How To Store Dahlia Tubers TWO Ways for Winter! Growing Cut Flowers, Sunshine and Flora

[@Marlahanna]

The tote looks the easiest. Thanks for sharing.

[@SunshineFlora]

Make sure to mist the chips and check frequently if your space is very dry

[@manovaratharaj2253]

Thank you, Christina for the valuable info in overwintering Dahlia tubers. In the past, I used vermiculite to cover the tubers in a cardboard box. I check the tubers periodically to make sure they are not dried out. Last year, I was traveling during winter and I lost 50% of my tubers. I will your method this year. I do believe in misting the pine shavings.

[@SunshineFlora]

Saran Wrap worked the next for me last year. Watch this year’s video on storing dahlias - this is actually last years. And yes - if you use the pine shavings mist them!

[@Dog-mom80]

I love watching digging up videos. Thanks for show us the process. I had varying outcomes as well. The plants on the east fence were not very productive and I realised it’s because the soil was sandy, the summer was hot and dry and I didn’t water enough. Now I know for next year I gotta add more compost and water daily. Oh well!

[@SunshineFlora]

Yes to compost!

[@patyates5238]

Thank you, good information , I'm new at this.

[@SunshineFlora]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mmladyg]

Christina, this is an excellent process video. The information is thorough and well-paced. Your audio is clear and you've highlighted important items by offering helpful examples. I am almost ready to give up on these guys but you make this piece, at least, much less daunting, in part because you fill in gaps in my understanding. Thanks for great work. 👍 One more year...maybe!

[@miribiri9386]

I did the wood chip option in my first dahlia year last winter and it worked great!

[@SunshineFlora]

Good!!

[@johnkulcsar1649]

Outstanding video. Extremely meticulous & detailed. Thanks

[@SunshineFlora]

Thank you!

[@suekrebs3497]

My 8 Cafe Au Lait tubers are all smaller than the others. I am inside the garage today storing mine today. We received 3 inches of rain since yesterday so we are happy to have the 160 or so dug out and ready to store in the basement. Thanks for another enjoyable video.

[@SunshineFlora]

Wow - we need rain. That’s great?

[@summermeetswinter5578]

I stored my dahlia in wood chips last winter. They dried out until spring😞 and I lost a few. The others were still usable, very wrinkled, though, but I wouldn't store them like that again. I bought vermiculite for this winter. Maybe it's better to check them periodically and see how they stand so you don't have any surprises 😱😱 in the spring. I will also try the other method you showed us. Thank you so much for your videos! 👏👏👏👌👌

[@SunshineFlora]

Good to know! It’s tricky to store them

[@judywyse7088]

Thanks for the good info.

[@judymckerrow6720]

Thank you Christina. 🍁🍂🍁🦃💚🙃

[@SunshineFlora]

You’re welcome!

[@kruparamani9415]

Thank you for sharing the two storage methods. I will be following the second method. Can’t wait to see which other varieties you are adding for next year.

[@SunshineFlora]

Thank you for watching!

[@Dog-mom80]

I think you need to lightly moisten the wood shavings a little so it does wick away moisture from the tubers. I’ll be interested to see how this method works. I do Saran and put in a wind cooler.

[@SunshineFlora]

The wood chips were already a little damp from being outside at the store - hoping that is enough moisture

[@LynnLouisePS]

What is a wind cooler? Thanks

[@robinmcbride1501]

Great video. Im in NC zone 7b where we dig in late March. Greetings from the Central Carolina Dahlia Society NC! Slugs are our biggest problem here and they hide under wood chips, so we recommend pine needle mulch or no mulch at all. We use organza drawstring bags on blossoms to keep ear wigs and other insects from chewing. Happy Dahlia gardening!

[@SunshineFlora]

Pine needle mulch - interesting!!! Thanks for sharing

[@rosebud447]

I tried the wood chips last year but in a card board box. All but three lived. They all dried out. So, this year I went back to vermiculite and put them in plastic bags in the fridge. I’ll check them to see how they do. But I don’t have much luck storing them. Great video!

