Dahlia Digging Question?

[GardenGeisha]

My dahlias look pretty good. I brought them all indoors while I was gone on vacation recently. It's a good thing I did, I think, because the neighbor said it was nasty out with 8" of snow that just went on and on and several very cold nights. It got down to about 21 F one night, 23 F another, and 28 F another.

However, the coldest my dahlias have been exposed to in their pots outdoors so far is 39 F. They were indoors the 11 days I was gone in non-freezing temps. It snowed the morning I left, before I brought them in, so several were in wet pots, and those still have moist soil from the snow.

Do you think I should move these potted dahlias back outside for a few nights of colder weather before digging and storing them for the winter? Tomorrow night it is to get down to 34 F. Or should I just go ahead and dig them up out of their pots now, since they have set for 11 days indoors?

Some of the dahlias that had already bloomed have foliage that looks wilted/dried out, though their stems are still green. I don't know whether moving them back outside would shock the tubers? Could they already be in dormancy? Or could they continue to grow outdoors a bit, and is the extra cold exposure necessary for them to have the best chance at wintering over?

Some of the dahlias that had not yet bloomed still have okay foliage, though it's not very green, since they had very low light levels inside the house. I was trying to keep them potted and growing as long as possible to help their tubers mature up.

I'm not sure how best to proceed.

I got an e-mail from my local dahlia society saying they will be digging the local dahlia test garden this Saturday, so I guess they let their dahlias stay in the ground during this recent bad spurt of cold weather while I was gone, but their dahlias are directly in the ground, more protected from the elements, than my potted dahlias are. I was afraid mine would get too wet and rot outside in their pots while I was gone. Not sure whether I made the best decision or not, to bring them inside. What do you think?

 

[digitS']

That is a difficult question for me, GardenGeisha. I have looked for something from the American Dahlia Society, National Gardening Association, & Swan Island Dahlias about any special process for fall care and storage of container dahlias and have come up with nothing.

I've had dahlias for quite a few years now but not once have I had a single plant in a container. All my dahlias have been subjected to a frost before storage. That frost sets them on the road to dormancy. The roots cannot freeze and I like to use the frost-killed stalks to protect them from that by cutting and piling them in windrows over their roots. They can stay out there in the open for several more frosts but I will be getting pretty anxious about them if there's a chance for outdoor temperatures to drop much into the 20's.

What I guess I'd do is take them out where that frost die-back can begin. Pile something around those containers like straw so that there's no chance of the roots freezing and give them a week, more or less. They should be in that dormancy stage before going into winter storage. Then, they can be pulled out of their containers, prepped and go into something like peat moss for the winter . . . that's the best I can think of.

Steve

 

[GardenGeisha]

Thanks so much, Steve, for your feedback.

It will be interesting to compare the state of my dahlia tubers with those of the garden society who is digging theirs this weekend, directly out of the ground.

I have to leave for Ghana next Thursday, so I think I'll take my dahlias out tonight and leave them out until right before I leave, when I'll take them to my sis to put in her cool basement for the winter.

I can put bales of pine shaving I buy for the chicken coop around the pots until next week. Thanks for the great idea!

 

[RustyDHart]

I had some potted Dahlias this year on my deck.....I took the tubers out before the hard freeze and stored them with all of my other Dahlia tubers...close to a ton of tubers were dug this last week. I wouldn't take the chance of possible freezing...the weather doesn't look too good this weekend and next week. Happy Thanksgiving!!! Rusty Hart (Irish Acres)

 

[GardenGeisha]

Thanks for the good advice.

Do you know how damp the cedar chips should be around the dahlia tubers in storage, and should one remoisten them from time to time during the winter?:

http://www.thegardenerseden.com/?p=25118

 

[RustyDHart]

Thanks for the good advice.

Do you know how damp the cedar chips should be around the dahlia tubers in storage, and should one remoisten them from time to time during the winter?:

http://www.thegardenerseden.com/?p=25118

I don't soak any of my bedding...(Pine shavings)...never have used Cedar. If the tubers are mature and clean..( no insects or injuries)...they should store well in a cool dry area close to 40-45 degrees.....without additional moisture. I would check them a few times and if any do look a bit shriveled, some moisture may be added. I would use about one cup of water to a bushel of shavings. Rotted tubers are a result of damaged or infected tubers and sometimes too much moisture or too cold of temps. Dry and shriveled tubers usually are from tubers that were dug up too soon and didn't have time to mature or from too high of storing temps. I hope this helps.... This is what works FOR ME...and hopefully works for you and anyone else. This is what I have been doing since 1962....I'm not an expert, but I've been around the "Dahlia Block" a few times.... Good Luck and please keep us posted!!! My best to you this Holiday Season, Rusty

 

[GardenGeisha]

Thanks, Rusty, for your help, and your dahlias are gorgeous! What variety are they? I love orange-and-yellow dahlias.

I found this interesting blog about how to prepare dahlia tubers in Colorado for winter storage (I'm in arid Utah):

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/11/08/657392/-Saturday-Morning-Garden-Blogging-Vol-4-38

I dug my dahlias today, and they looked very good, and I had some surprises. What I posted earlier in a photo as 'Maniac,' was not 'Maniac.' I found the 'Maniac' tuber in a pot at my house. It never bloomed. So I wonder what that dahlia at my sister's house was that I thought was 'Maniac?' Weird.

