When to dig up dahlias in the fall and how to store them correctly

When and how to dig up dahlias in the fall: detailed instructions

Dahlias need to be dug up in the fall. It is better to do this as soon as the first frosts appear. If you notice that the leaves of the flower have darkened, then it’s time to dig for planting material that will come in handy in the spring.
If you hesitate to dig up the tubers, there is a chance that bud growth will be activated. warming occurs . If after small frosts it gets even colder, the plant may not survive this and will die.
The timing of when to dig up dahlias in the fall is not exact. It all depends on the climatic characteristics of your region. Dahlias in the Moscow region should be dug up at the end of September or beginning of October. Dahlias in Siberia and the Urals need to be dug up in the middle or end of September.

Digging up tubers

Look at the weather conditions. As soon as the temperature drops below 0°C, immediately begin digging.

Let's move on to digging:

If you are going to dig up dahlias, step back a little from the flower. The main disadvantage of the plant is its fragile root system. If you damage it during the digging process, then next year the flower will not bloom and will disappear. Try to retreat 20-25 cm from the bush.
Pre-cut the stem, retreating 15-17 cm from the neck of the roots. Do not pull the buried flower so as not to damage it. If the tubers are heavily covered with soil, do not shake it off. There is a safer way to get rid of it. It is necessary to place the roots of the flower in the sun so that they dry a little. After this, just run your hand over the ground a little and it will crumble.

You can rinse and dry or leave to dry and knock off the soil

Don't forget to inspect the tubers for diseases and damage. Only high-quality and healthy planting material is suitable for winter storage. If stains are noticed on the surface (brown, black or rusty), it is better to cut . To do this, use a clean knife or pruning shears. To be safe, treat your instruments with a disinfectant and disinfectant.
To select high-quality planting material, use this secret. Place all the tubers in a bowl of water. If some specimens catch fire , they should be thrown away.

Recommendations

To obtain well-ripened dahlia tubers ready for storage, a number of conditions must be met:

plant flowers in sunny, dry areas;
do not overfeed plants with fertilizers in the second half of summer, especially with manure;
Plant dahlias in slightly acidic or neutral soils.

When digging, it is important to be careful not to cut or break off pieces of the root. Each wound on a tuber increases the risk of rot during storage.

It is recommended to divide large dahlia rhizomes before storing them, and not in the spring. A tuber rhizome that is too large is more difficult to preserve than a cutting.

Today we looked at when to dig up dahlias in the fall and how to store them. We hope the information will be useful to you. Bright flower beds!

Olga Springer Gardener with 30 years of experience. The land plot is located in the area of Novokuznetsk (Kemerovo region, south of Western Siberia). Area of interest: growing various garden crops. Working principle: ...

Do I need to dig up dahlias for the winter?

Many flower growers who are just starting to grow flowers are wondering whether it is necessary to dig up dahlias for the winter or not? Unfortunately, this is a mandatory procedure . If you do not follow it, the plant will not survive the winter. That is, next year your site will not be full of different shades.

They need to be dug up for the winter.

If you don't want to dig up dahlia tubers every year, grow them as an annual plant. If there are expensive varieties, then it is better not to leave them in the ground for the winter, because they will deteriorate and all your funds will be lost.

Should dahlia tubers be divided?

If you were wondering whether it is necessary to divide the dahlia rhizome, then the answer is unequivocal - yes. Planting a voluminous rhizome will lead to the development of a massive bush, which will consist of many stems.
Dense bushes bloom and develop poorly . This is because they will shade themselves. Due to lack of light, the flowers will be small or not formed at all.
It is best to divide the tubers just before spring planting. If this is done before storage, the planting material will experience stress. This can lead to decreased germination.

Storage conditions for dahlias and autumn processing of tubers

After digging, you need to store dahlia tubers in a room with good ventilation. The optimal temperature is from +3°C to +7°C. The room humidity should be between 60% and 80%.

The main ways to store the dahlia root system:

In the box . Place the tubers in a box, but not more than 1 layer. Sprinkle with wood ash and dry sand.

