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A flower garden without double dahlias will not look as rich. These flowers decorate gardens and flower beds from mid-summer until the first frost. Thanks to the hard work of breeders, every dahlia lover has the opportunity to plant a variety of varieties of these flowers on their plot.
However, in order for these flowering plants to delight you year after year, it is important to know how to preserve dahlias at home. This is exactly what this article will be about.
When and how to dig up dahlia tubers
In order for your favorite flowers to survive the winter cold and bloom magnificently in the coming season, it is important to dig them up correctly and in a timely manner. Digging up the roots should be done with the onset of the first frost. During this period, the leaves of the ground part of the flowers acquire a characteristic black color.
You should not dig up the roots before the specified time, otherwise the flowers in the next season will bloom less intensely, and the tubers will be more susceptible to disease and rotting.If the leaves on the plant are green, then it is too early to dig up the roots, since at this time the buds are preparing for re-blooming, and the process of feeding the root system is in the active phase.
If the digging period has already arrived, then it is necessary to trim the stems. This way, you can avoid involuntary damage to the buds and tubers. When digging, do not place the shovel close to the stems or pull the plant by the stem with your hands.
To safely dig up the roots, dig up the plant on all sides at a distance of 30 cm from the stem. Then rake the soil with your hands and carefully remove the root system. Another key to successful storage of dahlia tubers is careful preparation of planting material for wintering.
Preparing for winter
If you have already dug up the tubers, then they need to be prepared for winter. To begin with, they are washed in running water and disinfected. As a disinfectant, you can use a weak solution of potassium permanganate or a fungicide. The roots are placed in it for half an hour.
Some gardeners add a systemic insecticide to the disinfectant solution. This approach will allow you to save the maximum amount of planting material until spring. If you spend enough time on disinfection, the likelihood of the spread of pathogenic bacteria and, as a result, rotting of the dahlia roots will be minimal.
In order to avoid damaging the skin of your hands, it is better to wear gloves when working with chemicals. Tubers that float are unsuitable for storage and must be collected and discarded.
After this, the tubers should be dried. It is best to do this in the sun or in a dry, bright and well-ventilated area. Then the tubers are divided into sections.It is best to dry the roots on a wooden surface covered with cardboard or paper.
Why and how to mark roots
If you grow different varieties of dahlias, then in order not to get confused among them, you should label the tubers. You can write the names of the varieties in full or make a plate with the codes on a separate sheet of paper, and simply number the tubers themselves. Mark with some special icon, for example, an asterisk, a plus sign or a tick, the strongest tubers from the same variety. So, with the arrival of spring, you will be able to use the best planting material.
The numbering of the roots can be done with a chemical pencil, which writes well even on tubers that have not completely dried out. If the pencil doesn't write well, soak the tip in a jar of water. The pencil can be replaced with a marker that writes well on any surface.
Storing dahlias at room temperatures
There are a number of rules that help preserve dahlia tubers even at room temperatures:
- Place the roots in perforated plastic bags previously filled with brown dry peat. The bags should be tied tightly. You can store planting material in a closet, pantry or on the threshold of the loggia. In this case, you need to regularly check the general condition of the tubers.
- You can dust the tubers with ash and then place them in plastic bags. Fill the bags with air and tie them, and then take them to their permanent storage location.
- If you have little planting material, you can store it in the refrigerator. Each tuber must be placed in a separate bag.
If your house has an unheated room, then it is best to place the tubers for storage there.At high temperatures, roots can germinate and die from lack/excess of moisture, soil and nutrients.
Storage methods at home
Storing dahlias at home can be done in different ways. For example, in boxes with sand or sawdust. Some gardeners treat planting material with paraffin or vermiculite. We invite you to familiarize yourself with each method of storing dahlias in winter.
In boxes
The best place to store dahlias at home is in boxes. You can place a layer of peat at the bottom of the box, then lay the roots on it and cover them with peat again. Sand or sawdust can be an excellent replacement for peat, but this will be discussed later.
Under such conditions, dahlia tubers will remain until spring. After which you can plant them in open ground.
In sand
If you decide to use sand rather than peat to fill the box, you must take into account that the latter must be well dried. A layer of sand is poured into the bottom of the box. Afterwards, the tubers are placed on it in 1 or 2 layers and covered with burlap. The technique received good reviews. It’s convenient that at any time you can check the condition of the tubers without much difficulty.
If it seems to you that the roots are drying out due to dry sand, then do not rush to conclusions. Tubers sent for winter storage do not need excess moisture, as it can cause them to rot or sprout prematurely. Therefore, it is better to let the roots dry out than to let them rot.
In the sawdust
In order for the tubers to be well preserved, they need to be covered with large sawdust or even wood shavings.The fact is that small sawdust strongly absorbs moisture, which can lead to rotting or germination of planting material.
Do not store dahlia roots with potatoes or other vegetable crops. A humid environment forms near vegetables, and this can provoke the spread of fungi, which will lead to the death of planting material.
Waxing dahlia tubers
Skilled gardeners resort to waxing dahlia tubers. The bottom line is that the prepared planting material is dipped into molten paraffin. This method allows you to keep dahlia roots as natural as possible until spring. So, enough moisture remains in the roots and they do not dry out. Under the influence of high temperatures, pathogenic bacteria die, which may remain on the tubers after disinfection. The paraffin layer protects the tubers from the negative influence of the external environment.
Paraffinization is suitable for processing early varieties of dahlias. How to preserve dahlias in winter using the waxing method? You need to do the following:
- Crush candles or paraffin and place in a saucepan. Make a water bath.
- Melt the paraffin over low heat. The thickness of the melted paraffin should be approximately 2–3 cm.
- In order for the roots to fit into the pan, they need to be separated. Tie the pre-washed and dried tubers with a thread, dip them in paraffin for 1 second and remove them. When exposed to oxygen, paraffin will harden instantly.
Use of vermiculite
Another way how to store dahlias in winter at home, consists of using coarse vermiculite as a backfill for boxes. This product retains moisture well, so there is no need to worry about drying out the roots.
The bottom of the box or other container in which the planting material will be stored is covered with vermiculite. Then dahlia tubers are placed on this layer. The roots are again sprinkled with vermiculite and this way you can arrange several layers in the box. The last layer should be covered with polyethylene. The temperature where the tubers are stored should be in the range of 3–6℃.
Conclusion
So, from this article you learned how to store dahlia tubers in winter. If you follow the recommendations outlined above, then next season you will be delighted with beautiful flower beds covered with the lush colors of delightful dahlias. In addition, you can watch a video that talks about the secrets of storing dahlia tubers:
