How I overwinter dahlias

[@lisajelle714]

I’m 6A central Ohio. I left almost all my dahlias in the ground last year and they all came back! They were all over the yard, not close to the foundation like yours. I do dig deeply and provide the best drainage I can. 5b is not far off from 6a: I think you’re going to have greater than 50% success!

[@betsymaltby6788]

This is my 3rd year over wintering Dahlias...the method that works best for me is a combination of what I learned from this channel and others. I store in milk crates lined with newspaper and burlap layered in vermiculite. We are experimenting overwintering some in a community garden with an overlay of leaves and mulch. (zone 6b). I agree, the tubers are much more resilient than we give them credit.

[@sherriianiro747]

That sounds like a good idea!

[@karenlay9691]

@betsymaltby6788 I am in 5b--have used peat in the past but trying vermiculite as it seems easier to dig around in to check through winter. Do you use regular or coarse vermiculite? And do you moisten it? TIA!!

[@betsymaltby6788]

@@karenlay9691 Hi. The brand I have is Hoffman, which I believe is fine/regular. I agree, much easier to dig around to check tubers in the winter. I may have spritzed them once last year...very lightly! :)

[@emkn1479]

“If I don’t get this garden cleaned up, I’m going to lose my mind.” 😂 This was the motivation I also had yesterday to finally clean up all the melted annuals in the garden. I feel so much better 😅

[@MyFocusVaries]

Funny to see how many of us watch even though none of us dig our tubers 😂. I'm zone 8 and find drainage is the key. I dug tubers from a poorly drained bed one year and they all froze in my shed, 😢 so never again. I plant only where there's good drainage. For Canadians looking for burlap bags, Lee Valley sells them dirt cheap.

[@claudettestpierre487]

I love you Erin as a fellow gardener who is not afraid to experiment! I too found a rougue dahlia this year that overwintered in my southern facing flower garden. I am in zone 5b but have pockets of microclimates in my yard on the south side. Keeping my fingers crossed for your dahlia experiment!

[@ryderview1492]

I am in a zone 6. My first ever dahlia was given to me and I planted it in a garden bed up against my house, under the eaves facing West. I did not know you were suppose to dig them up for the first 5 years I had it. It came up every year just fine.

[@michelleh4588]

I dig after 120 days in the ground and leave them in dirty clumps in the basement until spring. It's too warm and too dry, but the majority make it through fine. Any that can't handle this treatment are just cut from my collection🤷‍♀️ nobody got time for that lol

[@YanickaQuilt]

Survival of the fittest....I like it 😂

[@sherriianiro747]

I am in zone 6 in midwest and an old timer here has left his dahlia border of over 200 tubers in the ground for the past 6 years and they keep on blooming every year! Clay soil too! Go figure! 😊

[@Wiseamphibian87]

Ohh wow; do you heavily mulch them & cover them with something?? B’coz Zone 5 & 6 get pretty heavy winters & quite a bit of snow ❄️

[@sivlow264]

I am chancing my dahlias in the ground this year. I dug them up and stored them last year, moved them from the garage when it got too cold. And moved them between the basement and the garage. I forgot one that was left behind in the ground and it came back. So I will mulch heavily with leaves and keep my fingers crossed.

[@judyrhine234]

I’m in Missouri and our garden club has dahlias. We put large wire cages around them and fill with leaves. They always make it through the winters in zone 6

[@MikeFloutier]

Thank you, definitely one of the most helpful gardening videos I've seen - plus it certainly solved the "mixed message" conundrum re over-wintering dahlias

[@QueenAnnesLace13]

Erin you always make laugh, at least smile, placing bets for the dahlias. Thanks for showing your method and not stating that it is 'the method'.

[@tinaguarisco7282]

Zone 5 SE WI Dahlia tuber newbie here. So glad you said it may be ok if they were dug before the hard frost. I totally did that. 🙄🤞

[@patty-m2d]

I'm experimenting too and left about 20 dahlia tubers in the ground this year. I covered with leaf mold and then a thick layer of leaves and tarped them. Before the tarp went down, I already saw signs of mole or vole activity, so I am pretty sure those critters are already enjoying my fat, delicious tubers... but I had to try. For my storage, I use a combination of wood shavings, peat moss, and vermiculite that I have saved in a big construction plastic bag and reuse. I put them into brown paper bags I save from the grocery store close them up with a few clothespins and into carboard boxes or bulb crates. I stopped washing them last year and I think they stored better for me. They are tough...found a few stray tubers in the storage medium from last year and those babies were still trying to grow.

