Digging Up and Storing Dahlia Tubers for Winter
If you live anywhere but the warmest regions of the United States, those dahlia tubers must be dug up and stored for the winter.
When in bloom, dahlias provide some of the garden's biggest and most spectacular flowers in many different sizes, forms, and colors. However, native to Mexico, dahlias are not winter-hardy and tend to split in freezing temperatures or mold in soggy, wet soil. Over the last few weeks, my gardeners dug up all the dahlia tubers, set them in the corn crib to dry thoroughly, and then packed them so they could be stored indoors for the cold season.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Remember all the gorgeous, colorful dahlias we had this year? Dahlias are among my favorite flowers. They begin to bloom with great profusion just as other plants pass their prime, and they last right up until the first frost.
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- My all-dahlia garden was planted in a large bed behind my greenhouse. We planted the garden in June and through the summer, we all watched its progression.
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- By early November, all the dahlia flowers are gone. Here, it is easy to see what they look like after the first frost – all the foliage has darkened and died.
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- Ryan cuts all the stems down leaving about five to six inches of the main stem. These stems will be used to hold the tubers as they are lifted from the soil. Always wait until the foliage has turned brown before digging them up. This is important so that the plant can gather energy for the following year. It will store starches in the tuber which will fuel initial sprouting in summer. The best time is a couple weeks after the first frost when they’re well into dormancy yet haven’t been harmed by the cold.
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- Dahlia stems are hollow making them quickly susceptible to rot. This is also why dahlias often have to be staked to help support their very large flowers.
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- Phurba digs up the dahlia tubers with a garden fork starting several inches away from the center stem. He does this several times in a circle around the plant, lifting the dirt as he goes so it is easy to pry the dahlia tubers out. He is very careful not to let the tool come into contact with any of the tuberous roots, which can get damaged easily. Any punctures will encourage bacteria and rot.
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- I always say to “use the right tool for the right job.” Garden forks are perfect for digging up dahlia tubers. At my shop on Amazon, I sell a 40-Inch 3-Piece Stainless Steel Garden Digging Tool Set which includes a shovel, spade and a garden fork.
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- With one hand on the stem, the entire clump is pulled carefully from the ground.
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- The tubers are placed back on the ground until all the tubers of the same variety are uprooted, so they aren’t mixed up. Dahlia tubers vary in size depending on their variety and age.
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- To dry the dahlias, we use plastic crates saved from our large delivery orders of bulbs. I always try to reuse, repurpose or recycle everything at the farm. Crates like these provide good air circulation.
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- Dahlia tubers consist of a stumpy stem with several swollen sections attached to it. Sometimes referred to as “bulbs,” dahlias are not true bulbs at all, as they differ in both appearance and growth function. Bulbs are round and consist of one swollen root. Tubers, come in a variety of shapes and form in a cluster. They also grow out of the “eyes.”
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- Each clump pulled had anywhere from five to 20 tubers. Not all will have full eyes allowing them to grow a stem next spring, but we definitely harvested more than we planted.
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- After the garden bed is empty, it will be ready for preparing and planting the next crop – I wonder what it will be.
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- All the crates full of tubers are loaded carefully into my Polaris Ranger.
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- And all the stakes are grouped together and tied for storage.
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- Before they are bagged and stored, the dahlia tubers must dry completely. All the crates of dahlia tubers are placed in the corn crib. All the tubers look similar, so it is crucial to keep them with their individual markers.
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- This is the outside of the corn crib. This structure is original to the farm. A corn crib is a type of granary used to dry and store corn. It may also be known as a corn house. The basic corn crib consists of a roofed bin elevated on posts. Another typical early American design has walls slanted outward.
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- After a week, the hollow stems are completely dried through. Tubers can also dry outside if there is no rain forecasted, or in any room that does not get any direct sunlight. The drying process could take up to a couple of weeks. Once dry, brush off as much dirt as possible, so the tubers are clean.
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- Next, they are inspected and trimmed of any rotten sections. Each tuber clump is then put in a bag and surrounded with some kind of absorbent medium. Some gardeners prefer storage mediums such as vermiculite, coarse sand, sawdust or sphagnum peat moss. Just use enough to keep the tubers dry. This is important as any moisture that causes rot could spread to other tubers.
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- The bags are secured and then placed back into the crates and stored in my greenhouse basement. The ideal storage temperature is above freezing but below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
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- Be sure to check the tubers a couple times over the winter, and discard any that have rotted. Environmental changes in the storage location, such as increased humidity or fluctuating temperatures, can still damage overwintering dahlia tubers. And then next spring, they’ll all be taken out again for planting – I can’t wait.
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