Lifting & Storing Dahlias

Dahlia Care

Dahlias are easily my favourite flower of all time but they do tend swing back and forth on the fashion pendulum. Back in the 1800's they were known as Georginas and were frightfully expensive. They were a real status symbol costing one hundred pounds a tuber. Wealthy families would plant large borders full of them and invite guests around for afternoon tea to show them off. By the 1950's they had come down in price and in the drab era of brown and beige lost their attraction. They were considered showy and vulgar and many of them were lost.

Every year gardeners up and down the country report that their Dahlias are slow through the summer or that they have short stems. I assure you this is normal! Dahlias are at their best in the early autumn - in the UK this is September time. They originate from equatorial regions such as Mexico, Columbia and Central America, where the days and nights are equal lengths. So the autumn equinox which falls on the 23rd September is the time they love the most. Not too hot, not too cold and equal day and night.

In my last Dahlia blog "Growing Dahlias" I gave a general overview of all aspects of Dahlia growing and propagation . This time I will focus on what you need to do in Autumn to store your Dahlias for the winter and ensure that you can re use as many of them as possible next season.

Lifting

In areas which do not suffer too much from a hard frost lifting is not necessary but for those in the UK it may be wise to lift and store them to secure your tubers for the following year, or if you have wet clay soil/poor drainage which will rot the tubers through winter.

In some southern parts you can experiment with leaving a few in the ground to see if they do make it through the winter just ensure they have a good covering of mulch and free raining soil. We do find that on our field that they do much better lifted as otherwise they would rot.

Dahlias need to be lifted out of the ground just after the first frosts or in the case of very late frosts when they stop being viable and producing blooms. You can even wait for the second frost before lifting as this will give the tubers more time to mature which will help them through the winter time - This is usually by mid October where I live in the South of England. You will know instantly when you have had a frost as the leaves will all be turned black. You will then need to cut down all of the stems & leaves, leaving just 10cm or so of a main stem to help lifting.

Using a garden fork loosen the soil around each dahlia and lift the whole tuber out of the ground. Try to do this on a dry ish day so that the excess soil can be easily brushed off. Take as much soil off as possible without damaging the tubers, so bashing them on the ground is a no no!!

Dahlias

Labelling

If you only have a few tubers and are growing in the garden at home you won't mind too much about correct labelling but if you want to grow and propagate them by colour then correct labelling is a must. It's actually like an obsession and I don't think I have had a single year yet without at least a handful labelled as "unknown variety". It's frustrating and this year is my worst ever with over half of mine labelled like this - my own stupidity as I transported them to the field all the pots were knocked over and got mixed up. I've also had the birds pull by labels out of the ground and I've heard of mice gnawing through the string when tied to tubers! So I have found that triple labelling is the most successful.

Firstly I label each tuber with a marker pen when they are in storage over winter ( Jan or Feb time) I don't do this straight after lifting because they are too wet and the marker pen gets clogged up. I then label each pot when pre sprouting with a label which follows the tuber into the field and then when the flowers can clearly been seen I double check all the labels in the soil and add another label tied around the main stem of the plant. Then I'm absolutely exhausted !!!

Dahlias

Drying/short term Storage

Once all of your Dahlias are lifted store them in a cool dark place which is frost free until you are ready to wash and split them.

You are essentially removing them from the ground to ensure that the frost does not damage them and putting them somewhere safe out the way to dry out a little bit. I store mine in plastic crates in my garage for a few weeks until I have the time to deal with them.

Dahlias

Preparation

Once you are ready to store your tubers for the winter you will need to give them a good wash with a hoze pipe jet. It's a dirty job and the power from your regular kitchen tap will not be strong enough to clean the tubers well. You can see from the picture how clean the tubers should get. This is essential to ensure any creatures and soil are washed off ready for hibernation.

They can immediately be split for winter storage or stored as whole tubers !

