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Dahlia Winter Care

KweeglyKweegly Posts: 104
in Plants
Hi Everyone,

I've dug up my Dahlia tubers and dried them out for a week in my garage, then buried them in fresh dry compost in individual pots. I will leave these pots in the garage over winter which is attached to the house and fairly warm all year round although not heated.

My question is should I dig the tubers up and mist them with water during winter to stop them fully drying out? Last year I did the same process but didn't mist them, when it came to plant them they looked fine although a little dry. I wanted all summer but nothing grew :(
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Posts

  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    Where and when did you plant them?
    They need to be potted up and started off indoors - I start mine on the spare room windowsill, then move them to the GH (with slug protection!) then harden them off, and plant out when risk of frost is past, usually late April here. They still need slug protection then, the beasties can pretty much finish off a decent size plant overnight, a few new shoots just make a tasty snack!
  • KweeglyKweegly Posts: 104
    I did start all my Dahlias indoors last year, all the tubers bought that year grew fine but the ones I had over winter didn’t :(

    all i I can think is they dried out to much as my garage can get warm.
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    I pot mine up in compost, but keep it on the just damp side. That stops the tubers drying out too much, but not rotting. It is usually freezing that kills the tubers off.
  • KweeglyKweegly Posts: 104
    I think I’ll kept the soil just damp and see how I go!
  • MrsGardenMrsGarden Posts: 3,951
    Is it time to bring them out yet (not outside just into daylight)?
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    Are they producing shoots yet?
  • LittlegrowerLittlegrower Posts: 80
    I lifted my dahlias after the frost, and stored them in some compost and in a dark place, above freezing temperatures. I've checked on them regularly but last week most have gone mushy and fungus all over them, just as I was about to pot them up. I've lost some very nice dahlias this year. I do the same every year but not sure why its all gone upside down.

    I had a dahlia I wasn't too fond of so I left in the ground and thought I'd check on it and the tuber is still healthy. I expected this to rot away but boy was I wrong!! 😭


  • Dirty HarryDirty Harry Posts: 1,048
    Do you use an anti-fungal powder at all? I've read about it before in relation to storing bulbs etc. but never got round to buying any.

    I bought some new tubers recently and am away to start them off in pots shortly.
  • LittlegrowerLittlegrower Posts: 80
    edited March 2019
    Personally never used anti fungul powder, never had any issues with it until this year. Possibly a good investment if you want to keep your dahlias a while, better safe than sorry. Starting to regret not getting any myself now, some very expensive tubers all lost.
  • MrsGardenMrsGarden Posts: 3,951
    No FB, nothing happening yet. Some mushy, some firm. 
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