This post has tips and tricks on how to care for your dahlia tubers.
My history with planting and harvesting dahlia tubers is bittersweet, partly due to the fact that I failed in several ways with this beautiful plant.
When researching what flowers might be best to try growing this past year I came across dahlias. I chose dahlias not only for their beauty, but I had also read how hardy these plants are. I thought this would be a great year to give them a try.
Well, I went wrong in several ways and I’m here to tell you what NOT to do so you can plant and harvest your dahlia tubers intact!
HOW TO NOT FAIL WITH PLANTING AND HARVESTING DAHLIAS:
I’ll share several of my fails and where I went wrong with planting and harvesting my dahlia tubers. It is important to note I live in USDA zone 5b and the care of dahlias differs depending on what zone you live in.
For example: in my zone you cannot overwinter dahlia tubers in the ground because they cannot handle our harsh winters. Others may live in a more mild climate and could choose to leave their tubers in the ground.
Tuber Rot
What I didn’t account for was how sensitive dahlia tubers are when it comes to moisture. I had read early on how dahlias can become susceptible to rotting when exposed to excess moisture, however I decided to take my chances and ultimately made the initial mistake of watering too early.
The key I learned later on was to start watering only once you begin to see growth erupt from the ground. If watering too early, like I did, it can cause water to rot your tubers, which happened to me.
Dahlias also take a very long time to get going. The key is to be patient, hold off on watering until you see growth and just know your tubers are doing just what they are supposed to underneath the ground.
I also was dealt one of the wettest summers we’ve had in a long time. I’m talking lots and lots of RAIN…and subsequently earwigs in droves. (YUCK!) This caused what growth I did have on my dahlias to stall. I think if I had just been a little more patient I think I could have had twice the amount of growth I ended up with.
- Start watering only when you see new growth
- Be patient
- Careful not to overwater
I also learned from a dahlia farmer that dahlias do best when planted in a mound. This helps to protect the tubers from rot!
To Pinch or Not To Pinch
Something else I learned halfway into the growing season is that dahlias love to be pinched! I didn’t do this and still had quite a few blooms, but I learned if you pinch them early on they become bushier with prolific blooms. You want to pinch the initial bud aka the “terminal” bud in order to stimulate the “lateral” buds. This way you now have two blooms instead of the initial bud.
- Pinch your dahlia at the “terminal” bud, when new growth first begins
Staking
Another important step in growing dahlias is proper staking. What I didn’t realize until I started growing dahlias is just how big they get. They get massive!! I had initially used a bamboo stake for my dahlias and quickly realized that was not substantial enough and ended up having some of my dahlias start snapping.
Dahlias are also hollow inside, and a breakage can lead disease or moisture to the tubers and cause irreversible damage.
- Stake your dahlias to prevent damage
Harvesting
Another issue I ran into, was when it came time to harvest my tubers. I waited until my dahlias were dying back before our first hard frost and looking back at it now I should have harvested on a warmer day when the ground wasn’t as cold. With the ground being colder, it made it incredibly difficult to loosen the soil to dig out the tubers. I used a hand trowel and pitchfork to dig out my tubers and even with being gingerly I still ended with several damaged tubers.
- Harvest on a warm day
- Loosen soil around base of plant prior to harvesting
- Use hand trowel or pitchfork (gingerly)
Storing
This was my last fail. After all of my hard work with harvesting, I made the big mistake of not immediately storing my tubers in an environmentally controlled space, such as a basement. After harvesting I left the remaining soil on to help with protecting the tubers through winter however, I ended up leaving my tubers overnight in my garage and unfortunately we had a hard frost which ultimately led to their demise. I believe this was due to the colder air pulling out all their remaining moisture. Sometimes shriveled tubers can be revived by placing them in a plastic bag with a small about of moisture to stimulate buds, however mine were shocked to the point where they were too soft to save.
Ultimately, I learned an important lesson as to just how sensitive these tubers can be. I may still have a few successful tubers, I haven’t lost all hope. In terms of storage there is a variety in medium you can use. Some people chose to use vermiculite, while others may use something as simple (and sustainable) as newspaper in a wooden crate for storage.
- Store and harvest around a warmer weather forecast (aim for a few days prior to first hard frost!)
- Use a storing medium such as vermiculite or newspaper
- Store in wooden crate
- Keep dirt and mud on tubers to help protect tubers against moisture loss
- Wait to divide your tubers until spring
Even with my failures I still ended with some beautiful Dinnerplate dahlias and harvested their blooms all summer long! They are very hardy plants and with following some of my tips your blooms with be plentiful and long lasting! The wonderful thing about gardening is you can fail and keep trying.
Resource
I highly recommend this video by YouTuber “Garden Answer.”
Laura’s channel offers a WEALTH of information which I binge watch for myself! Really I recommend any of her videos.
Tell me about your own experience with dahlias!
