WW is your soil quite good and free draining? I don't grow dahlias but from your results it suggests that would make a big difference. If the ground was heavier and a bit wet in winter it would always be better to lift do you think?
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Main problems with dahlias would be, allowed to get to cold, allowed to be too damp, allowed to be too dry. If you lift them and put them in a frost free dark place typically in a tray of dry compost, they may well get too dry. You should once a month try to remember to check and if the soil is getting too dry give them a misting with a hand sprayer on the surface of the compost. All mine came back this year amazingly (probably a fluke!) at my first time. This year I'm going to try putting them in old tights or onion sacks, hanging them up, and just give them a mist now and again and see how that works out.
Side note, it is important to check them reasonably frequently, if one starts to rot, it can spread quickly.
I lift and store some but leave others in the ground. The ones I store, I dry out well and wrap in newspaper. I check them regularly during the winter months.
This year I started off my stored ones and some new tubers I bought, early spring under cover. All are outside now mostly in pots and some have buds despite being pinched out. The ones I left in the ground in the allotment has just started to peek up so they've survived the winter. I don't mind them being later as they'll be nice and bright when autumn comes and I'm digging up my harvest.
FG, My soil is free draining which I agree helps a lot. I intend to leave them all in the ground this year, and I will add lots of alliums in autumn for show in May/June next.
I also never, ever, check the ones I store. Lazy on my part but works for me . Again it probably helps that they are pretty dry before they go into store. I may lose one or two this way but checking would probably make no difference in my circumstances.
Am about to plant out my dahlias on Thursday or Friday, in advance of the open day on Sunday.
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WW is your soil quite good and free draining? I don't grow dahlias but from your results it suggests that would make a big difference. If the ground was heavier and a bit wet in winter it would always be better to lift do you think?
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Main problems with dahlias would be, allowed to get to cold, allowed to be too damp, allowed to be too dry. If you lift them and put them in a frost free dark place typically in a tray of dry compost, they may well get too dry. You should once a month try to remember to check and if the soil is getting too dry give them a misting with a hand sprayer on the surface of the compost. All mine came back this year amazingly (probably a fluke!) at my first time. This year I'm going to try putting them in old tights or onion sacks, hanging them up, and just give them a mist now and again and see how that works out.
Side note, it is important to check them reasonably frequently, if one starts to rot, it can spread quickly.
I lift and store some but leave others in the ground. The ones I store, I dry out well and wrap in newspaper. I check them regularly during the winter months.
This year I started off my stored ones and some new tubers I bought, early spring under cover. All are outside now mostly in pots and some have buds despite being pinched out. The ones I left in the ground in the allotment has just started to peek up so they've survived the winter. I don't mind them being later as they'll be nice and bright when autumn comes and I'm digging up my harvest.
FG, My soil is free draining which I agree helps a lot. I intend to leave them all in the ground this year, and I will add lots of alliums in autumn for show in May/June next.
I also never, ever, check the ones I store. Lazy on my part but works for me . Again it probably helps that they are pretty dry before they go into store. I may lose one or two this way but checking would probably make no difference in my circumstances.
Am about to plant out my dahlias on Thursday or Friday, in advance of the open day on Sunday.