Dahlia Anatomy & Splitting

Each plant consists of a stumpy stem or stems and will have several swollen parts attached. They are really not the prettiest things to look at ! These are called tubers and to grow into a successful plant each Dahlia needs a tuber with at least one eye. The section where all of the tubers and stems meet is called the crown. Dahlia stems will grow from buds/eyes on this crown. Look very closely all around the crown of the tubers for the eyes and you will be able to see small freckle like spots. Some tubers will have lots and others just a few. At this time of year that are not easy to spot and you need to look very very closely! They are easiest to spot straight after lifting and again in the spring just as they begin sprouting.

Remember the tubers are not roots – they are a food store for the plant and if a tuber does not have an eye then it will not grow no matter how much care and attention you give it.

It can be difficult to know where to start but if you begin by splitting a tuber in half across the old main stem you are half way there already. Try splitting between the tubers so that you get less wastage, but inevitably you will end up with a few which have been sliced through. Make sure that you throw these - they will just rot in storage and put the rest of your stock at risk. You can then split both of these halves again so you end up with four quarters if your tuber is really big.

Now it’s easier to look at each tuber and decide if it’s viable or not. Carefully check the crown of each tuber looking for at least one eye. Some will have none – these can be discarded but others may have many. Then simply cut this tuber away from the rest taking care to cut it away with the eye and some crown. Repeat this for each tuber in turn. If you are unsure if you can see eyes or not then there is no harm in keeping them all and checking them in spring when the eyes are much easier to see.

If you have any tubers which are a bit wobbly and broken remove these ( Middle picture below) and do not store them - they may rot. At the same time you can also trim off all of the fine roots as these will not be needed for winter and new ones will be produced next season.

Once you have discarded all the parts without an eye and done your trimming you will be left with a bunch of nice neat looking tubers just like the picture on the left. From that one clump which you planted in springtime you can get as many as 10+ viable tubers which will in turn make a huge clump of tubers for you to divide next year!

Storage

There are a few different ways to store tubers but the below method is the one I have used for years and it works well for me with minimal loss.

You will need a container to store them in such as a lined bulb crate or a plastic box/bin, and a medium to cover them. There are so many mediums to store tubers but the most important thing is to keep them hydrated and frost free. You can use vermiculite, peat moss, spent compost, wood shavings etc. I now use wood shavings - the kind you can buy from the pet shop for rabbits. Simply take your container and put a layer of your medium in the bottom - just a couple of cm's is enough. Place each tuber onto the medium and ensure that they are not touching then cover the tubers with another layer of your medium. The label which you used for short term storage can then be placed inside the container.

Once you have done this store them away in a frost free place at 5-10 ℃

It’s a good idea to check on them once a month until spring time. If the tubers are looking shrivelled then a light misting with some water will help to keep them going and using a plastic box with a lid also helps. They should not be left to dry out too much or be left wet or they will rot.

I check mine after 2 weeks first- yes every single one unpacked from storage checked and then packed back again - this is to remove any rotting ones as otherwise the rotting may spread throughout the crate all winter long. I then check them monthly/bi monthly after this and remove any rotting tubers. After the first check it is rare to find many rooting ones but its best to be safe. If you suffer from rodent attacks it is also wise to ensure you use something with a lid !

I have experimented using shrink wrapping film instead of storing in a medium but it rotted all of the tubers by sealing in the dampness. They really do need to be bone dry when storing like this and I haven't managed to get it right as yet so I will continue with the wood shavings for now and experiment with the cling film.

During one of my checks - usually in Jan/Feb is when I then label each one with a marker pen!

Small numbers of tubers

If you only have a handful of tubers then its not necessarily worth the effort splitting them at the end of the season. They can be stored away in large clumps washed or unwashed. This way you can wait for springtime to divide them when the eyes have started to form.

Good luck ...... all you need to do now is wait for a frost!