Do not distribute tightly

Embalming with paraffin. Melt a small amount of paraffin. Dip each piece of planting material into the prepared mass. This method allows you to protect tubers from disease, rotting and drying out.
In a box with pine sawdust. Place the tubers in a box in several layers. Sprinkle each of them with pine sawdust. Thanks to this, the tubers will be disinfected and will not dry out.
In a refrigerator. First you need to moisten the coconut fiber. You need to wrap the tubers in it. Then put everything in a bag and place it in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator. Don’t forget to make small holes in the bag so that the planting material does not “suffocate” and become moldy.
In parchment bags. Place the tubers in bags and cover with sawdust. Place newspaper at the bottom of the bag. Place the prepared tubers on top and sprinkle them with sawdust. Place another newspaper on top to maintain optimal humidity levels. Tie the bag. Place it in a plastic bag, but do not tie it. Otherwise, the tubers will “suffocate”.
In cling film. Wrap each copy in film and place it in a room for permanent storage.
In a clay mash. A clay mash is suitable for proper storage of tubers. Before putting them in a storage place, everything should be thoroughly dried in the sun for 2-3 days. Then the likelihood of “rotting” will decrease.

It doesn't matter which method you decide to use. Check the tubers regularly. At the first signs of rotting and disease, damaged specimens must be thrown away. This way they will not have time to infect the remaining tubers.

How to prepare tubers for storage

After the end of its growing season, the plant changes appearance, it becomes wilted, the buds and leaves droop. Basic rules for proper preparation for winter maintenance:

You can remove the bulbs from the ground only after the end of the growing season;
It is necessary to dig up the material in dry, windless weather, the air temperature must be positive;
It’s better to choose a sunny day, this will allow the tubers to dry;
The roots from the old soil must be carefully shaken off, the main thing is not to damage the tuber itself and the remaining sprout.

After digging, the crop is carefully inspected and rejected. Heavily damaged elements are removed, damaged ones are stored separately. Before storing, dahlias are treated with fungicides and insecticides. The drugs help stop the activity of pests and diseases. After processing, the bulbs are left at room temperature for 3-6 days so that excess moisture is removed and the roots harden.

Attention! If the gardener plans to propagate the plant, it is best to divide the rhizomes in the fall.

Digging up dahlias: tips from gardeners

Experienced gardeners have identified several basic recommendations:

Before digging up dahlia tubers, make a small trench at a distance of 20-25 cm from the bush. This makes it much easier to dig without damaging the roots.
Use a fork for digging, not a shovel.
When dividing, make sure that there is a kidney on each part.
Monitor the temperature and humidity in the room. Changes can negatively affect the condition of the tubers.
Ventilate the room if there is no ventilation.
If spoiled tubers , they need to be thrown away. If they were in sawdust or sand, then a complete replacement of the substrate will be required.

Inspect the tubers for spoilage

If the tubers begin to wilt, water them with a little water. It is better to use a spray bottle so as not to over-wet it.
If sprouts appear on the tubers, do not break them off. Plant them in a pot for indoor flowers. In the spring, transplant the formed plant into open ground.

So, now you know how to properly dig and store dahlia tubers. The main thing is to adhere to all of the above recommendations. Then you will be able to plant high-quality planting material in the spring, and the bushes will bloom with beautiful and bright flowers.

Flower articles on the site:

How to feed indoor flowers with hydrogen peroxide
What should not be fed with ash?
What annual and perennial flowers can be planted as seedlings
Annual dahlias - what kind of flowers they are and how they are grown
The best autumn flowers - annuals and perennials
Shade-tolerant flowers for the garden, summer flowers

Preparation

The preparation of planting material begins with washing it. When it is clean, it is examined. The old root is thrown away. It is prone to rot and is unproductive. It is recognized by the following characteristics: it is the largest and covered with tubercles. After this, small roots are cut off with a sterile instrument. They will still dry out over the winter. Small shoots and nodules are also removed. They won't be of any use. After such culling, only large and high-quality elements remain in the rhizome. Tubers affected by disease or pests are thrown away. However, if there are only small wormholes on them, and you don’t want to lose your favorite variety, then you can cut out the suspicious areas and try to save the rest.

Next, division is performed. If this is not done, then next year the plant will produce many thin sprouts. The buds in this case will be small. In severe cases, flowering may be absent altogether. Division is not difficult to do. To do this, first shorten the stems. They should leave stumps 6 cm high. Then the rhizomes are divided so that several buds remain on each of them. If the latter are weak and the rhizomes are hard, this procedure is skipped.

Then the planting material is disinfected. To do this, it is immersed in a solution of potassium permanganate or fungicides. In the first case, 1 g of potassium permanganate is dissolved in a bucket of water. The tubers are soaked in the resulting liquid for 30 minutes. Often, dahlias are also treated with a 0.2% solution of Fundazol. The planting material is soaked in it for 2-3 hours. Finally, the tubers are transferred to a well-ventilated, dark and cool room. They are left there to dry. If the tubers are stored raw, they will sooner or later rot. It may take up to two weeks to dry completely.