3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
Oh my gosh. Why do people even LIVE in Syracuse?
tee hee! I have driven through your fine state and the Finger Lakes region looked particularly appealing. We didn't have time for a sidetrip at that time. I would like to revisit the NE US but not in the winter months. I didn't realize just how snowy Syracuse could be. Buffalo gets all the news coverage it seems. May you have a non-record breaking winter this time around!
So you had a 6 ft pale dahlia straggler eh? I've left one or two behind myself and am always surprised how they strive to grow despite being treated like garbage in a dark corner or box somewhere with no water, no sun. Amazing little things.
The pale stragglers have hit enmass this year it seems. Just last week Walt brought in a crate that had been at the bottom of the pile out in the storage shed. It had about a dozen Dusty Daydream tubers in it-- all with a foot or so of pale, twisty growth & some white leaves on them. Should have put them out to scare the kiddies at Hallowe'en!
I am in one 8B and I never store my dahlias. I may loose one or two to mysterious causes like voles, but they do just fine in the ground. THe only time I tried storing them I lost many of them. I will pile on some mulch and be sure each clump is buried under several inches of it and that is all the care they get until spring time. I think they do better after atleast 2 years in the ground.
I have been leaving mine in the ground. One year I dug one in the fall and forgot it in a pot under my deck, with no soil or covering, and it survived the winter. I planted it in a pot in spring so it got some warmer conditions before planting in the garden. It bloomed much earlier than ones left in the ground. I dug it in the fall and it made an enormous bushel of tubers. Since that time I have left it in the ground and it blooms earlier than the other dahlias planted as a single tuber, and has a lot of blooms. I haven't divided it for several years.
Sometimes because of the cold soil and late start dahlias left in the ground don't bloom at all. I suppose it depends on location and on that particular dahlia. I'm actually considering digging some this fall to try starting them in a pot next spring and get a jump on blooming.
Welcome Dave, from a former Minnesotan. Cold zone you are in there and I take my hat off to you for even trying to find a place to store a dahlia tuber over winter.
There are some great fertile soil areas in that state and I hope you're in one of them with plenty of room to plant! Check the gallery at intervals because I, for one, will be posting photos that haven't made it that far yet all winter long. Wish others would do the same.
The first one I tried was a deep dark red which had beautiful blooms. That one wasn't a storage problem I just didn't remember to dig up the tuber till around Dec. If you've lived in MN you know that's a problem as the ground is a "little" frozen by then. Which reminds me, I better bring in the peruvian daffs today.
I plan on doubling the garden size next spring to give my plants the room they need. I've surpassed the 18" (probably the 12" too) rule by a little bit. The garden soil is made up of clay, manure (thanks to the farmers nearby), and composting wood chips used for mulch.
Poochella, your pics were some of the ones I was admiring. The Camano Grace, Stellyvone, Prince Valiant, Kasagi, Painted Lady, Seattle....ok I'm hooked.
Poochella is thinking dividing and storing is a stupid thing to do right about now! It's freezing cold, wet, dirty work! Every gardener has to decide what works best for them. Store whole clumps, leave in the ground, store partial clumps, divide into singles and store in whatever method you choose.
Linnea, you sound like my daughter with the course load ganging up on her at school! Best of luck with those important demands, first of all.
If I've run into shrivelling, I mist the clumps or tubers on newspaper or towels, cover with more damp towels or newspapers just to keep them in a moist environment. Leave them overnight or for a couple days but keep the moisture level high. It may or may not help. I think people have actually soaked their tubers in buckets to try to rehydrate them, myself included. I can't say that it helped, but it didn't hurt anything. If that doesn't help, I'd just pick out the least rubbery ones and store them as you choose, hoping for the best.
I know how slow I am and my limit for clumps maxes out at about 15 per day. This year, perhaps more because tubers are sparse on more clumps making it go faster! But that's all I dig per day because I learned I wouldn't get around to them in time to avoid the shrivelling problem. However, I've dealt with it with tubers waiting to be wrapped that had to wait overnight and began to go rubbery, so you are not alone.
Cookie you should definitely store them for the winter. Protection from freezing is the biggest factor. Sounds like you've done everything right. Don't let them dry too much before storing, it doesn't take but an overnight or few hours depending on your conditions/humidty. Some people don't even let them dry, just dust them, wrap and store them.
