Protecting My Dahlias
My dahlia tubers are now well-protected 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. In most areas outside the warmest regions of the United States, dahlia tubers must be dug up and stored or covered before the cold season. In previous years, I always uprooted my dahlias and kept them indoors for the winter. Now, I cover the entire bed with a thick layer of compost and an industrial strength tarp, bordered by bales of hay. It's proven to be a great solution for protecting the plants so we have viable dahlias come spring.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- Remember all the gorgeous, colorful dahlias I 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 – this season, they lasted through Halloween.
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- I grow many flowers every year, so they can be cut and used for photography shoots, videos or to display in my kitchen, servery, and sitting rooms. I always make lots of dahlia arrangements to decorate my home.
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- The dahlia garden is located behind my vegetable greenhouse, in an area protected from any damaging winds.
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- After the season, when the petals are wilted, faded, or have started to turn brown around the edges, it’s time to start cutting them and leaving them to dry.
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- Once the plants are dried out, they are cut all the way down to the ground. Wait until all the foliage has turned brown before any winterizing. This is important so the plant can gather energy for the following year. It will store starches in the tuber which will fuel the 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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- My process for winterizing has changed over the years. I now keep my dahlias in the ground. First, all the tubers are covered with an eight to 10-inch thick layer of nutrient-rich compost.
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- Matthew rakes the compost evenly over the dahlia tubers.
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- This thick layer acts as a barrier to protect the plants. At the edges of the bed, Cesar blows any compost clumps back into the garden, so everything is neat.
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- Next, to keep excess moisture from saturating the tubers, the crew covers the compost and the tubers with an old industrial tarp left from another project.
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- It is big enough to cover the entire bed. Adan neatly unfolds the tarp and lays it down carefully, making sure to cover all the tubers and compost.
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- I grow a lot of hay here at the farm. The newer bales for my horses are kept in the stable hayloft; however, the bales that my horses won’t eat are saved and used to help winterize and insulate areas around the farm.
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- The bales are delivered to the dahlia bed in large batches.
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- And a border of hay bales is created on top of the tarp at the edge to help keep the bed protected and insulated.
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- Here, one can see how the tarp is placed under the bales and weighted down by the hay.
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- Each standard two-string hay bale weighs between 40 and 75 pounds each – they will keep the tarp in place nicely.
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- Chhiring counts how many bales are still needed. It’s important to weigh it down all around the bed, so wind cannot blow the tarp off the tubers.
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- And finally, aside from the hay to help keep the tarps in place, Pasang uses old, heavy chains on top of the bed. Here he is placing one across the center.
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- I am always looking for better, more efficient ways to care for my gardens. This process of burying my dahlias and protecting them in the soil has worked for me for several years. Store your dahlias or cover them like this now. Protecting them this way through the winter will ensure lots of healthy plants next spring.
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