If your dahlias bloomed for the first time last summer and fall, you probably want to save the tubers until spring and plant them again. How to do it? When to dig up and how to store dahlias? Do I need to divide the tubers and treat them with something? Everything about planting and storing dahlias - from an experienced gardener.
People always ask me which flower is my favorite. Answering this question is as difficult as answering the phrase “Which of your children do you love more?” To be honest, I have never been able to choose just one favorite, but among the plants that bloom in the second half of summer, I most often name dahlias. Over the years, I have tried more than 450 varieties and now every summer I grow from 3,000 to 4,000 dahlias on my plantation for cutting.
Dahlias are easy to care for, come in a variety of colors and shapes (the flowers resemble daisies, peonies or even water lilies), have almost no equal in yield, and I adore them more and more every year. Neither a small flower garden nor a huge farm would be complete without these beautiful flowers.
Do I need to dig up dahlias for the winter?
Dahlias are considered low-maintenance flowers, but many gardeners refuse to grow these beautiful flowers because of the need to store their tubers in winter.
What will happen to the plant if it is left to overwinter in the ground? The dahlia root system consists of juicy, fleshy tubers, inside which nutrients accumulate. Freezing of the tubers will immediately lead to the development of rot and the plant will die.
The growth buds of future stems are located on the root collar of the plant, which is located near the surface of the earth. Even with the best insulation of the bushes, winter frosts in central Russia and, especially, Siberia will damage the dahlia buds and freeze the juicy tubers. After freezing, the dahlia does not recover.
Important! The dahlia growth bud is damaged even at a temperature of 0 degrees.
Sometimes there are reports in the press or on the Internet about the sale of dahlia varieties that do not need to be dug up for the winter. There are especially many publications about unpretentious low-growing dahlias that winter in open ground. This is a lie. Regardless of the variety, perennial dahlia cannot be preserved in the ground in most of Russia.
In the southernmost regions with warm and snowless winters, theoretically, plants do not need to be dug up. From light frosts, the bushes can be covered with a layer of peat or sawdust. In practice, local flower growers lost flowers in winter due to the damping off of the rhizomes in the damp and cool soil.
To preserve beautiful flowers, you should not be lazy and take care of storing the tubers in the winter in the cellar or underground.
Advice. An alternative to perennial dahlias can be annual varieties propagated by seeds. Annual dahlias (for example, Jolly Fellows) are only slightly inferior in splendor and size to perennial flowers, but do not require winter storage. Plants are sown, like other annual flowers, for seedlings in the spring, and blooms are admired all summer long.
Watering and fertilizing
After each watering or fertilizing, the soil under the dahlias must be loosened and weeds removed.
When it comes to watering, the gardener has to act against nature. The plant, preparing for winter, strives to stock up on moisture, accumulating it in the internodes located in close proximity to the roots. Thanks to this, the tubers will not dry out and active growth will be possible in the spring. However, if there is too much water, it will cause waterlogging of the root collar and rotting of the tubers. To prevent this from happening, watering is stopped two or at least one week before digging up the plants.
If it rains more often, the flowerbed with dahlias is covered with a moisture-proof film so that as little water as possible gets to both the plant itself and the soil.
As for fertilizing, restrictions are introduced here too. When preparing plants for dormancy, the last time fertilizers (potassium and phosphorus) are applied no later than August 20. Dilute 1 tsp into 10 liters of water. potassium sulfate and superphosphate and spend an average of 2–3 liters of solution on each bush.
When to dig up dahlias in the fall
The timing of autumn work depends on the climate of a particular area. As a rule, at the end of summer, with the onset of cool weather, geogreen bushes are covered with soil to a height of 15-20 cm to protect the growth buds on the root neck from accidental frost. Throughout September, the plant blooms luxuriantly, delighting the eye with bright colors.
They begin digging up tubers when the frost breaks the dahlia tops. It is important to have time to complete the work within 3-4 days after the death of the above-ground part. Otherwise, the rhizome may begin to rot.
Important! If you have an extensive flower plantation, it is necessary to hang tags with the names of the varieties at the base of the stems before the onset of cold weather. The tops of the plant, caught by frost, lose their original appearance, and it will be difficult to identify the flower.
Depending on the region
When to dig up dahlias in the fall, depending on the growing region:
- In central Russia and the Moscow region, dahlias are dug up in early October. September weather in the region is usually warm and without serious drops in temperature.
- In the Urals and Siberia, cold weather sets in 3-4 weeks earlier than in the middle zone. Here, in order to admire the flowering of dahlias, they are planted in the ground with plants grown in greenhouses in June. Delicate flowers should be protected from frost by covering with lutrasil or film. Preference is given to early ripening varieties. Harvesting of dahlia rhizomes begins in early to mid-September.
- In the south of our country and in Ukraine the climate is warm and winters are mild. It is recommended to dig up flowers here in late October - early November. Often the tops of the plant remain undamaged by frost; in this case, this does not indicate the maturity of the tubers. The plant is still dug up.
On a note. It is not necessary to wait for frost to harvest the plant. It happens that a gardener needs to leave the dacha before frost destroys the foliage of plants. If, according to the weather forecast, the temperature is expected to drop to sub-zero levels in the coming week, you can already dig up a dahlia.
Dates for harvesting dahlias according to the Lunar calendar in 2022
For gardeners who coordinate their work with plants with the recommendations of the Lunar calendar, the following dates are favorable:
- August: 2-6, 8-10, 22-24, 29-31
- September: 5-7, 13-15, 23-25, 28-30
- October: 2-4, 11-15, 20-22
- November: 21-23, 26, 27
- December: 4-6, 14-16
Unfavorable days:
- August: 11, 12, 27-28
- September: 9-10, 26, 27
- October: 9, 10, 25, 26
- November: 1, 2, 7-9, 24, 25, 28, 29
- December: 7-9, 23-25
Favorable days in 2022:
- August: 27-29
- September: 6, 8-14, 23-30
- October: 1-5, 11-13, 22-26
- november: -
- December: 1-3, 14-17, 24-26
Is it possible to dig up dahlias if they have not bloomed or are still blooming?
