Dahlias - storage of tubers

An obligatory condition for the cultivation and reproduction of dahlias is the annual digging of tubers and their storage throughout the winter. But this is not always done correctly. Tubers of healthy plants that have matured for a sufficient amount of time are in most cases kept in winter under all conditions, but some dahlias give very small or capricious rhizomes for which special conditions must be created.

Therefore, in the article we will consider how to properly organize the winter storage of dahlias.

When to clean dahlias for storage?

It is believed that the more time a tuber is in the ground, the better it will ripen and its wintering will be more successful. The time of collection of dahlias for storage depends on the beginning of the first frosts, as it is necessary to collect before they start. Thus, dahlias are usually excavated in the middle climatic zone at the end of September or beginning of October, in the more southern region - later, and in the north - before this period.

How to prepare dahlias for storage?

Before storing the tubers for storage, they should be prepared as follows:

Correctly dig out

1. Before digging the rhizome of the dahlia, its stem should be trimmed, leaving 10 cm above the ground to tie a tag with the name of the color variety.
2. Dig carefully, without breaking or damaging the roots.

Rinse and process

1. Clean your hands of the ground.
2. Rinse well with water.
3. Soak for half an hour in a solution of potassium permanganate of medium consistency.

Dry

1. After the treatment with potassium permanganate, put the tubers up with a rhizome, so that the glass has all the moisture (not only from the rhizome itself, but also from the hollow part of the stems).
2. After the final drying, put it in a cool place for 5-6 days. This is done so that the skin of the peel and the tubers has not dried out over the winter.

Divide

Before the final storage, the Dahlia tubers are recommended to be divided into little pieces, but this is not necessary.

Where to store dahlias in winter?

The most optimal place for storing dahlias is a dark, cool, well ventilated and dry room with a temperature of +5 ° C.

Therefore, keeping dahlias in winter is better in places like:

• cellar;
• basement;
• apartment (on the balcony).

Storing tubers in the cellar

There are several ways in which you can store dahlia tubers in a cellar or cellar.

1. Lay the tubers in one layer in boxes and cover with coniferous sawdust. For falling asleep, you can use other materials (for example: perlite), but coniferous sawdust is best used.
2. Place prepared rhizomes in parchment bags filled with special mixtures for storage. Sacks with tubers must be well tied.
3. To preserve moisture in the rhizomes, wrap them with food film and put them in boxes for storage. In this case, you should monitor the temperature regime (+ 5 ° C-7 ° C), otherwise the tubers will dry up.
4. An ordinary wooden box is covered with paper, a layer of dry earth is poured on top of it, onto which the dahlia tubers are laid and they are sprinkled with earth. Then he spreads another layer of tubers - and again sprinkled with soil. After that, the entire box is again covered with paper and placed in a cellar or cellar.

Keeping dahlias in the apartment

Storing dahlias are usually handled by urban gardeners. There are two ways to do this.

1 way

1. In a suitable box, we make several holes with a diameter of 8-10 mm on each side. This is done to provide tubers with fresh air and gas exchange.
2. At the bottom lay a layer of tubers of dahlias and fall asleep with sawdust, perlite or other material.
3. On top of this place another layer of tubers and fall asleep the same.
4. Fill the box up, put it in the coolest place in the apartment.

On the balcony you can store only until the onset of frost.

2 way

1. We prepare the tuber itself: after washing well from the soil, cutting off the small roots and the entire stem.
2. Prepare the paraffin: take paraffin 4/5 parts and wax 1/5 part and reheat on a steam bath at a temperature of 52 ° C-58 ° C.
3. We lower the tuber itself into this liquid for a second in two directions to cover it completely with a paraffinic crust.
4. We put in a polyethylene bag with sawdust, peat or sand and put in a cool place.

Before planting tubers, for storage of which paraffin was used, this crust must be removed.

Having prepared and organized the winter storage of the dahlia tubers properly, you will not have problems with the planting material in the spring.