generally do not provide enough light, and plants placed there will grow increasingly etiolated, pale, stretched stems reaching toward the light, and become structurally weak.

If your window situation is poor, a two-tube LED or fluorescent grow light placed six to eight inches above the plant for fourteen hours a day will do the job reliably.

This is not overkill for a plant you have been growing for multiple seasons.

Keep the plant away from heating vents and cold drafts. A vent blowing warm, dry air onto the plant will desiccate leaves rapidly.

A drafty window frame with cold air seeping through can damage foliage on contact. Both are more common causes of winter citronella decline than people realise.

Step 6: Winter Watering and Feeding

Overwatering is the single most common cause of citronella death indoors in winter. The plant is growing slowly or not at all, which means it is drawing up very little water.

The same watering frequency that kept it healthy outdoors in August will rot the roots by November.

The rule is simple: before watering, push your finger two inches into the soil. If it feels damp at that depth, wait. Only water when the top two inches are genuinely dry.

In a cool room with limited light, this might mean watering once every ten to fourteen days.

Do not fertilize through the core of winter, roughly November through February. Fertilizer pushes growth that the plant cannot support under low light conditions.

You will get pale, weak, leggy shoots that become increasingly susceptible to pests.

Resume a light, diluted balanced fertilizer feed in late February or early March when light levels start to increase.

Taking Cuttings: The Smarter Strategy for Most Growers

For anyone with a large, woody citronella plant or limited indoor light, taking cuttings in late summer is genuinely the better option.

You will be far more successful overwintering a compact four-inch cutting than a sprawling pot of woody stems, and you will have a healthier, more vigorous plant by spring.

This is also the approach the Old Farmer’s Almanac and most experienced scented geranium growers quietly recommend, even though it does not get as much attention in general winter care guides.

When to Take Cuttings

Late August through mid-September is the ideal window.

The plant is still actively growing, so cuttings root quickly and have several weeks of warm conditions ahead to establish before you bring them indoors.

Cuttings taken in October from a plant that has already slowed down root reluctantly and are prone to failure.

How to Root Cuttings for Overwintering

1. Select a healthy, green stem tip that is three to five inches long. The key word is green — avoid old, woody, brown-barked stems, which root poorly and rot easily.
2. Cut cleanly just below a leaf node using clean, sharp scissors or a blade.
3. Remove all leaves from the lower two inches of the stem, keeping only two or three sets of leaves at the top.
4. Allow the cut end to sit in open air for one to two hours until it forms a slight dry callus. This small step significantly reduces the chance of rot at the cut end.
5. Dip the callused end in rooting hormone powder — this is optional but improves success rates noticeably, especially for late-season cuttings.
6. Insert the cutting into a small pot of moist perlite, coarse sand, or a 50/50 mix of perlite and standard potting mix. Avoid rich, nutrient-heavy compost at this stage, because high nutrients actually inhibit rooting.
7. Place in bright, indirect light. Direct sun on an unrooted cutting causes it to wilt before roots develop.
8. Keep the medium just barely moist. Rooting takes two to four weeks under typical indoor conditions. You will know rooting has occurred when the cutting resists a gentle tug and when new leaf growth begins.

Once rooted, move the cutting gradually into brighter light and treat it as you would any indoor citronella plant for the rest of winter.

Pot it into a slightly larger container with regular potting mix once it has filled the small starter pot with roots.

Bare-Root Dormant Storage: When It Works and When It Doesn’t

Some sources describe storing citronella plants bare-root, pulled from soil, hung upside down or stored in paper bags in a cool, dark space.

The claimed benefit is that you do not need any light or active care through winter, just a cool space around 45 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

This method does work, but it has a significantly lower success rate than either active indoor growing or cutting propagation, and it tends to be recommended more confidently than the outcomes warrant.

The method works best for gardeners with access to a consistently cool, dark, moderately humid space, an unheated basement or garage where temperatures stay reliably between 40 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

The specific risks are these: too warm and the stems start to rot; too cold and they freeze and collapse; too dry and they dessicate; too humid and fungal rot sets in at the cut ends.

If you do try it, shake the soil off the roots, allow the plant to dry slightly for a day before placing it in a paper bag or hanging it, and check the stems once a month.

Firm, slightly rubbery stems are fine. Soft, shriveled, or darkened stems indicate the plant is failing. Remove any compromised stems promptly to prevent the rot spreading.

Honest verdict: unless you specifically lack indoor light and have a reliable cool storage space, the cuttings method is far more dependable and produces a better plant by spring.

Troubleshooting Citronella Winter Problems

Yellowing Leaves

The most common cause is overwatering, not under-watering, even though the instinct is usually the opposite.

When soil stays wet for extended periods, the roots cannot take up oxygen and begin to deteriorate.

The leaves turn progressively yellow from the older lower leaves upward.

Check the soil before assuming the plant needs water. If it is still damp two inches down, wait.

If the problem is established root rot, you will see soft, dark roots and a sour smell when you unpot the plant.

