Marianne's Response

Dahlia frustration

How do I winter my dahlias. I have been gardening for 5 years. Dahlias have been the highlight of my summer and Autumn. I had asked at one your seminars how to winter my dahlias. You said it wasn’t the really cold but rather the rain was the winter enemy of the dahlia and suggested putting plastic Or pulling out of the ground and store in cold place. The first winter I put plastic over the dahlia.. Next year, gorgeous dahlias so I did the same thing the next year. In mid May thefollowing year nothing was coming up so I dug a few up And they were mush. The next winter I pulled them up and put them in my greenhouse and they dried up or were mushy. The last year I put them in a cold storage Building and I just pulled them up and they are mushy or moldy. I just can’t figure out how to winterize the silly things.

Posted by Susan36 on April 13, 2020

Marianne's Response

Dahlias can be frustrating but it sounds like you may have been keeping them too cold or too moist. This fall wait until the tops turn a bit yellow from frost, then dig up the tubers and place in bins or paper bags with just a bit of peat moss or paper shavings like the type  you get from shredding documents. This should help absorb some moisture. Now store the dug dahlias in a cold but not freezing garage. The greenhouse may have been too humid and damp and the cold storage building too cold. Don't give up - once you figure out how dahlias store best for you it will become a fall routine. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti

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