TickYouOff
Sign in
Back
🌸

Dahlia Tuber Digging and Storage Checklist

Medium 22 items · 3 hours
testuser's avatar
testuser Published 1 day ago
Home

The first frost that turns dahlia leaves black starts the clock on digging. Dahlias are not frost hardy, so in a garden where the ground freezes hard, the tubers come out of the soil each fall, spend the winter somewhere cool and dark, and go back in after the last spring frost.

Label every plant while you can still tell them apart. Once the stems are cut, every clump looks the same. A tag tied to the stalk now saves you planting a border of unknown colors next year.

When you divide a clump, each piece needs a bit of the crown, the knob where the old stem meets the tubers. The eyes that sprout next year sit on that crown, not on the tuber, so a fat tuber that snapped off at its neck will not grow however healthy it looks.

Progress
0 / 22
  1. Tag each plant with its variety name before frost — Tie the label to the stalk. Once the foliage dies, the clumps all look alike.
  2. Wait for the first frost to blacken the foliage — Leaving the tubers in the ground for a week or two after that lets their skins toughen before you lift them.
  3. Dig before the ground freezes
  4. Cut the stalks down to about 6 inches — The stub gives you a handle and keeps the label attached.
  5. Loosen the soil in a wide circle with a garden fork — Start about a foot out from the stem. The tubers spread wider than you expect, and their necks snap easily.
  6. Lift the clump from underneath, never by the stalk
  7. Shake or gently rinse off the soil — Clean tubers show you the eyes and any rot.
  8. Turn each clump upside down so the hollow stems drain — Water trapped in the stem can rot the crown.
  9. Let the clumps dry for a day out of the sun and frost — A garage or shed floor works. Bring them inside if a hard freeze is forecast.
  10. Decide whether to divide now or in spring — Fresh tubers cut more easily. In spring the eyes have swollen and are easier to see.
  11. Cut each division so it keeps a piece of crown with at least one eye — Use a clean, sharp knife or pruners.
  12. Throw away soft, hollow or rotten tubers
  13. Write the variety name on each tuber — A permanent marker or pencil on the skin itself stays put. Loose tags go missing in storage.
  14. Find a storage spot that stays cool, dark and above freezing — Somewhere around 40 to 50 °F (4 to 10 °C), such as an unheated basement or an attached garage that never freezes.
  15. Pack the tubers in boxes of wood shavings, vermiculite, peat moss or coarse sand — Keep the tubers from touching, so one that rots does not spread to the rest.
  16. Keep one variety per box or bag and label the outside
  17. Write down what you stored and where — Note the colors and heights too, so you can plan next year's bed in winter.
  18. Check the tubers once a month through winter
  19. Mist any that have shriveled — A light spray of water can plump them back up. Soaking them invites rot.
  20. Remove any that have gone soft or moldy — Cut out a small soft patch and let the cut dry before you repack it, or throw the whole tuber away if the rot has spread.
  21. Pot up a few tubers indoors in late winter for an early start — About a month before your last frost date is enough to get them sprouting.
  22. Replant after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed
Sign in to save
📝 My Notes