Monday, September 11, 2006

Storing Dahlia Bulbs

dahlia 'moonfire'
When it comes to storing dahlia bulbs, the rule of thumb is to keep them cool and dry.

As soon as frost hits them (the leaves turn black) cut off the stems, dig up the tubers (they're really tubers not bulbs) and then trim off the remaining stem down to one inch or so of the tuber.

Let them sit in the air for a day or three to dry off the dirt. Once the dirt will brush off, they are ready for storage. (Do brush off the dirt when it's dry but don't bruise or get too clean - the dirt isn't the problem, it's the moisture in the dirt that gets the tuber started rotting).

So - cool and dry until it is time to plant again.

p.s. the pic is variety 'Moonfire'

1 Comments:

At 11:15 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I needed to know about dahlias as I've been given some........and I've never had them before. The day I decided to start looking for info, here was your post. So right on the money!! Thanks much.

I got scared away from dahlias in the past, from a lecture/demo I attended at my local garden club meeting. I wasn't impressed with the number of times the speaker used the word "critical" when talking about the plant! I didn't have time or energy to plant anything that was going to require critical sort of anything!!

Your description sounds like something I can (and will) do! Thanks for making it seem way more gardener friendly and not the least bit critical.

 

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