Over the past few days, I've been receiving many messages from customers about caring for dahlias after they've finished flowering. Unfortunately, the days are getting shorter and colder. I understand why you'd want to prepare your garden for winter! However, I recommend waiting a little longer. The best time to dig out your dahlia tubers is after the first frost. So leave all your gardening tools in the shed for a while and enjoy all the colorful flowers a little longer. After the first frost of the year, you can start working with your tubers!
♡ Dig up dahlias after the first frost
By the time the temperature drops outside, your dahlias will start to droop and dry out. Your dahlia will die back above ground. This process may look sad, but it's important for the tuber. By giving the dahlia time to die back above ground, the plant will send as many nutrients as possible to the tuber below ground. And that's exactly what you want for your dahlia! So don't remove your tubers too soon, but give your dahlia time to die back completely. Keep an eye on the weather forecast. If the temperature drops to -5°C or lower, you'll want to remove the tubers beforehand.
♡ Digging up dahlia tubers
The dahlia tuber you planted in the spring will have grown considerably after flowering. Keep this in mind when digging it up so you don't damage it!
Below is a small step-by-step plan for digging up your dahlia tubers:
- Cut off the stem, leaving about 10 cm of the old stem.
- Now it's time to lift the dahlia tuber out of the ground. I use a rake (also known as a pitchfork or pitchfork) for this. Insert it into the ground about 20 cm from the stem and carefully lift the tuber out. You want to remove the tuber whole and undamaged. From experience, I can tell you that this unfortunately isn't always possible. If you've damaged a root, cut away the damaged part. This prevents your dahlia tuber from rotting.
- Clean the tuber, but not too cleanly. Remove the large bits of soil, but it's perfectly fine to leave some soil on the roots. Some people rinse their dahlia tubers with water. In my experience, this causes the tuber to dry out too much and is more likely to mold. So I always leave them covered with a small amount of soil and store them that way for the winter.
♡ Saving dahlia tubers for next year
Everyone has their own way of storing dahlia tubers. Here's the method that works best for me:
- Let the dug-up tubers dry thoroughly for a few days. It's important to dry the tubers with the cut stem facing down. This allows any moisture remaining in the hollow stem to drain and prevents the tuber from molding.
- I don't clean my dahlia tubers and store them in a wire mesh container in a dry place. This has been my best experience. Another option is to wrap the tubers in newspaper or store them in a container with sawdust.
However you store the tubers, it's important that they're thoroughly dried before storing. If they're still too moist, they're guaranteed to mold. Store them dry and cool, but above freezing. I have a large shed where I store them, but a garden shed, garage, or basement are also good places.
♡ Can my dahlia tubers also overwinter in the garden?
To be honest, I dig out my dahlia tubers to make room for the spring bloomers. But I also have spots in the garden where I simply leave the tubers in the ground to overwinter. Keep in mind that dahlia tubers can't withstand much frost. In a harsh winter, there's a good chance the tuber will freeze and die.
It also depends on the type of soil in your garden. Heavy clay soil, for example, retains a lot of moisture, causing your tubers to freeze more quickly. Do you have airy, well-draining soil? Then the tubers can overwinter well in the garden by covering them well. I often cover the soil with a layer of straw, autumn leaves, or garden fleece. If we get a heavy frost, the tuber will be somewhat protected from the worst of the cold.
It saves a lot of work, but it's still a gamble! If your dahlia tubers do freeze, I'll have a beautiful new dahlia assortment online next year ????.
Love,
Isabeau
