Dahlia overwinter storing

martinjwoods · October 2020

Dahlias have done very well this summer, so i am working out my options for storing them this winter. Cannot understand why advice is to empty pots, wash them, then cover them again with compost. Could i not just move all the pots indoors (garage) and leave them there till spring? Opinions or any advice welcome.

Fairygirl · October 2020

It depends where you are and what conditions you have. If the the tubers get too damp, they'll rot, hence the drying off. Stems can hold water, and that can leach back into the tubers too.

AnniD · October 2020

If you leave them in the pots as @Fairygirl says, they will retain the moisture and rot. I take mine out of the pot, cut down the foliage, get as much compost off as possible and turn them upside down to dry in the greenhouse. If you haven't got a greenhouse, just on newspaper in the garage would do. When you're sure they're thoroughly dried out, you can wrap them in newspaper and store them in the garage over winter. Check them over now and again to make sure they're not rotting.
Bear in mind that l live in the South West so it maybe milder than where you are when it comes to storage.
https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-lift-and-store-dahlias2/
I'm sure other forum members have advice

Kili · October 2020

I used to lift mine and store but, don't bother now. I leave them in pots outside and in the ground and they just come back the following year.

My experience has been because I'm that far south ( channel Islands) and there in free draining soil I don't have a problem leaving them in pots or the ground.

Where are you located, you may be able to do the same?

Fairygirl · October 2020

That's exactly the reason @Klink - your conditions are good, so it's feasible. The growing conditions and climate are the key factors.
I certainly couldn't leave them out here. There are none in any gardens now - all lifted after the recent frosts

martinjwoods · October 2020

I live in Cambridgeshire, so not so harsh. Maybe i will lift those planted in the garden and try the pots in the garage and see what happens.

Janie B · October 2020

I'm in Lincolnshire, and often leave them in the ground to overwinter. I cover them with a mulch, and they always come up again in late spring.

Fairygirl · October 2020

It's wet conditions that do the damage. That's the main factor.

Johnny Crosby · October 2020

Next week I will nip off the foliage, dig them up, clean and dry them, and then they will go into one of those net bags sold by a big supermarket for keeping vegetables in. The bag will spend the winter hanging from a nail in the roof of my garage. I did this last year, and they were rampant growers when they were planted again last spring. The climate in Liverpool is not dire, but I will be doing the same with my begonia corms before the frosts come in earnest.

Fire · October 2020

I cover the top of my terracotta pots with plastic and fleece the pots. It's worked very well the last three years. I do the same with begonias. I tried digging them up but it didn't work for me.

Mrs-B3-Southampton,-Hants · October 2020

I'm only digging up those in the wrong place. One too tall and too close to a shrub - both looked fine last year but they grew !! Another was put in a new bed and the pot I bought didn't give a size so of course s now a good 2' wide and smothering nearby plants.

Dahlia overwinter storing

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