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Storing Dahlia tubers over winter

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  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I leave mine in the ground, with a bit of a mulch if I get around to it (which might just be scraping up fallen leaves over them).  Sandy well drained soil here though, they wouldn't like soggy bottoms all winter.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    I left mine in the pots because i didn't get round to taking them out. Emptied out the pots a couple of months ago expecting them to be dead but they were fat and healthy so i removed the old soil as much as possible and repotted them.
    I think i got away with it because it was a mild dry winter. I don't think I'd really recommend this method though.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    I leave the ones that are in the ground where they are and just cover with mulch, but the new ones, from seed or new tubers I overwinter, they will then be planted out next year.
    I know that @Hostafan digs all of his up with a clump of soil on them and puts them in the poly tunnel just as they are for the winter, then when they shoot next year he plants them out again.
    Leaving them in the pots is fine. If you have a frost free GH for them.  Under the bench is good. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • I’ve tried leaving the in the ground with a mulch ( works well in dry winters), letting the plant go dormant in a pot in the greenhouse ( only worked if I watered it a little ) and lifting and storing in a shed ( they all rotted as I left damp soil around them.

    i would say, lift, dry and store if you live in an area with heavy clay soil or mulch and leave in situ if you have free draining soil.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Perfect  Andrew, we have very strong winds and although wet, it soon dries up, very free draining. 
    I don’t recommend it to others it’s just what I do.   The secret is leaving them to get really dry before storing. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Dirty HarryDirty Harry Posts: 1,048
    I've just seen a video where Monty says you want enough moisture so they don't dry out but stay plump.

    Have you tried giving them some moisture and had bad results?
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    The year before last. There was a small drip leak. My dahlias got some moisture (not a lot) and went mouldy.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • Dirty HarryDirty Harry Posts: 1,048
    I also bought this to dust them with when storing-

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vitax-Ltd-225g-Sulphur-Yellow/dp/B001CN1SCI

    Can only help surely?
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    To be honest, so long as you put them somewhere dry and frost free, they'll be ok.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • JoeXJoeX Posts: 1,783
    Lifting has failed two years in a row for me, I’ve only had one survive - a giant mass of tubers that grows six feet tall - and Id treated it exactly the same as the others.

    i won’t bother a third year.
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