At that point, removing all damaged roots, repotting into fresh dry mix, and drastically reducing watering is the only recovery option.

Leggy, Stretched Growth

Pale, elongated stems reaching toward a light source are the classic sign of insufficient light.

The plant is not suffering exactly, but it is allocating all its energy to finding lighter rather than building a sturdy structure. This growth is weak and prone to snapping.

The fix is lighter, not cutting back the stretched growth, at least not until spring. Move the plant to a brighter window or supplement with a grow light.

Once light is adequate, the new growth that emerges will be compact and correctly proportioned.

Sudden Leaf Drop After Moving Indoors

A wave of leaf drops in the first one to two weeks after moving indoors is almost always transplant and light shock, not disease.

The plant is recalibrating its foliage load to match the reduced light available. Some loss is normal and acceptable.

If leaf drop continues beyond two weeks, or if the leaves are falling while still green rather than yellowing first, investigate light levels more closely.

Also check for pests, spider mites in particular thrive in warm, dry indoor air and cause leaf drop by damaging the cells that hold leaves in place.

White Powdery Coating on Leaves

This is powdery mildew, a fungal issue that appears when there is poor air circulation combined with cool temperatures and fluctuating humidity.

It shows as a white, talcum-powder-like coating on the upper surfaces of leaves.

Unlike most fungal diseases, powdery mildew does not require wet conditions, it thrives at high humidity but can appear even in moderate indoor conditions.

Improve air circulation around the plant. A small fan running for a few hours a day helps significantly.

Remove affected leaves and treat with a diluted neem oil spray or a bicarbonate solution.

Do not mist the foliage in winter for pest prevention, this advice circulates widely but creates exactly the humid leaf surface conditions that invite powdery mildew.

Pests: Spider Mites and Aphids

Spider mites are the most problematic indoor winter pest for citronella. They are almost invisible individually but leave a characteristic fine webbing between stems and under leaves.

The leaves develop tiny pale speckles as the mites feed on cell contents. In dry heated rooms, populations can double in a week.

The most effective first treatment is a thorough spray with plain water, getting under the leaves where mites congregate.

Repeat every three days for two weeks. For persistent infestations, insecticidal soap spray applied to the underside of leaves is reliable and low-risk for the plant.

Aphids cluster on new growth, the soft, pale tips of stems. They are easier to spot than mites, appearing as small green, black, or pale insects.

Remove them by hand or with a water spray. Neem oil solution handles moderate infestations effectively.

Moving Your Citronella Back Outside in Spring

The transition back outdoors is as important as the autumn move indoors, and it is handled carelessly far more often.

Moving a plant that has spent five months in indoor light directly into full outdoor sun causes bleaching and scorching of leaves within 48 hours.

The pale, thin leaves it developed indoors simply cannot handle full summer sun all at once.

Wait until nighttime temperatures are consistently above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. For most of Zones 5 through 7, this means late April to mid-May.

Within Zones 7 and 8, late March to mid-April is typically safe.

Harden off the plant over seven to ten days. Start with two to three hours of outdoor shade per day and gradually increase both sun exposure and outdoor hours.

Dappled light under a tree canopy works well for the first few days.

At the point where the plant is spending full days outside in partial sun, give it a light feed with a balanced fertilizer.

This is when growth will accelerate noticeably. Within three to four weeks of settling outdoors, most well-overwintered citronella plants put on significant new growth and fill out quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can citronella plants survive winter outdoors?

Citronella plants can survive outdoors year-round only in USDA Zones 9b through 11, which includes frost-free areas of southern California, south Florida, Hawaii, and parts of the Gulf Coast.

In all other zones, outdoor winter temperatures will kill the plant. A single hard freeze damages the root and stem cells irreparably, and even sustained temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit over multiple nights will be fatal. Growers in Zone 9a can sometimes mulch plants and get away with it in mild years, but a cold snap will end the plant with no warning.

Container growing is strongly recommended for Zone 9a specifically because it gives you the flexibility to move the plant under cover when a frost event is forecast.

How do I keep my citronella plant alive indoors during winter?

Keeping citronella alive indoors through winter comes down to three things: light, water, and starting with a healthy plant.

The plant needs at least six hours of direct light daily, which typically means a south or west-facing window or a grow light.

Watering must be reduced significantly compared to summer — wait until the top two inches of soil are dry before watering, which in a cool winter room may be once every ten to fourteen days.

Before bringing the plant inside, prune it back to one-third of its size and inspect it for pests.

Unpruned, unsprayed plants brought straight indoors typically decline rapidly.

Stop fertilizing from November through February, because feeding a plant with insufficient light simply produces weak, stretched growth.

Should I cut back my citronella before winter?

Yes, cutting citronella back before bringing it indoors is not optional, it is one of the most important steps for successful overwintering.

Reduce the plant to roughly one-third of its current height, cutting just above a leaf node.

