3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
This is my first time wintering them, too! I am following the advice of this forum.I researched a bit and it seemed the easiest, with best results.(Hope I attached the link to the forum entry correctly!)
Here is a link that might be useful: Dahlia advice-saran wrap method
I am another fibro patient that gardens. Helps keep me sane. I try to pace myself and not overdo. When I over do, I pay dearly for it, and in bed for a few days. I have a lot of dahlias, just for my own pleasure. I used to do the church flower arrangements. I leave my tubers in the ground all year, and dig some up in the spring and seperate. I also am on a special diet for the colon, cutting out the red meat and the grains really helped with the fibro pain.
Darlene
Ah, I see. Thanks for the input regardless! I think the garage will have to do, I'll just be sure to insulate them well and I'll keep a thermometer in the box with them so I can keep an eye on temps.
I actually live in Peaceful Valley, but my brother lives right below Cannon Hill Park. Why do you ask?
alyrics...The saran method is fast. I do not use anything on my tubers before I wrap them. Do a search for no fuss dahlias. You will find all the info you need. The dahlias do not touch. You use a long piece of saran wrap and roll the first one and add the next and roll it. They must not touch each other. I usually put 5 or so in each piece of saran.
I was thinking of seeding with crimson clover in my raised bed and tilling under in the spring for organic material. I plan on leaving my tubers in the ground since this is their first year, keep the inverted tomato cages over them as markers so I won't till them by accident in the spring, and putting mulch directly on top of them for warmth. How does that sound for soil prep?
Yes I have and it works very well if you want to manage cuttings all winter long. If you have one plant or more that is hard to get started in the Spring or certain plants like Camano Cloud and Madam de Rosa that won't make tubers, then cuttings in the fall is very appropriate. Also, if you just want to make sure you have more plants in case of tubers rotting fall cuttings are the way to go. Again, the only difference is having to take care of them all winter.
I would think if they are on a slope they should drain well enough to keep them from rotting. If they are still actively growing and not wilting your tubers should be fine. If they start wilting then your tubers are rotting. You might dig a clump,not your favorite, to see how they look and just pack it back into the ground or go ahead and and clean it up and let it stay in some cool/cold weather for a week or so for it to cure and get hard. Make sure to wrap it in some paper so it won't dry out and keep it out of freezing weather. You can use this technique if you decide to dig them all
I had one last year(Peaches and Cream) that did not flower for various reasons. I saved it and it flowered this year. Not an indicator that the plant is bad, maybe an indicator that it is a very slow variety. Slow varieties don't last too long with me.
This year I have at least ten that didn't bloom. Too hot, too dry, poor soil, maybe the dahlia fairies were against it. I'll change their growing conditions and see what happens next year. After that second chance, they're outta here.
There is an excellent link recently posted in the discussions forum.
Here is a link that might be useful: What to do
That may be a good use for ones you accidentally break while digging up or dividing. Cook 'em up!
The larouse encyclopedie gormet listd dahlia bulbs as edible. That is what started my search for more info. We have dahlias growing unaided in our yard. We don't dig them in the fall, we just let them grow as they will. We have flowers 4 - 5 inches across. The ground covering the tubers is bulged up in some places about 8 - 10 inches. Some of the bulbs break through the surface. Now that every one is convinced that I am torturing flowers I will say this, these dahlias are so happy that I have too many bulbs. So, why not have a few on the table? Could be a winter item that doesn't have to be stored. At least where I live. I would really like to hear somthing more about this.