[@ladikmk]

I've over-wintered my Dahlias many times here in 6a. It is a true South exposure next to the house with a concrete sidewalk in front of that flowerbed. They come back every year without fail. There's a lot of radiant heat from the sun hitting the house and the sidewalk that keeps them alive. Still have a bit to do outside but trying to get some interior painting finished before the windows are closed for the rest of the year. When your house faces true South, you can easily open the South windows to make that paint dry fast. :) Thanks for sharing Erin. I know your tips will definitely help someone whose on the fence about storing Dahlias.

[@christophertaylor9826]

I believe your dahlias will make it over the winter, love watching your videos.

[@scallywags12]

So glad I can leave my dahlias in the ground in our area Canadian zone 8. I use leaves and compost on them. I find birds really like to scratch at the compost and leaves. So you will have to remount around the dahlia.

[@mainblaine456]

I’m betting they all come up next spring! The area next to the foundation is a zone-pushers gift in my opinion. I’ll be watching to see how it turns out 😁

[@laurahiggins4712]

Hi Erin, I grow dahlias in the PNW Zone 8. I leave them in the ground over winter and the biggest concern is too much rain and the tubers could rot. I mulch, cover with plastic and top off with more mulch. I lose some, but overall have a good success rate. Others cover with a tarp. Maybe adding additional protection with plastic or a tarp would help protect your tubers.

[@MyFocusVaries]

I'm up in Vancouver and haven't bothered with plastic. So far so good since I moved my dahlias to a really well drained bed. The rain over the last couple of weeks will be a test. All the rain we didn't get this summer.

[@lisaf4300]

Hi Erin. I was watching a KZbin video in which a rose grower was instructing how to make cuttings. He said you can sterilize your pruners with Lysol and it won’t rust your tools. I tried it and it worked great. I thought you might want to check it out.

[@TheImpatientGardener]

Yes, I use aerosol Lysol when I’m pruning boxwoods

[@kathy8832]

Last year because I was moving, I just left the few dahlias I had in pots in the pots and put them in my daughters garage. Surprisingly they bloomed this past Spring and were beautiful. So I’m going to do this again. I only have a few so if this doesn’t work again this year I’m okay with it.

[@cindyscharr457]

Thanks Erin, I live in zone 4 and I'm storing mine in the basement for the first time.

[@carmenbailey1560]

Well here my little story about Dalias, I bought two of them at a Dollar Store one for my daughter and one for myself. I’ve yet to have success growing them but I thought one more time,. Well my daughter’s was beautiful, I’m I had lot of green growth no flower. Thinking I don’t have enough sun. Erin yours are always beautiful. Thanks for sharing your garden chores and skills. 👍❤️😊

[@teresab6502]

I live in Zone 5B central Illinois and successfully overwintered dailies on the south side of my house last winter. I think they received extra protection from the house. I think they also stayed on the dry side next to the house too.

[@8helenjhouston8]

I have 100% confidence in you Erin!

[@lucytree7892]

Last year, Laura from Garden Answer mulched heavy so she could void digging up her dahlia bulbs. This year she had bug issue and thought the mulch helped overwinter bugs so she is back to digging up her bulbs. I just store my bulbs in the dirt and store the containers in an unfinished basement.

[@juliafiore120]

I’m excited to see them come back from inground. I think they will🙌🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

[@thelioness3305]

THank you for doing this again. Some people go so fast and asume we know what we are doing. lol My first year

[@janetbendes9216]

Hi Arin, I'm placing my bet in that they All come up just fine. Looks like you took very good care of them for the winter month's..🥶 I do it with peonies🌺🌺 🍀

[@lorihanby6733]

Dahlias are just more work than I want to do but I really like that you say to store them in the way that works best for you. I was surprised to find out in a local FB group how many people here in the Salt Lake City area (zone 6-7) are able to leave their dahlias in the ground on the south or west side of their homes with a thick layer of mulch.