A smaller plant is easier for reduced winter light to support, uses less water, and is significantly less vulnerable to pest buildup.

An unpruned plant brought indoors intact almost always develops leggy, weak growth within six weeks because there is simply not enough light to maintain all that foliage.

Cut just above a node with clean shears, remove all flowers and buds, and do not be alarmed by how much you remove. The plant will recover.

What temperature can a citronella plant tolerate in winter?

Outdoors, citronella plants begin to slow down below 50 degrees Fahrenheit and are damaged by frost at 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below.

Indoors, they do best at temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. A cool but frost-free space, such as an unheated sunporch or enclosed porch that stays above 40 degrees Fahrenheit, can actually suit overwintering better than a warm, dry living room, because lower temperatures reduce the plant’s need for strong light and water.

Temperatures consistently below 40 degrees Fahrenheit indoors will cause growth to stall entirely and may damage the plant.

Temperatures above 75 degrees Fahrenheit combined with low light will push weak, leggy growth and increase pest pressure.

Can I take cuttings from my citronella plant in winter?

You can take cuttings in winter, but they are significantly harder to root than cuttings taken in late summer.

Winter cuttings root slowly because of low light levels and cooler temperatures, and they are more prone to rot before roots develop.

If you need to propagate in winter, take cuttings from the freshest green growth tips, use a propagation mix of perlite or coarse sand rather than potting mix, provide bottom heat if possible, using a seedling heat mat, and keep the medium barely moist rather than wet.

Covering the pot with a clear plastic bag or dome raises humidity around the cutting and improves success rates.

The ideal window for propagating citronella for overwintering remains late August to mid-September when the plant is actively growing and rooting is fast.

Why is my Citronella Plant dying after I brought it inside?

The most likely cause is one or more of three issues: insufficient light, overwatering, or pests that were present before the move.

Low light is the most common problem; a shaded or north-facing window simply cannot support a citronella plant through winter.

Overwatering in a cool room is the second most common killer, particularly if the plant is in dense garden soil rather than a well-draining potting mix.

Spider mites and aphids brought in from outdoors can establish quickly in warm indoor air.

Check the undersides of leaves for fine webbing or tiny insects, examine the soil moisture before watering, and assess your light situation honestly.

If the plant was not pruned before moving inside, that is also a contributing factor, the reduced light cannot sustain the full leaf area, and the plant steadily declines.

How do I know if my overwintered citronella is still alive in spring?

Scratch the surface of a main stem lightly with your fingernail. If the tissue underneath is green or pale yellow-green, the stem is alive.

Brown or dry and crumbly tissue underneath indicates that section of stem is dead.

On a plant that has been dormant or semi-dormant, a stem can look unpromising on the outside while still being viable inside, so check before discarding.

For bare-root stored plants, squeeze the stems gently, firm and slightly rubbery means alive, while soft, mushy, or shriveled and completely dry means that section has not survived.

Wait until mid-spring before giving up, as some slow-growing plants show no new growth until temperatures reliably warm, then push several inches of new growth in a short period.

Key Takeaways

1. Start the overwintering process before the first frost forecast, not the night before, aim to begin when nighttime temperatures consistently drop below 45 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Prune the plant back to one-third of its size before bringing it indoors. Cuts should be made just above a leaf node, not between nodes.
3. Inspect for pests before moving the plant inside. Treat with insecticidal soap if any aphids, spider mites, or whiteflies are present. Wait three to five days after treatment before bringing the plant in.
4. Use a well-draining potting mix for indoor overwintering, not garden soil. Garden soil holds moisture for too long in a container.
5. Place the plant in a south or west-facing window providing at least six hours of light daily. Supplement with a grow light if your window situation is inadequate.
6. Reduce watering dramatically, wait until the top two inches of soil are dry before watering again. This will likely mean watering once every ten to fourteen days.
7. Do not fertilize from November through February. Resume light feeding in late February or early March.
8. If you have a large, woody plant or limited indoor light, take cuttings in late August or early September rather than trying to overwinter the main plant.
9. Harden off the plant over seven to ten days when moving it back outdoors in spring. Do not move it directly into full sun.
10. Remove any weak, pale indoor growth before the plant goes back outside to encourage strong new outdoor growth.

Final Thoughts

The thing that trips most people up with citronella in winter is not actually the cold, it is the expectation that the plant should look good all the way through. It will not.

A well-overwintered citronella will look sparse, a little tired, and quietly unremarkable from November through February. That is fine. That is what success looks like.

What you are doing during those months is not keeping the plant thriving. You are keeping the roots and stems viable until the light comes back.

The fragrant, full-leafed plant that made your patio smell incredible in July is waiting on the other side of a quiet, minimal winter.

Give it the right light, water it reluctantly, and leave the fertilizer alone until March. That is the whole strategy.

The growers who get frustrated and abandon their citronella plants in February are almost always the ones who expected too much from the plant indoors and gave it too much water trying to compensate.

Scale back your expectations and your watering together, and the plant will reward you in spring.