Fall Dahlia Care

Fall Dahlia Care

A step-by-step guide to digging and storing your Dahlias.

I get the comment a lot, 'I bet you love fall because you get to relax now that the flowers are done for the year.' To which I usually reply, 'Ohh, we still have a few chores ahead of us to put the farm to sleep for the winter.' In my head, I am thinking, are you crazy? Do you know how many Dahlias we grow?

If given a choice, I would spend fall wrapped in a cozy hoodie, clutching a cup of coffee, and dividing my time between hikes and a good book. But I also love dahlias, and a slow, cozy fall doesn't go hand in hand with loving dahlias. They are a lot of work this time of year. Okay, they're a lot of work all year, but man, they are worth it.

So if you are reading this and you are in zone 8-9 or maaaaybe zone 7, you're lucky because you are one of the rare few that don't have to dig your Dahlias for the winter. Zones 3-6 Dahlia lovers, you need to dig them; the winter freezes are too harsh for them to survive. Even if you are in one of the warmer zones, you may want to dig the tubers and divide them after a few years. Digging them is unnecessary, but it will give you more tubers next year.

Depending on how many Dahlias you grow, digging dahlias is a daunting task, but let me reassure you that digging and storing dahlias is not that hard with the proper guidance.

The first step to storing dahlias for next year is labeling them. In the rush of fall garden cleanup, it's easy to think, "I'll remember what these dahlias were next year." Trust me; you won't. Once you dig them, they look like little potatoes. Save yourself the headache and label your dahlias before it frosts. The best time is before you cut your dahlias back, preferably while there are still blooms on the plant. The method we have found that works the best is to write the name of the variety on flagging tape and tie it around the base of the plant. Be sure to use a garden marker because a Sharpie will fade and wash off.

The next step is cutting the plants back. Cutting back can be done before or shortly after the first frost.

What it means to cut back the plants is to cut the stalks 6-8 inches above the ground. This leaves plenty of stems for you to see when digging them. Pro tip: Make sure the labels stay on.

Once frost hits, it's time to dig those tubers. If you have never grown Dahlias before, you have a couple of weeks once it frosts to get the tubers out of the ground, so don't panic. You want to dig them before a hard freeze hits, which can damage them.

There are several tools you can use for this task, such as a shovel or pitchfork, but the tool I recommend is a digging fork. Digging forks have broad tines, making it less likely you'll slice the tubers in half than with a shovel, but it also gives you more leverage than a normal pitchfork, which is not designed for digging. Insert the fork into the ground about 8-12 inches away from the stalk and to a depth of 6-8 inches. Make sure to work the fork all the way around the clump to prevent the breaking of the tubers when you lift it from the ground. Next, work around the clump, gently lifting and loosening it until you can lift the clump of tubers from the ground. Finally, gently shake and brush off as much loose dirt as you can, trim the stalk down a few inches if you wish, and you are ready to store your tubers!

Digging and storing Dahlias is one of those topics that everyone who grows them has an opinion on how to do. If you have followed me for a very long, you know I like the no-fuss method to just about everything. So if there is a step I can eliminate and still have success, I will.

I often see an added step of washing the Dahlia tubers after you dig them. We have tried it, and I found that our tubers store better when the dirt is left on them. My theory is that it is an added layer of insulation for the tubers. Unfortunately, we had a higher rate of rot the year we washed our tubers.

Once you dig your tubers out of the ground or a pot, make sure they are thoroughly dry. You can spread them out on newspapers or in bulbs or milk crates. Make sure you don't lay them directly on concrete; that will suck the life out of the tubers. The important thing is that they have air circulation and are protected from freezing. Allow the tubers to dry for 3-4 days before storing them.

The next step is storage. This is the part where there is not a one size fits all method. Because everyone's humidity range and storage options vary, you will need to find what works for you. Trust me when I say I have killed A LOT of tubers over the years, perfecting our storage methods.

Here is the overall environmental goal for storage, 40-50 degrees and about 70% humidity. I use a cheap digital thermometer from Amazon to give me those numbers. Typically the ideal locations are a cool basement or garage that is protected from freezing temperatures. We have stored our tubers in all kinds of different mediums, but now we just store them in crates. You can store them in peat moss, pine shavings, or vermiculite. The goal is to keep the tubers safe from breakage while still allowing some air circulation.

If you only have a few tubers you are trying to store; a brown paper bag works great.

Once your dahlias are dug and packed away, there isn't much you need to do until late winter. However, you want to make sure you peak in on them occasionally through the winter months, checking for rot. If you find a rotten tuber, just cut it out and remove it. We will start dividing them in February; before you know it, the process of planting, pinching, and waiting impatiently for the first blooms has begun again!

I would love to answer your questions below.

Good luck and happy digging, friends,

Lyndsay