All Things Dahlias
These past few weeks we have been busy getting our garden area prepped for spring and tucking away things for the cold months to come.
There is no lying here, digging and dividing dahlia tubers is always super intimidating to me, BUT I am getting better and gaining more confidence.
Last year I did not divide my tubers as much as I should have as you can see the huge tuber clump in the above photo. Hint, they are not always this big. Haha!
First step in dividing is digging carefully around the main stem to gently lift the clump from the dirt. Then you pray you didn’t hit every “potato” (what Bell calls them) with the pitch fork. You don’t have to, but I like to wash the dirt away from my tubers to make dividing a little easier. Of course I chose the coldest day of the year so far to do this job.
What a clump looks like before washing.
After they are washed and dry to the touch, you bring them inside your clean kitchen and make a disaster and once again question your life choices at that very moment. Not ideal but it’s what I had to work with at the time and I got them divided over the course of a few days with guidance from my boss who was coloring and giving orders.
The Boss
Any tuber that is not damaged and has a body, neck, and an eye is a tuber that you can plant next spring. Then you get to store them in the most perfect conditions or you lose them all over winter (not speaking from experience or anything). This is the part that gets me so anxious as I send up continual prayers that they don’t rot over winter.
Those two bumps at the top of the “crown” are eyes.
After I divide tubers, I make sure the cuts are healed before putting away. I store in a single layer with pine shavings in the boxes dividing the layers. I then put a humidity and temperature thermometer in each box. I am trying a new place in my house for some of my tubers this year. I have not had to run the dehumidifier in the new place but when I store them in my house, I have to use the dehumidifier. Dahlia tubers can be kind of picky with their conditions so you have to find what works for you and your climate. Undoubtedly, there will be some tubers that rot over the winter. It is important to check them periodically and remove any tubers that have rotted. If you are anything like me, you will be checking them obsessively. :)
This was huge and I got over 13 separate tubers for next year from this one clump.
Now you don’t have to dig your tubers in all zones, but in Zone 5, where we live, it is recommended. I am doing an experiment with mulch and compost this year on tubers I did not want to keep to see if they will overwinter. I will report back next spring! Another danger of leaving them in the ground are animals snacking on them in the winter. Until I know if I can overwinter my dahlia tubers, I will be digging and sweating that they will rot in the house.
If you have any questions about digging, dividing, and storing tubers, please feel free to reach out and we can find an answer together! Even though dahlias can be a little high maintenance at times, it still does not change my mind about them being my absolute favorite! They are totally worth it!
Until Next Time,