[@SunshineFlora]

Good luck! It’s tricky sometimes

[@karenschwartz5209]

Thanks😊

[@Pervydachny]

Hello! Dahlias are not easy to keep. Thank you for your helpful advice. I store in sand., at a temperature of 0 to 6 heat👍🌻🐦

[@SunshineFlora]

Good idea!

[@chevyvega6622]

i pull them clean them off and spray them with a good fungicide. Cover them with dry peat moss and fill a extra large plastic storage container to the top covering all with dry peat. i spray the top layer of peat in the container with some fungicide as well. Come spring every time I pull them the tuber clumps, they are soft and break open,all rotted and moosh.....have to get more each season...convinced there all annuals

[@heidispence4444]

I do a similar method - I use plastic grocery store bags.

[@monicarolnickelson3492]

Plastic bags were what popped into my mind as I was watching this - easier to deal with and reusable. Maybe if you get out as much air as possible before dealing it will be similar to the Saran wrap method.

[@bellarosa009]

I stored mine last year in wood chips and lost all but one!!! This year, I’m storing mine in a plastic bin and covering them with soil. Wish me luck!

[@SunshineFlora]

Good luck!!! Sorry to hear about last year. Hoping mine do ok!

[@bellarosa009]

@@SunshineFlora thanks! about the only thing that survived other than my 1 dahlia, were my cannas! I overwintered them last year and they all survived. they multiply like crazy once you plant them.

[@Gigi-fv9ky]

I worry about the eyes because I had a shipment once from Swan Island where every tuber was small, shrunken and I don't believe had eyes. None of them grew and I have been growing dahlias for 30 years and have never had that happen before or since. I know you like swan island, and that's okay, but I will never buy from them again. Anyway, before you wrapped them, a few of yours looked like the plastic tag might be hanging near the eyes and I would worry that it might rub them or damage them. But, maybe it's just the camera angle, or my bad eyesight. But, once you took the tag off and wrapped them in saran wrap, that was good. 😊 Anyway, all I am saying is that anyone is leaving a tag hanging around the top of the neck, just to be careful of the eyes. 😀

[@SunshineFlora]

Good suggestion thank you - and so sorry with your luck from Swan Island

[@orca3371]

Hi great job never tried this method always used newspaper with some success. Sometimes the clumps wasn't as big as yours but I had a few that made to the following Spring .Maybe ill try to order from reputable source instead of big box store. Let me know if you buy from either.

[@SunshineFlora]

Check out my dahlia unboxing video. I share all the businesses I ordered from

[@orca3371]

@@SunshineFlora Thank you for your help !

[@monicarolnickelson3492]

Great, informative video for my first time overwintering dahlias. I'm not sure where to store them. No basement and my garage can get close to freezing. Will they survive that as long as they don't actually freeze? Or maybe the crawl space near where the furnace is. I have no idea how cold it gets there but with the furnace I'd expect it to be warmer than the garage. Thanks!

[@juliepuhr9806]

Put a thermometer there to get an idea of the temp. It would be a shame to lose them from being to cold or too hot to where they dry out

[@monicarolnickelson3492]

@@juliepuhr9806 Great idea, thx! I didn’t think about it getting too warm.

[@fish4cobia]

I just received an order of dahlia tubers, although my planting season window is over. I can't plant them until next spring. Should I go ahead and pack them away using one of your methods? Zone 6b, Pennsylvania

[@SunshineFlora]

You can try / I’m not sure if anything negative happens if they go a year without planting? Are they sprouting? Are they firm?

[@rmk6693]

Tried the wood shavings last year, was very careful with temperature etc. some in boxes, some in totes - lost 40 percent of my tubers. I think there’s extra moisture in the wood or maybe too dry?? Not sure. The ones in the plastic tote rotted and ones in boxes dried out. Trying Saran Wrap method this year.