If the weather is warm in the fall, the dahlias are still blooming magnificently by the time they are dug up.
Flowering weakens the plant somewhat, so 2 weeks before the bush is supposed to be harvested, all the buds on it are plucked out.
It is also necessary to remove all wilted buds, preventing the dahlia from setting seeds.
If the dahlias have not bloomed this season, the bushes are still dug up and stored as usual. The reason for the lack of flowers on a plant may be a lack of watering, nutrients or too small a root division.
Consequences of late digging
Delayed harvesting of flowers can cause irreparable damage to your flower garden. It often happens that after fairly severe frosts (up to -5; -12 degrees), the weather improves again and the sun warms the dead leaves and flowers. The tops begin the process of thawing and rotting. How to remove dahlias in the fall so that they do not begin to deteriorate, because rot can spread to the neck of the stem and then envelop the tuber. The best thing is to dig up the tubers at least 2-3 days after a fairly serious frost.
Step by step operating procedure
(source: antonovsad.ru)
It is advisable to dig up dahlias in the fall in dry weather. From the tools you need to prepare a pitchfork, a small scoop, pruning shears, a knife, disinfectants (a solution of potassium permanganate or phytosporin, charcoal powder).
- The flower tops are cut with pruning shears at a height of 30 cm from the ground so that the foliage does not interfere with work.
- Carefully dig up the bush with a pitchfork in a circle, retreating from the stems at least 30 cm. The larger the dahlia bush, the more voluminous its root system will be.
Remove the tubers, being careful not to damage or tear them off the stem. - Using a spatula or hands, remove excess soil from the tubers.
If the soil is damp and sits tightly on the roots, wash it off with a stream of water from a hose. It is necessary to free the roots from the ground in order to inspect the tubers for rot and damage. - The washed dahlia rhizomes are placed for several hours to drain the water with the stem down. Do not forget to keep tags on the plants with the name or number of the variety.
- They begin to inspect the tubers. Small and weak roots are trimmed with pruning shears, and rotten areas are cleaned with a knife. The dahlia stem is cut as close as possible to the base of the root, no more than 10 cm away from the buds.
The tubers are dipped for 40 minutes in a solution of phytosporin or potassium permanganate. This procedure will free the tuber from pathogens and fungi. After drying (stem down!), the cuts on the roots are sprinkled with charcoal or coated with brilliant green.
Tubers, even valuable varieties, with signs of disease cannot be stored for storage! Diseased rhizomes will spread the infection to all planting material.
Dahlias treated in this way are ready for wintering. Most often, rhizomes are stored in the cellar, wrapped in several layers of newspaper or in boxes with sand, peat or sawdust, keeping the air humidity at least 60%. The storage temperature for dahlia planting material is +4..+9 degrees. Temperatures should not be allowed to drop to zero or rise above 10 degrees Celsius.
If the gardener does not have the opportunity to place dahlia tubers in a special storage facility, you can save the plants at home. To do this, the tubers need to be prepared.
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.
How to store dahlias at home
Above we looked at how and when to dig up dahlias in the fall, now let's figure out how to store them. In a city apartment, the air in winter is too dry due to the heating system. Dahlia roots simply placed in boxes will dry out quickly. A simple folk method will help preserve moisture inside the plant - dipping the entire rhizomes into a clay mash.
Good fatty clay, without pebbles and sand, is kneaded with water to the consistency of liquid sour cream. The dahlia root is completely immersed in the mash and allowed to dry. In this form, the tuber is stored in the coolest place in the apartment.
It is necessary to ensure that the top of the remaining stem is also covered with clay.
Clay processing has a small drawback - over time, the clay dries out and can fall off the tuber. If this happens, the mash is prepared again.
Experienced gardeners use a more reliable protection for rhizomes - paraffin treatment. To do this, purchase paraffin at the pharmacy or crush several candles. In a water bath, paraffin is dissolved to a liquid state (its melting point is low and the mass will not burn the roots of the plant). Dahlia tubers are dipped in paraffin in the same way as in a clay mash. When dry, paraffin covers the roots with a durable and air-tight shell.
Important videos: how to store dahlias
From the Garden World channel - storage in sawdust.
Storing dahlia tubers in paraffin.
Cleaning the area
Cleaning the soil will help eliminate the possibility of transferring various kinds of diseases to healthy plants.
Not everyone attaches great importance to this work, but in vain: the ground near the bushes must be thoroughly cleared of fallen leaves, petals, branches, and any other debris, since it is in them that various pests survive the longest, as well as pathogens of dangerous fungal infections that can destroy both planting material and plants planted in flower beds.
Cleaning is carried out 2 weeks before digging up dahlias, keeping in mind that when the air and soil temperatures drop, the tubers become especially susceptible to infections. Autumn rains mean that pests that have settled in plant debris can easily get deep into the soil.
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: ...
Common mistakes
Beginning flower growers sometimes make mistakes when storing rhizomes, placing them in a plastic bag, which is placed in sawdust. In this case, the accumulation of condensate is not taken into account. Due to excess moisture, rotting begins.
Another common mistake is wetting the sand. If dahlias are stored in sand, some gardeners begin to moisten it. This absolutely cannot be done, otherwise the roots will rot.
Storage without pre-treatment is also a common cause of tuber death. The surviving viruses and bacteria begin to actively multiply. This entails disease and death of the roots.