Even if you couldn't see, or identify eyes for sure, doesn't mean they aren't there. You might well be pleasantly surprised next spring. I find the eyes are easy to see and tubers are easier to trim/cut into just a day or two after cutting down the plant. After several days out of the ground (if I dig up more than I can do) the clumps toughen up and make dividing a much more difficult task.
By the way, the stalks seem to generally stay greenish. The leaves are much more fragile and change colors faster with a freeze or natural decline of the plant to yellow/brown etc.
Good luck! I hope it turns out well for you and your tubers.
If divided they will bloom as well as the first year. As the clump grows & doesn't get divided the plant starts to get lazy & live off the clump & not try to put out blooms to propogate itself, so blooms get fewer, weaker & smaller. Stems suffer, too & become weaker so they can't hold up the blooms.
If you leave them in the ground for the winter you could dig them in early spring, divide & replant all in one go -- & have extras to pass around to friends or put in different parts of the garden.
Hi,
I am in Z8.
I leave my dahlia tubers in the ground all winter. Late fall, I dig the tubers, divide them, and replant them. My soil has fairly decent drainage and very few tubers if any rot. They come up in the spring and bloom allo summer and late fall.
JAYNE,
I would think not. But then I am a newbie also, lol. BTW, matchmaker just happens to be on my WISH LIST, hint hint, wink wink, nudge nudge!! :) Unless you whacked every tuber offa the main part, I would think you should have at least ONE viable one.
I have some NOID tree dahlias and some other kinds of NOID dahlias also. Did I happen to mention that I did NOT HAVE matchmaker?? heheh
If you reply, please do so to my email: bluelytes@yahoo.com in addition to here. Thanx.
Regards;
bluelytes
bluelytes
I am embarassed to say that I did cut all the tubers off the stem. Some of the tubers on Matchmaker are nearly the size of the palm of a small hand. I would love to share with you if there was a way to know for sure that I would be giving you a viable tuber. I just got a different computer and my e-mail is not working. Please post any response to gardenweb at least for the time being. Hopefully next week-end I'll have it repaired.
About the same as you'd reserve for a small- it's the blooms that are giant- not so much the plants. A miniature or BB can put out just as bushy a plant as an AA or A. The ones that are termed "Border Dahlias" take up less room because they are short- but they can still be bushy. We usually do 3' by 3' but they can be planted as close as 2' by 2'. Any more crowded than that & you're asking for trouble.
You can place stakes in the ground three feet apart. Plants two tubers per stake, one tuber on each side. BTW, I suggest 6-7 foot stakes made from steel (for concrete) reinforcement bar. Drive 18 inches into the ground. Use soft jute twine to tie them.
Since you know how to store them, I suggest you do only that. When spring comes, put them in a warmer location and allow them to start to sprout. Once they start to get eyes, you will see how to cut and divide the tubers. The eyes come where the neck attaches to the crown and not on the tuber body. The eyes make it easier to see where to cut. Be sure to keep part of the crown attached to the tuber neck. Dust with sulfur powder to cauterize the wound and prevent rot.
Thank you plantlady2 and sedum37. Hope they will grow in the spring, that is my major concern..
Steve,
Hi Steve, I use "Bulb Dust" by Bonide prior to packing in vermiculite into plastic bags. Contains: Cedar Oil, Garlic Power, Dried Blood, Bone Meal and Sulfur. This eliminates bugs, rodents and helps them not to rot. Should be able to find at "www.bonide.com". It even helps after planting with the bugs and rodents eating your tubers. I use it every fall. Hope this helps you!!
Sue
Nikki, I just travelled back to the midwest US greeted by 28 degrees, 30 mph winds and snow flurries. You Canadians keep those arctic air masses to yourselves would you???? LOL! I had to help my mom cut down some of the last of her perennials and had forgot just how piercing the cold winds in the north could be. 50 degrees seems like a real heatwave now.
I agree! What a great spooky presentation and truly spidery splits on EEEK. Very fun!
Actually, those aren't splits on EEEKK!! He's not a lacinated dahlia- just one weird & twisted cactus with petals that corkscrew & show their white insides.