[@SunshineFlora]

Saran Wrap works great for me. Doing all tubers with that method this year

[@tulle7358]

Hi Christina, great video. I would have thought that you would need to moist the wood so that it keep the moisture in the dahlia. Otherwise the wood will dry out the moisture FROM the Dahlias and thats no good. They will end up rinkley and dried totally out. I know you do that with the perlite ( watch Laura from Garden Answer) she give her perlite lille spray water and watch over time to make sure they are little wet all the storing time.. I assume it is the same with the wood but Im not sure though 😊

[@SunshineFlora]

The wood chips were already a little damp from being outside at the farm store. I should have mentioned that! Maybe I will check periodically and mist Hmmm….

[@tulle7358]

@@SunshineFlora oh okay. Just wanted to mention it. Would be so devastation come spring and they all died 😟 This year though, I left mine in ground and heavily mulch and hope and pray that they survive 🙏😊 just don’t have the space to store so many.. In my climate it should be possible. The problem here is that we have a wet winter.. lots of water and then freezing, then thawing and so on.. Dahlias go to mush in that condition.. anyway, thanks for replying 👍😊

[@superkatertot5425]

Will the Mother grow and produce flowers again?? I've been tossing them !

[@SunshineFlora]

The original tuber is usually rotten

[@AstroBijou]

Thank you for this very informative video. This will be my first year growing dahlias and am gathering a lot of information before starting. I noticed that last year after the tubers were dug from the ground they were all washed with a water hose. But, this year you skipped the washing process. Is there a specific reason or benefits for skipping this extra step?

[@SunshineFlora]

I decided to skip the process to get them stored a little quicker. This year I might just hose them off again when I dig them. Either worked fine for me!

[@bigtomatoplantslover6205]

Thank you for good sharing 😊 Like 18 My friend, have a good day 😊

[@SunshineFlora]

Thanks!!

[@BrittanyS143]

We're did you get the wood shavings from for such a cheap price? Do you have a link please?❤

[@SunshineFlora]

At my local farm store. I did find I needed to mist them A LOT to keep from drying out

[@leonardsfriend5821]

Newbie dahlia grower, am able to leave them in ground (PNW8b) but I want to move some…debating digging after frost or in spring…is there a reason not to dig and store in slightly moist potting soil in the pots I would be starting them in come spring? We have wet winters and melting snow, so what would be the difference? I don’t have that many…

[@SunshineFlora]

I would join a dahlia group on FB and ask others in your zone, or ask other growers in your area. I think the one concern would be making sure they don’t stay too wet because of rotting. Sorry I can’t be more help!

[@gretchenkaszuba734]

I was under the impression that they have to be individually cut and wrapped for Saran wrap method. Only because if there are multiple tubers in one wrapping and if one starts to go bad it will infect the other tubers in the clump.

[@SunshineFlora]

I’m trying it this way to see if it works. Last year I wrapped the individual tubers and definitely worked great. The ones I did wrap this year were very small clumps.

[@chantelsgarden]

@@SunshineFloraplease update us - did wrapping clumps work out (fingers crossed it did / I’m doing the cling wrapping method this year)

[@FlowerFarmerAmy]

cardboard box ON concrete is not usually recommended; the concrete pulls moisture out of the box & can cause excessive drying of the tubers; the tubers wrapped in saran wrap may survive. I am concerned about the amount of plastic added to the environment, though. Using vermiculite in the big totes (yes I know, plastic but at least reusable) is a good medium to use.

[@SunshineFlora]

I didn’t have that issue with the cardboard/concrete last year - it was nice to set them on the concrete floor in my basement because the floor is cooler

[@FlowerFarmerAmy]

@@SunshineFlora I think using the wrap method probably kept the moisture levels in the tubers protected with the cardboard on concrete.

[@nickventruella2493]

Potatoe fork

[@joinmeinthedirt5186]

Let’s guess how many containers you will have this year. I’m guessing 10 ❤

[@laurelsayer7557]

I don't like the use of this plastic Saran wrap, very environmentally unfriendly. Here in our damp UK where the average low temperature is -6C I either leave them in the ground and mulch heavily, or lift, perhaps dust lightly in anti-fungal Sulphur powder, and store in dry used compost in a crate in the garage.

[@SunshineFlora]

I don't like that aspect of it either, but I could reuse it from year to year....