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When to lift Dahlias?

HenryPHenryP Posts: 52
in Plants
Hey everyone,

Just a quick one here. I was wondering when I need to lift my dahlias; we're down in Cornwall and currently they're still flowering. I'd preferably like to lift them within the next month to make space for our tulip bulbs which are arriving soon. Would this be possible or would it have an effect lifting them too early? Any advice on storage too would be much appreciated!

Henry

Posts

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    normally they're lifted "once frost has blackened them" this forces them into dormancy. 
    You can lift them and start drying them out earlier .
    Devon.
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    Hostafan has the right answer.  In Cornwall you have too decide when enough is enough.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • BiljeBilje Posts: 811
    The longer they’re in the ground the more the leaves will feed the tuber. Tulips are best planted Nov/Dec so you can leave your dahlias until then.
    Mine get lifted, stems cut off to 2-3 inches, squirty hose pipe cleaned and left to air dry outdoors or in back of garage until no visible wetness seen. It doesn’t take long. Then I wrap in newspaper, including label! I pile them into supermarket bags for life ie not plastic bags and they’re hug in the garage roof space. I’ve a very good survival rate and have used this method for 10 years at least. Other folk have their own storage solutions 
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    edited September 2022
    Tricky one, normally l would say not before the frost has blackened the foliage, but living where you do, this could be quite late if at all.
    Tulips can be planted into November, in fact it's best not to plant them too soon anyway.
    https://www.richardjacksonsgarden.co.uk/i-need-lift-dahlias-winter/
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    I rarely plant tulips before December ( NW Devon )
    Devon.
  • HenryPHenryP Posts: 52
    Thanks so much everyone! Lots of really useful info.  :)
  • borgadrborgadr Posts: 718
    edited September 2022
    If it helps, I was too impatient to wait for the first frost to blacken them last year, so I cut them back to the tuber mid November then moved them to the greenhouse. They don't seem any the worse for it this year.
  • Red mapleRed maple Posts: 1,138
    I lifted mine before the first frosts last year, similar to @borgadr and placed them in cardboard boxes, wrapped in newspaper & cleaned of excess compost, to store in the garage. This earlier lifting didn’t harm them at all, and in fact, this year they gave a beautiful display (not sure if that was, in part, due to the very hot summer, though).
  • coccinellacoccinella Posts: 1,428
    Last year for health reasons I left them in the cold Luxembourgish ground and said a final goodbye to them. They all survived 😁. But do follow @Hostafan1 advice!

    Luxembourg
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    I would think it unlikely you need to lift them to keep them safe over winter in Cornwall.   I'd suggest leaving them in so the foliage can carry on feeding and building up the  tubers for a better display next year.  

    Tulips are best not planted too early anyway - November onwards is the usual advice - and you could plant them in between your dahlias when the foliage dies down.   Then cover the whole bed with a good layer of garden compost or spent potted compost to help feed the soil and also provide a layer of insulation.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
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