I've never grown dahlias before but bought two in pots this year. They've flowered really well (apart from a few munched leaves!) but I'm not sure what to do with them over winter. Can I just leave them as they are in pots in the conservatory or do I have to take them out of the pots to keep them? I would be grateful for any advice.
I've never grown dahlias before but bought two in pots this year. They've flowered really well (apart from a few munched leaves!) but I'm not sure what to do with them over winter. Can I just leave them as they are in pots in the conservatory or do I have to take them out of the pots to keep them? I would be grateful for any advice.
Leave them in their pots is my advice but let them dry out-also check for any nasties-slugs/snails that hide under the rim.
Last winter was so awful, I didn't get the chance to lift mine and to my surprise, they grew this year fine - a bit slow to get started, but OK. I had to cut one down because it was completely ravaged by tiny snails. I hope it survives. The other one is flowering now. It has missed the earwigs that plagued me last year, and is a bit scruffy because of the snails, but otherwise OK. I intend to mulch deeply with something sharp and to leave them in the ground again.(Twinings after eight) The ones in pots came through the winter as well, but have not frown as strongly as the ones in the ground.
Thanks for your advice sotongeoff. I'll do as you advise and hopefully the dahlias will survive. The conservatory is really filling up now with pelargoniums, fuschias,various cuttings and now dahlias. Never thought we would use the conservatory when we bought this cottage as they always get SO hot but it's invaluable over winter for all the plants.
My dahlias suffered the same terrible chomping this year, but one is still trying valiantly to flower. The others just protrude their gnashed stumps to mock my determination not to use slug pellets. Even my resolve is weakening, but I'll give the egg shells a whirl next year and pray for a drier year...
When I have previously tried, in a negligent kind of way, to lift and store dahlias over winter, I tend to find that they rot away, so I plan to leave mine in the ground, mulch their ragged stumps well and hope for the best. I'm also going to sow some from seed next year to have some cheap and cheerful flowers for cutting.
If you dont wish to use slug pellets next year why not give copper rings a go? snails and slugs wont cross over copper, you can either buy a ring of copper online for this purpose or you can get a length of copper pipe and flatten it with a hammer then form a ring big enough to surround your dahlia or hosta as it grows
That's a brilliant idea smada_1 - holly leaves, especially dead ones are lethal(as I've found to my cost whenever I've trodden on one with bare feet) I can understand why slugs and snails would be reluctant to crawl over them. Will certainly try this with my Dahlias and Hostas next year.
I tried egg shells. I had saved up lots of them, dried them in the sun and crushed them up into lots of small jaggy pieces. I spread them around my dahlias and the following morning they were spread out farther in my flower beds as if the slugs had systematically picked them up and moved them out of the way. My dahlias were utterly decimated. In previous years I have had the greatest success with 1 litre water bottles with the bottoms cut off. You need to loosen the soil around the perimeter to allow the bottle to be sunk into the soil and also to search for any slugs which may be in the soil within the circle. Unfortunately I did not get there in time this year. As others have remarked, I don't want to use pellets for fear of poisoning the birds; coupled with the fact that the carcasses of dead slugs attract flies and make for a rather unpleasant sight in the garden. I have decided to try nematodes since they sound like the most eco-friendly solution, if massacring slugs can be called eco-friendly
Go to poundstretcher and get some doff slug traps. 2 for 99p. Put an inch of cheap beer in the bottom of each one. You will be amazed at how many they catch. If you can clear the area before you plant, you should have better luck.
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Leave them in their pots is my advice but let them dry out-also check for any nasties-slugs/snails that hide under the rim.
They should be ok till next year
Last winter was so awful, I didn't get the chance to lift mine and to my surprise, they grew this year fine - a bit slow to get started, but OK. I had to cut one down because it was completely ravaged by tiny snails. I hope it survives. The other one is flowering now. It has missed the earwigs that plagued me last year, and is a bit scruffy because of the snails, but otherwise OK. I intend to mulch deeply with something sharp and to leave them in the ground again.(Twinings after eight) The ones in pots came through the winter as well, but have not frown as strongly as the ones in the ground.
My dahlias suffered the same terrible chomping this year, but one is still trying valiantly to flower. The others just protrude their gnashed stumps to mock my determination not to use slug pellets. Even my resolve is weakening, but I'll give the egg shells a whirl next year and pray for a drier year...
When I have previously tried, in a negligent kind of way, to lift and store dahlias over winter, I tend to find that they rot away, so I plan to leave mine in the ground, mulch their ragged stumps well and hope for the best. I'm also going to sow some from seed next year to have some cheap and cheerful flowers for cutting.
If you dont wish to use slug pellets next year why not give copper rings a go? snails and slugs wont cross over copper, you can either buy a ring of copper online for this purpose or you can get a length of copper pipe and flatten it with a hammer then form a ring big enough to surround your dahlia or hosta as it grows