[@lorihanby6733]

Laura on Garden Answer needs to get some tags like you use. 😊

[@peoniesanddahliaz]

I think they will overwinter if the drainage there is good. I am in zone 6a Michigan. Last year I didn’t have the energy to dig up everything and so left 4-5 clumps in the ground that I didn’t mind experimenting with. Mulched them with some leaves and they came up really strong this year. Good luck! 🤞🏼

[@sharonrose818]

I'm also 5b, Northern Illinois. I have a similar southern exposure side of my house that's much warmer. I have mistakenly left ranunculas corms that survived over winter. I will be looking forward to spring to see how this worked for you. The less Dahlias to dig up the better!

[@darcyclark1523]

Zone 4 here, left some dahlias in the ground last year because I was done with those varieties or had enough of them and ha, they absolutely did not come back, they were dead dead dead come spring. But I will be interested to see how your experiment goes and how you plant this bed next year even if it doesn't work out!

[@zoreslavazinczenko1060]

I've got my money on (some) success! With protected, south-facing, plus radiant heat, plus a layer (or 2) of shredded leaves, and wood chips - ya just might get it! Good luck, and can't wait for the results!!!

[@thelioness3305]

OH your details helped me SOOOO MUCH!!! TY

[@t0mt0mt0m]

Zone 7b. 5 gallon bucket and perlite is my over winter strategy.

[@michelebushnik2874]

Great learning video Erin! I'm much older and am probably more like Mr. Not so patient, and also have bad hands so it's a no for me all along about planting dahlias! I don't need the extra work, but I never thought of treating them like annuals, which I could probably manage, so thank you for that advice!❤

[@ashleybrown8958]

Great tip of the bag!!!

[@kaval1er]

I'm in zone 6b, southeastern PA. I have one dahlia in an only moderately protected area that I have not dug up for the past two winters. So far, so good. But I do understand that if we have a severe winter it might be a goner.

[@TeresaByington]

I'm 5b also (IN) ... last year I left 2 dahlias in the ground by mistake. Both came back and flourished. Risky for sure but worth a try. I'm trying again but buying backups! Best of luck! ☘️💚🌸

[@Thefamilyfarm1957]

I wish you the best of luck with overwintering the dahlias I tried it one year, but it didn’t work zone five and I did not have a nice warm wall behind mine. I think you should be good.

[@mariav5539]

One of my "mini" dahlias came back in a partial shade plot in my 6a/b garden this year. I was shocked!

[@Ca2Nfl]

Love following aling with garden experiments. Good luck

[@Olivia54984]

I have been watching a deserted business which has canna planted along a brick west facing wall. For the last three winters these canna have regrown. Zone 4/5, no mulch, no protection except for whatever trash blows in. They weren't even cut back. They have grown back every year. Not sure I am brave enough here, farther north to try to find that microclimate for dahlias. I did have a few stray gladiolas I missed regrow. Verbena Bampton overwinters as a plant here; I get seedlings too. I had some voles hollow out a couple big tubers this year. Working on the voles. (Tinfoil on my frit trees, viburnum, and Japanese peony this winter.)

[@samanthaw1419]

I always leave my glads in, they soo cheap. They survive ever year, even minus 10oc and very wet English winter. I don't know why people lift them.

[@tammykuhar4420]

I have saved mini dahlias for the next spring. It was my little experiment. I might try big dahlias this year!

[@32dras]

I tried to winter over Dahlias in soil two winters ago, our winters become so mild and didn't have snow in 5-6 years. We didn't have snow that winter too, but we had rain waaaay above average, it was miserable wet and they all rotted. But good luck, maybe your weather circumstances sort out good and be success! Fingers crossed 🤞

[@junewrogg6137]

THANK YOU!!!! This info is exactly what I needed to know today!

[@upnorth21]

Timely video as always. I'm digging up my Dahlias today. We are a having a wonderful 4 day warm streak here in the north. Can't wait to get out in the garden :) Best wishes for the Dahlias in the ground.

[@madpharmtech]

I could not have watched this at a better time. I did the Tupperware method tight sealed and wet my wood chips. Glad I checked on them last night because they are way to wet and they would’ve rot.

[@laurahiggins4712]

If you are storing in plastic containers, use vermiculite around the tubers. Don't add water.

