Over Wintering Dahlias
(Last Updated October 8, 2009)
Hello from the At this time of year we receive many questions about digging, dividing
and storing dahlia tubers. Most of these inquiries are variations of the two
basic questions below. Hopefully, our answers will be useful to you. Question #1: Do I have
to dig up my dahlias? Dahlia tubers grow very close to the surface and will be lost if they
freeze. So, unless you live in an almost freeze proof area you will lose them
if you don't over winter them in a protected environment. However, if you have only a few dahlias you may find that the cost of
replacements is so reasonable that you may not want to bother. With dahlias costing only $3 or $4 each you
really don't have to feel guilty if you just grow your dahlias for enjoyment,
and then replace them or try new and different varieties the following
year. Click here, to sign up to be
notified about spring dahlia society tuber sales. Question #2: If I want
to give it a try, how do I go about it? Digging,
dividing and storing dahlia tubers is a process that
varies greatly from grower to grower. If you want to know how some of us do
it in In
addition, there are four online articles and three online videos on digging,
dividing and/or storing dahlia tubers that I would recommend to you. The web site of the American Dahlia Society contains an excellent
article called "DIGGING, DIVIDING, AND STORING
TUBERS". The author, Alan Fisher, is an expert dahlia grower from One of the better personal web pages on dahlia care is by Wayne
Holland, a dahlia grower and breeder from There is also something a bit different in storing dahlias. It is
called the (Bernie) "Mandella" or
"Saran Wrap" storage method, and it is a technique for reducing
storage losses by storing dahlia tubers wrapped in plastic food wrap. The "No Fuss: Store Your Tubers in Plastic
Wrap" article describing
this method was published in the September 2001 Quarterly Bulletin of the
American Dahlia Society. An online version of this article is now available
on the website of the American Dahlia Society. Click here
to read it. Finally, right out of the September 2006 Bulletin of the American
Dahlia Society we have an article called “Tuber Storage For The Small
Grower”. In this article Heather Drope of Using online videos to provide “over
the shoulder” looks at the various aspects of growing dahlias is still in its
infancy. The Elkhart Dahlia Society has become
sort of a leader in this area with short videos on their growing tips
webpage including: Digging
Dahlias (2 min 20 sec) Steve Kuiper of Dividing Dahlia Tubers (2 min
30 sec) Cammi Waggoner of the Elkhart Dahlia Society demonstrates how to divide dahlia
tubers and wrap them in food wrap for winter storage. And, for an almost classroom like presentation
on dividing dahlias, I highly recommend a video by Lance Williamson, “The
Dahlia Guy” of How to Divide Dahlias (3 min
49 sec) by the Dahlia Guy demonstrates how to divide
dahlias with emphasis and close ups on important
details like what’s a good tuber, where the eyes are and what is a mother
tuber. Don McAllister |
