Hi Ianna,
I already removed my Dahlias and all summer bulbs.I think it is proper time to do this for plants and for you.Soon The weather will not let you working outside.Hope,you had a pleasant growing season.
Hala.

Hala, thanks. I guess it's wishful thinking that I can hold on to my beautiful dahlias for much longer. I had a great garden season although it could use some improvement (my garden continues to evolve). I've relocated plants already and I'm already making plans to start seeds for next year's garden. Have you tried out winter sowing?

Ianna

ianna

Didn't know you are in the Newmarket area

One of my daughters and a son live there as well

Sarah, my daughter, has had her Dahlias blackened by frost already.

I am in Barrie, and we have had frost

I have quite a few Dahlias.
What I have been doing, and it is not the usual method most people seem to do but works for me. Is to

Dig up the plants and divide . I leave the tubers in garage spread out on newspaper or something in the garage for a few days. Then pot them up into individual pots with new bagged soil. Press the dirt down well and water a little. Leave them then to dry again and then put them into the basement.

No watering until spring time but then the pots are given a little water and then put outside in a sheltered spot in early May.

Hi Diane,

I'm not in Newmarket, but in Richmond Hill. I just sited Newmarket becuase if snow is reaching that area, it just may mean it's time for me to remove the summer bulbs. Richmond Hill isn't that far below Newmarket.

I think your method is a great idea. I'll give it a try.

Ianna

Ianna,Many years ago I tried out winter sowing, but I wasn't good at it and I lost my interest in it.I do not grow to many Annuals,I get them from my good Garden Centre and I get Perennials as well.
Regards,Hala.

Ianna,

I have written in the Dahlia forum how I deal with my dahlias, here in Rockwood ( near Guelph ).

Mine have been put away for a couple of weeks now.

Here is a link that might be useful: Winterizing dahlias

thanks Jroot. I never really gave much thought as too how I should dry up the roots but seeing those photos gave me good ideas on how to do them correctly. Great idea using blinds to identify the plants. Can you tell me why use plastic (grocery) bags over say, using paper bags to wrap up the bulbs? is there an advantage? I just thought(incorrectly it seems) that plastics can encourage growth of fungus.

Ianna

Fair question, ianna. I got the idea from looking at what Bernie, the dahlia guru from the US, did. He used the saran wrap method. His thinking was that the plastic wrap prevented dehydration. Of course, the tubers had to be really clean and surface dry first. There is a LOT of work with what he recommended, so being a little lazy, I thought I would try the plastic grocery bags, as my wife had saved quite a few for recycling, and I thought why not recycle them this way. I do not seal the bags in any way, but merely loosely wrap the bag and shove it into the box. Bernie tried my method, and did admit his success rate was very good with it, even though he had been skeptical at first.

You could certainly use paper bags. That would be similar to wrapping with newspaper. The only problem that I can foresee would be that if one clump or group of tubers did rot, for whatever reason, then the dampness / rot would spread to the rest. Using the grocery bags, that problem is self contained.

I think I only had one tuber out of a couple hundred go off last winter. Not bad odds. :)

jroots thanks. If you don't mind me asking, I have a few more questions.

When you mentioned completely cleaned up, did you mean you had to wash the dirt off the roots or simply shake off the soil.

When do you recommend dusting these with the antifungal powder?

Last, when you do recommend division? My roots have gone really large and so I think I can get 2 more plants out of one root clump.

Thanks for the help.

Ianna