[@graylagran7443]

Hi Erin, I’m in NC7b, probably on the cusp of 8a. I grew a dahlia from seed a couple seasons ago and so far has returned. I may do more next season. They are so beautiful ❤️ ps, love those crates!

[@rogerboeve4658]

I cover with thick cardboard then apply 6 inches of leaf mold. Zone 7A. They all survive.

[@barbnitecki4407]

I store my extra leaves piled high in my veg garden. Once it's frozen ground I rob from the garden Then in spring before planting I rob again for browns in my compost.

[@dawnreynolds519]

Erin I think I’ll see how your in ground tubers make it through the winter. If it works, I’m all in for trying it also. I don’t grow dahlias because of storing them but what the heck if they don’t make it on to another plant! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and have a great day!

[@AJsGreenThumbLLC]

The dahlia HS Date self dividing is so darn true....by far the easiest to divide.

[@BellaSC]

I did the same this year. Dug some , left some, mulched heavy. Same with my cannas. Next year I need to do monthly videos of the growing garden so I can remember where I’ve planted things. I’m terrible about tagging. 👍🏼😂

[@mariemcgrath8681]

Good luck with everyones Dahlias. Lovely flower, I will have to check if they grow in a semi tropical area of Australia?

[@monicamacauley3750]

Here in SoCal 9b we can over winter in the ground but I choose not to because I need the space for my winter veggie garden. I separate my tubers in the Fall and have had great success storing them in gallon size Zip lock bags in vermiculite. I do not completely zip lock them and I check them every couple of months and mist them if needed.

[@julieescala2610]

I’m in 10a. After packing in ziplock bags, where do you keep them so that they stay cool? Thanks for posting - always happy to see comments from warmer climate gardeners. :)

[@monicamacauley3750]

@@julieescala2610 I store them in a milk crate (Dollar Tree) in my covered patio all winter. (Not on cement. On a shelf on my potting table).

[@julieescala2610]

@@monicamacauley3750 Ok - I’m going to give it a try. Thank you!

[@chuckylamb4398]

I sometimes leave a couple of dahlias in and cover with wood chip but they flower later than the ones I grow on in my greenhouse. My ground is wet as are my winters as I live in northern uk 🇬🇧

[@gracefulgrowing144]

I have a raised bed South facing. My house is white and it receives sun all day long it gets very hot. I could probably overwinter Dahlias there that normally I couldn't anywhere else in my yard. I live in East Central Indiana very near the Ohio border but am I doing that this year nope I'm going to the easy route I'm just going to buy new ones. My bet is that your Dahlias are going to be coming back.❤❤

[@christinetrewin9717]

I also do 50/50 with my dahlias, so far the in ground have survived and the sawdust stored have about 40/60 success rate. Ok by me and this year I had to chuck several due to gall. Never mind new colors for next year planned. ❤️😎👩‍🌾🇫🇷

[@judymckerrow6720]

Thanks Erin. 🦃🍁🍂💚🙃

[@Flowers4Everyone]

The over wintering dahlia situation is sliding into similar anticipation as the banana. Not entirely but very close🤣

[@carmensteele4167]

Wish all commercials so pleasant 🎉 enjoyed actually ❤

[@markgolden6265]

Wow! Wisconsin is so different from Illinois. And it’s not that far away? All on Lake Michigan. Incredible.

[@emptynestgardens9057]

Remember to mark in your journal this is an El Nino winter. Im central Ontario and we are in the area of warmer than normal temps according to weather outlooks and @Ryan Hall Y'all. This will be my 3rd attempt hopefully it's the charm I've yet to find a way for me.

[@verawallace9055]

This is my second year growing Dahlias, it came back, i added a couple more this year just have to see if the results will be the same 7b, i really don't like digging stuff up, i overwinter my Caladium and other things in pots that I want to save near a sunny window, if soil drained properly near the wall i think it have a good chance of coming back,wish you luck

[@lorrainel2314]

Thank you 🌸

[@wildbirdfarm]

Excited to see how your dahlias on the south side do! I’m also in zone 5 and our south side is so much warmer. My biggest concern would be winter moisture rotting them. I’ve been trying to overwinter eucalyptus and by experimenting I’m pretty sure wood chips insulate better than leaves - a good thought on your part to also add some wood chips. 🤞

[@michellejames5953]

You don’t have to throw away the half tubers, as long as the neck isn’t broken and has at least one eye. Just let it dry out and callous over, before storing.