'Spartacus' had very small tubers. It was my largest blooming flower, but its tubers were the puniest of all my dahlias.

'Hockley Maroon' was my largest tuber, followed by 'Castle Drive.'

I put each clump in a plastic Ziploc bag and bought cedar chips. I took my bagged dahlias and the big bag of cedar chips to my sister, who is going to put the cedar chips in the bags of tubers for me (including her bags of dahlias) and store them for the winter.

So the question is, here in arid Utah should we seal the Ziploc bags after putting the cedar shavings in, or should we leave them partially unsealed? Or should we seal them and poke holes in the Ziploc bags? Could we seal the Ziploc bags and just cut off the bottom corners of each bag?

In the past my overwintered tubers have always dried out and never rotted. I have never tried storing them in sealed Ziploc bags before.

Saran wrap did seem to work last year. A friend stored them at his house in Saran wrap for me. But I want to try the Ziploc bag method this year.

So: To Seal, or not to Seal? Or to Partially Seal?

Thanks for your recommendations. In the Blog above, the Colorado woman does not specify whether or not she sealed her Ziploc bags of tubers after packaging them with the vermiculite, peat, shavings, etc.

Clare

 

[RustyDHart]

Thanks, Rusty, for your help, and your dahlias are gorgeous! What variety are they? I love orange-and-yellow dahlias.

I found this interesting blog about how to prepare dahlia tubers in Colorado for winter storage (I'm in arid Utah):

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/11/08/657392/-Saturday-Morning-Garden-Blogging-Vol-4-38

I dug my dahlias today, and they looked very good, and I had some surprises. What I posted earlier in a photo as 'Maniac,' was not 'Maniac.' I found the 'Maniac' tuber in a pot at my house. It never bloomed. So I wonder what that dahlia at my sister's house was that I thought was 'Maniac?' Weird.

'Spartacus' had very small tubers. It was my largest blooming flower, but its tubers were the puniest of all my dahlias.

'Hockley Maroon' was my largest tuber, followed by 'Castle Drive.'

I put each clump in a plastic Ziploc bag and bought cedar chips. I took my bagged dahlias and the big bag of cedar chips to my sister, who is going to put the cedar chips in the bags of tubers for me (including her bags of dahlias) and store them for the winter.

So the question is, here in arid Utah should we seal the Ziploc bags after putting the cedar shavings in, or should we leave them partially unsealed? Or should we seal them and poke holes in the Ziploc bags? Could we seal the Ziploc bags and just cut off the bottom corners of each bag?

In the past my overwintered tubers have always dried out and never rotted. I have never tried storing them in sealed Ziploc bags before.

Saran wrap did seem to work last year. A friend stored them at his house in Saran wrap for me. But I want to try the Ziploc bag method this year.

So: To Seal, or not to Seal? Or to Partially Seal?

Thanks for your recommendations. In the Blog above, the Colorado woman does not specify whether or not she sealed her Ziploc bags of tubers after packaging them with the vermiculite, peat, shavings, etc.

Clare

Clare, The variety in the last photo is "Neon Splendor"......I have "Spartacus" too...and you're right...it does produce smaller tubers.....as does "Vassio Meggos" a Lavender sport from Spartacus. Vassio Meggos has a white sport called "Louis Meggos" and it too has the same genetic tuber shape. "Spartacus" also has a red/yellow variegated sport called "Harvery Koop" same wonderful shape as it's parent and same smaller tubers. "Maniac" is one of my favorites..I love the "A" and "AA" size varieties...esp. variegated varieties. I've heard of growers using plastic wrap and (closed) sandwich bags with vermiculite and having great success. I haven't tried this method (yet)...but may experiment with a few tubers next year and see how they do. If you try the closed bag system...please let me know how it went..... It sounds like you have a nice assortment of varieties.....keep up the good work! Rusty "Vancouver"

 

[GardenGeisha]

Thanks for another gorgeous dahlia photo, Rusty!

l heard from a person in another group who is in the Fingerlakes area of NY. She said she uses 1 gallon sized Ziploc bags, up to 10 dahlia tubers per bag, with vermiculite, and she leaves them unzipped. She said it has worked for the past 5 years for her.

So maybe I'll zip half and leave half unzipped and see what results?

 

[RustyDHart]

Thanks for another gorgeous dahlia photo, Rusty!

l heard from a person in another group who is in the Fingerlakes area of NY. She said she uses 1 gallon sized Ziploc bags, up to 10 dahlia tubers per bag, with vermiculite, and she leaves them unzipped. She said it has worked for the past 5 years for her.

So maybe I'll zip half and leave half unzipped and see what results?

Sounds good, Please let us know how it goes. I may try the freezer bag system with some next year but with Pine shavings instead of Vermiculite. I couldn't afford to buy enough Vermiculite for 2,000 lbs. of tubers..... I hope this method works..... "Sky Angel".....I'm going to use this variety for an "Angel" themed Flower Show next July.