This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
dahlias
stanley deakin
Posts: 29
in Plants
this is my first thread so hope it gets there if we dont get a frost when do i dig my dahlias up
0
Posts
After the first frost has blackened the foliage, dig them up, brush off the soil as best you can then put them upside down to let them drain for a week or so and then store them frost free over winter.
What Dave suggests can also be done as soon as you want at this time of the year stanley, regardless of whether there has been a frost or not in your area. All of the ones in my back garden were frosted this week but the ones in the (south-facing) front garden were almost unaffected.
We rarely have frosts here in Cornwall. So I take mine in the greenhouse anyway, to store. Do you wash the old soil off , or leave them dry.? I,m never sure.
Remove as much soil as you can but I wouldn't bother washing it off. Yes, important to ensure they (and any remaining soil) is dry before storing. Rot needs damp and is the thing most likely to kill a tuber, whether stored or left in the ground.
Hi I'm a gradual lifter, ie round about now mine are lifted a few at a time,and processed.I usually don't get frosts until mid winter and then its too perishing cold to be working on borders. I do clean mine off with a jet from a hose pipe, I find they dry off much quicker than waiting for clayish soil to dry. I've posted in previous winters that mine are wrapped in newspaper then stored in carrier bags and hung in the garage rafters. Now I know folk have worried that this might encourage rot but all I can say is it has worked for me for many years. I did wrap some just in newspaper last year and popped them in a cardboard box but I found those dried out too much.
Interesting Bilje. I'm going to give your method a go as we are rapidly running out of space in the garage. Mostly junk rather than plants unfortunately.
many thanks for all the replys very helpful
Hi all Im new to this so thanks for the tips. I'll give the paper and bag a go next week as I have just taken my first ever Dahlia out of the pot. Hopefully it will give as much pleasure next year as this. When do I replant them and what should I do.
What is the best ay to take cutting fro a dahli tuber.