[@angelwolfe6728]

Also don’t make the rookie mistake I did. Last fall I dug up my one dahlia tuber. Did all the things. Packed it away in a box and forgot where I stored it in the basement? 😅 I searched and figured I must have thrown that box away.? I found the box right where I put it.. in October while pulling out my fall decorations! Ugh! This year I grew two beautiful color spectacle dahlias. They’re tucked away and I will not forget where! 🧡

[@EvelynM-vlogs]

Dahlia tubers that accidentally get left in my garden will come up, but they come up and bloom at least one month later than the prestarted ones I get going in my seed room since the tubers will only start growing once the soil has reached a growing temperature, which I have found to be about 17deg celsius. Also, I timed myself this year, I dug up, cleaned, divided and stored 146 tubers and it took me 6.19 minutes per plant. In the greater scheme of things, that's not really very time consuming at all.

[@b.carrie837]

Just discovered your channel, I love your voice, somehow it really helps me to relax. Your tubers look very healthy and thick! Mine are always more like thin sausages, any tips on how to bulk them up better in the summer?

[@TheImpatientGardener]

@@b.carrie837 First off, welcome! Glad to have you here. Tuber shapes and sizes vary quite a bit from variety to variety, and some types are better tuber formers than others. For instance, one of the best known dahlias, Cafe au Lait, is kind of lousy tuber former. So my guess is that you’re doing everything correct, it’s just the type of dahlias that you’re growing.

[@matildamagnusson4120]

Hello 👋 from Sweden! Your garden and house is absolutely gorgeous, I’m so jealous of your dahlias we don’t have all the different kinds as you have in u.s. do you know if Crichton Honey is an American dahlia? I can’t for the life of me find it anywhere nor in Sweden or in Europe (Holland usually have it) can I buy seed or tuber from you?

[@christinezarvis4761]

Could you have used bagged shredded mulch in place of leaves to cover the dahlias?

[@laurieanne9712]

If you are going to put the wood chips on heavily I'm in for a YES success vote!! I'm zone 7b and some have come back with nothing over them.

[@maggiesgarden2234]

I too have tried lots of ways and broke tons of rules. That is what gardening is all about.

[@YanickaQuilt]

I am a newbie and bought 35 tubers to be shipped next spring. I am in zone 5B and trying to find a way to overwinter them without a garage and a finished basement 😮

[@KathyRiggs-g1h]

Hello, about the experiment that you are doing along the side of your house and the dahlias. Garden Answer did something close to what you are doing with covering them with straw and ground up leaves and she ended up with a thripid invasion on all of her dahlias. I wouldn't want the same thing to happen to your garden so that's why I'm trying to warn you about them. Good luck!

[@irenadidichenko5429]

Erin, could you please share the link for labels in a roll. Thank you.

[@heidibentz390]

I'm overwintering dahlias for the first time this year and went with a very simple system that I'm not sure will work, so this is helpful for me for next year.

[@kimeeegngarden4887]

Can anyone tell me - instead of shredded pine animal bedding, could I use shredded paper? I have lots waiting to go to my compost pile...maybe it could take a detour and store some tubers first??? 🤔

[@janetvorenkamp3655]

? I want to try your idea of planting dahlias in the borders 2024. what do you recommend to start with? tubers or plant starts? I've bought dahlia plants before and they didn't do well but I think putting them in the borders will be a much better situation for success. I'm zone 6b. thx, Hi Dorothy!

[@laurieanne9712]

Erin, have you had any experience with bush dahlias? Grew them for the first time this year: Darlin Burgundy Lace, & oh my!!! Covered in blooms where I could hardly see leaves! In a planter box, no less. Just wondering if the saving tuber procedure was the same?

[@camillahsieh4304]

I wonder if mulch would also harbor bad insects overwinter. Laura of Garden Answer attributed her outbreak of thrip this year in her dahlias to her experiment of overwintering her dahlias in ground under heavy mulching.

