Now is the time to check on your dahlias in storage:
Dahlia Care: If you dug and stored your dahlias in the fall, now is the time to check on them to see how the tubers are surviving the winter season.
If you have plump, healthy tuber clumps, you can divide them now or wait until planting time gets closer for dividing. After dividing your dahlias, you want to let them sit out in the cool air for their fresh cuts to dry before putting back away into storage.
If you have clumps that are rotted, it’s probably time to start shopping for some new dahlia tubers for spring. There is no saving a rotten tuber. If you notice a small amount of rot, around the stem for example, you should divide your tubers right away and allow them to dry out for several days in an area that remains above freezing.
If they are shriveled, there may be 2 problems causing this:
#1 – the humidity could be low in the area they are in
#2 – shriveling can be caused by digging too early and not letting them freeze in the garden. If you did let them freeze before digging, the humidity could be too low. If the area has a concrete or dirt floor, spray the floor down with water to raise the humidity. Leave the dahlia clump intact and don’t divide until it gets closer to planting time. That will hold all the available moisture in the clump for now.
Dividing your dahlias
If you’d like to divide your dahlias now, here’s a short video to help you get started. You’ll want to divide them, let them dry a few days, then put them back in winter storage. You can also visit our Dahlia Care page, that will give you more helpful tips on caring for your dahlias.
We first discovered this dahlia 8-10 years ago and fell in love with everything about it. It grows to about 5 feet tall and is a robust plant with killer foliage. Large, 8″ fluffy flowers of creamy white with a lavender edge. Strong stems and lots of flowers for such a large bloom. Ferncliff Illusion also creates strong, large dahlia tubers. It’s a total winner and available for spring shipping. Click on the picture to order from our website.
Now’s a great time to order dahlia tubers and perennials for spring.
We’ve reached the time year where we will begin to sell out of dahlias, especially next month when we are at the NW Flower & Garden Show in Seattle.
Live in the Seattle area? The NW Flower & Garden Show will be held at the WA State Convention Center February 26-March 1, 2020.
The show is filled with flowers, flowering trees, unbelievable garden displays by local garden designers and landscape architects. There is every plant or bulb you could need for spring, the garden show is exactly what we need this time of year. It’s the premier garden show in the entire country. Stop by our Booth in the Plant Market.
