Putting Dahlias to bed.

25 comments

This blog is especially for muddywellie, and anyone else who is interested. How I keep dahlias through the winter is, firstly dig them up, or in my case take them out of the pot and wash all of the soil from them.

I just swish them around in a bucket of water, and then put a lot of pressure into a sprayer put the nozzle to a jet of water and get into the nooks and crannies with it.Now you can see what I mean about a chickens foot Muddywellie,and it’s toes. Now you can cut each tuber off or a group of tubers off. Making sure you keep a little slither of the stem, ( toes if you like) Sometimes they may break off. I throw those ones away.Now clean the single tuber up by cutting off the thin roots around tuber.And the longer bass root……You should have somthing like this ( at least if I put the correct photo HERE.)

Now I put these in a polythene bag together with the label and sawdust. Enough to cover them .seal the bag keep it frost free.
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Now after all that there is another way .
When you have cleaned and dried the intact tuber, cut off all the bits of root and put the whole root (tuber) into a poly bag and sawdust and keep frost free.
Next season take them out of the bag and lay them out onto a seedtray and cover lightly until shoots come through lift them and pot them up not forgetting you will get more than one shoot off one cut tuber. The shoot will grow from the little blemmish on the tuber. (this is something like an eye on a potatoe ).
I will try to put a photo here of a closeup of an eye .

If you decide to keep the whole root over winter, just put the root onto a seedtray in spring and cover very lightly with compost, this is just to moisten the root. When it shoots cut the shoots off with a slither of tuber. You will get a lot of shoots off one tuber. By the way, this is the how you buy tubers from the G.C. and this method will multiply your dahlias. When only buying one tuber.
Just to sidetrack , because I will save alot of tubers I will put mine in a tub cover with sawdust and put an airtight lid on it.

Ive loaded up 2 photos of the same photo don’t know how to delete yet.

You can put the whole root into a poly. bag and save it that way.

I tend not to save any bedding dahlias because it is easier to sow seeds. I want to try to get some of the cactus type dahlias. They have bigger flowers. Pom Pom dahlias allthough nice aren’t all that spectacular. Afterall it is my first year of me comming back to gardening. seeyou Frank

18 Oct, 2009
11 likes

Comments

Morgana

Thank you for the blog it was most helpful,

You delete by left clicking on your mouse and holding down run your mouse over what you want to delete it will high light it, when high lighted right click your mouse, look at list for delete, left click with mouse on delete and it should delete it for you

18 Oct, 2009

Doon

Wow, just what I needed, great blog. We are lucky here in BC, on the West Coast, I just keep my dahlias in the ground, only dig them up every 3-4 years.
Your advice was very helpful.

19 Oct, 2009

Tate

franktf4, thank you very much for your article - that's right on time!

19 Oct, 2009

Grindle

thanks Frank, very useful :)

19 Oct, 2009

Lincslass

Thanks Frank,a really useful and imformative blog.........

19 Oct, 2009

Spritzhenry

I agree! Great blog, Frank. :-))

19 Oct, 2009

Pipsqueak

Good blog Frank. Really useful and informative

19 Oct, 2009

Skillen

Brilliant Frank - I take it you would do the same with all tuberous plants?

19 Oct, 2009

Franktf4

Thanks all for responding. It had been a few years since I did this, I was hoping I hadn't forgotten anything. Frank

19 Oct, 2009

Drc726

I do mine the same way Frank but the advice on here lately has been to leave them in the ground what do you think?

19 Oct, 2009

Donnah

Thats great frank I have learnt a lot from your blog I was unsure how to keep them over the winter

19 Oct, 2009

Muddywellie..

Oh Frank - a blog just for me!! I'm really touched - thank you. This is a brilliant guide and gives me exactly the information i needed. Thanks for taking the time to do this! I will get out there this weekend and give it a go.

19 Oct, 2009

Franktf4

Yes Drc my cousin has been here today,and he said there has been one in the same plaice in his garden for 2 years but this year it didn't come through. I think it depends on how bad our winter is.
Glad to be of some help to you both Donnah and Muddywellie..............Frank

19 Oct, 2009

Orgratis

Thanks for the show & tell as I've avoided dahlias as too much trouble: you make it seem managable. Do the dahlia seeds bloom the first year or do they have to grow a tuber?

19 Oct, 2009

Blodyn

A very useful blog Frank. Thanks. I often loose dahlias. I don't have any now because the frost killed them last year.

20 Oct, 2009

Spritzhenry

Orgratis - you can buy Dahlia seeds which will flower in the first year. Of course you can also buy tubers!! Over here, you can also get Dahlias grown from tubers or seeds in pots - an expensive way of getting the flowers, but 'instant' colour!

I haven't tried digging up the ones from seeds - but I'm told that I should, then to pot them up, and let them develop tubers.

20 Oct, 2009

Skillen

Frank -do you do the same for begonias?

20 Oct, 2009

Franktf4

Hi Skillen, from what I can remember with begonias, you need to let the tops completely dry off. If they are in pots turn them on their side and let them completely dry. Remove all rotted stems and compost. You needto keep them frost free, so keeping them in sawdust would be a good idea........Frank

20 Oct, 2009

Skillen

Thanks for your advice Frank.

20 Oct, 2009

Franktf4

Hi Orgratis Dahlias are very easy grown from seed, and will flower the first year. I do not tend to save the tubers from my bedding Dah. as they are easier to grow from seed than to prepare them for storage in autumn. You can buy tubers in spring for the larger Dah. and you can see what you are buying, because it is sold with a picture.From one root you can get more shoots from it.Just cut it away with a slither of tuber or stem, and pot it up. Keep it in the G/H untill frosts have finished.Some of the smaller Dah. you can get into flower long before they will be able to go outside.Make sure they don't get pot bound because the tubers will be spreading HOPE THIS HELPS Frank

20 Oct, 2009

Orgratis

What Green/House?! Well, my neighbor Erin graciously has offered me space in hers, tho I tend to put plants on the back porch (where I smoke & blog: cleans the air & cheers). I'll look next Spring. Have always liked that dark leaved Bishop of Llandaff (which David plants in honor of R. Dahl's home). Seems they may overwinter in the ground here: that would be a relief! Very helpful, Frank. Thank you, all.

20 Oct, 2009

Bornagain

Just what the doctor ordered, thanks Frank. I won't be afraid to try next year now. Great blog:-)

21 Oct, 2009

Reem777

Thanks for pointing me in the direction of you very useful blog Frank, I wil follow the instructions and fingers crossed will produce even more Dahlias next year.

29 Oct, 2009