[@TheImpatientGardener]

A couple notes on this: I think Laura and I have slightly different views on this matter. In my experience, good bugs take care of a LOT of problems but you need to create a good habitat for them. Does that create a habitat for “bad” bugs too? Absolutely, but after many years of taking a pretty hands-off, IPM approach, my garden is in a good place as far as nature balancing itself out so this is less of a concern for me. Often when I see signs of “bad” bugs I walk away and check again in few days or a week and the problem is gone because all my good assassin bugs have been feasting. Thrips are particularly tough and a bit of a pain to manage, but I didn’t see signs of them this year, so again, not a big worry for me.

[@camillahsieh4304]

@@TheImpatientGardener Thanks for replying. I'm glad to learn that you have such an ecologically balanced garden. Nature does have a way to take care of herself.

[@jeanie6176]

Put some peppermint oil around. Rodents don’t like the smell. For years the mice nested in my grill. I tiptoed peppermint oil on cotton several years ago. Since I started that no mice. My brother uses it in his shed with great success

[@TheImpatientGardener]

Great suggestion! Thank you.

[@deeaustin379]

I also did an "experiment" last year here in 7a. I left, not on purpose but through neglect, two dahlias in the ground. They are next to the house on the northern side which is protected from wind and gets some sun. They grew again!! I should probably should dig them up to divide them, but then, what do i do with them? Can i divide them and replant in the Spring?

[@cherylpool6454]

I am wondering if you should use a tarp under the leaves or over the leaves? Just thinking that all of the snow and wetness will rot them?

[@Bandaid17]

Yes I think you have a point. The regenerative farmer(?) is experimenting with the same process using leaves, tarp then more leaves (zone 5 Colorado). She says that what kills the tubers is cold and wet so the tarp helps keep things dry. As for me I am getting older and as much as I love these blooms I don’t know if I can keep on fussing. Luckily they are in a raised bed.

[@anitahadley2871]

I’m wondering why you get rid of the mother tuber? Is she just spent and no good anymore?

[@evelinalasch9800]

Hi, I watched your video about insulating an outside rose planter with foam sheets . Was there a follow up? Did it work? Did the rose survive? Thanks!

[@heathermcelroy7171]

If it was the insulated planters just outside of her veggie garden, then no it didn't work out. I also tried that with my potted fig and it froze. 😢

[@TheImpatientGardener]

50/50 success on that one. One made it, one didn’t.

[@baylaschauer3122]

I’ve used plastic totes for 3 years now. They have worked the best for me, but I just place top on with out closing it. There is plenty of airflow that way.

[@darlas4019]

I have two, that's enough lol... in going to let them go to seed and see what i get... then i won't feel so bad leaving them in the ground 😅

[@gracefulgrowing144]

How do you know if the tubers need more humidity or less? I'm confused on that part

[@TheImpatientGardener]

When you check on them take a look at one or more of if they are shriveling they are a bit too dry. If they feel slimey or the storage medium feels damp, they are probably a bit too moist.

[@gracefulgrowing144]

By insulating with leaves aren't you concerned about overwintering bad insects like thrips?

[@kimpaynter]

I really think there gonna come back .

[@paulacothren3591]

I ordered 4 Jowey Mirella (from our favorite source) and planted them in large pots in order to decide where to place the dark maroon flowers once they bloomed. None of them were Jowey Mirella and all 4 tuber clusters had massive knobs of crown gall when I deconstructed the pots. I am really disappointed in the source of these dahlias, and thinking twice about ordering again. Sorry to be a downer, but yes, I am not happy.

[@karinchristensen220]

I think I got mine over the last two years from the same source as you. Many were not what I ordered, most were very tiny shriveled tubers which didn't even sprout and about a third of the ones that survived storage last year had gall and I noticed a bunch more have gall when I dug them up this year. This is the third year of storing them but I don't know if I will bother with them again, not that I have that many left. I think zinnias are close enough and much easier.

[@Anghooeyrhymeswithjulie]

$20 on black beauty in the 5th and $100 on Erin’s dahlias 😊😅

[@TheImpatientGardener]

🤣

[@debhamil3782]

That fast, deep freeze is exactly what happened here in Kansas as well. Ugly!

[@sandy-rr1by]

Totally shameful how a frost/freeze just steals the garden beauty we work so hard to achieve. Durn winter.

[@CA-rx9ze]

I skip the dahlia. They are just to high maintenance for me. Anything that i have to plant and dig mutiple times is to much.

[@melindamackesey2786]

Where are your boots, your feet will get wet and cold and who knows what will ail ya