#Dahlias #Gardenblogs #Allotmentlife #Flowerfarmerflorist #Fuschiablooms #Gardenbloguk

Autumn Seed Sowing

Autumn seed sowing eables you to get a head start on next year. It gives an earlier crop than spring sown plants and gives that succession needed to have a continuous display. They can be sowed in a greenhouse, poly tunnel, coldframe or even in old milk jugs, and some can go straight outside either in the final cropping positions or in pots.

Choose Hardy Annuals which can withstand a little frost or colder weather and check seed packets for which months to sow. Some of my Autumn favourites include Orlaya Grandiflora, Sweetpeas, Moon Carrot, Daucus Carotta, larkspur, Poppes and Cornflower.

Let's start by saying that nothing is for sure, but given the right conditions seeds will grow. It’s very easy to get it wrong with watering, temperature and pests but it’s the cheapest way to fill a garden and will give you many blooms which are not commercially available in the garden centres. You can also ready my Beginners Guide to Growing from Seed - The Dark art of Propagation to start off with.

With autumn seed sowing season upon us I have compiled a few hints and tips along with my list of favourites for Autumn.

1. Moisten your compost first to allow greater absorbtion of water without disturbing the seeds and also to help prevent damping off. If you water onto a dry mix you will find that your seeds can easily get washed to the sides of the pot. Just a small sprinkling of water is enough, mix the compost thoroughly and then fill your pots.

2. Tamp down the soil inside your pots a little so that it is compact. Roots don't like large air pockets and will not grow well through them, also It will be much easier to push out the seedling for potting on.

3. Don’t sow seedling too thickly as this will just lead to less airflow and diseases will set in. The seeds will also have too much competition to grow strongly. Better to sow as thinly as you can so the roots have plenty of room to grow. This will also make pricking our easier as the roots will not be so much of a tangled mess

4. Check your seed packets. There are vital tips on there for each type of seed. Some seeds need light to germinate and others must not be covered at all. Use vermiculite to cover seeds rather than soil. Soil can form a hard crust on the top of the soil, especially if the seeds are taking a long time to germinate – some can take as long as 3-6 moths ! In general the smaller the seed the less cover they need with seeds such as poppies which are tiny needing no cover and sweetpeas - quite large needing to be buried quite deep.

5. Always label your seed trays with the variety and date sowed. It can sometimes feel like a long time while waiting for germination but in reality only 2 weeks has passed – which is perfectly normal. It’s also good to test your marker pen to ensure that it is permanent, I have used one in previous years and later found that it was not quite as permanent as the label said it was! If in any doubt then a pencil will work well and will not wash off.

6. Water seedlings from the bottom as much as you can. This will prevent any problems with disease and fungus growing on the surface of the soil and killing your seedlings. You can also use a cinnamon wash to prevent algae. Simply boil a pan of water with a few cinnamon sticks, wait to cool and use this mix to water your seedlings.

7. Some seeds require a period of cold stratification before they will germinate - The seed packet will tell you this. These are the most tricky seeds and there are a few ways you can do it. These seeds are very hardy and really are best sowed in autumn - this mimmicks their natural conditions. So you can sow them in autumn and just let nature do its job, leaving the seeds outside or in the greehouse over winter. The cold weather naturally kick starts the seeds and once the weather warms in spring they will germinate.

8. Damping off in the greenhouse in winter is a particular problem. It is caused by a type of fungi which need damp soil to spread from one plant to another. The best way to prevent its spread is with good hygiene. Ensure all containers are cleaned thoroughly before use, soak them in hot water and scrub off all the dirt, you can also use a disinfectant to ensure they are spotlessly clean.

9. Always use fresh mains water for seedlings as water stored in a waterbutt or even just in the watering can for a few weeks can start to form algae. Don't overwater plants in autumn as this also leads to damping off, follow tip # 1 I gave ........Moisten your compost first rather than dretching the seeds afterwards as thsi also helps!

10. If you do find that Damping off is affecting your plants then the best thing to do is to chuck all of the affected trays. ( Not into the compost though - into the bin! ) This may seem harsh but the disease with spread rapidly throughout the greenhouse killing everything literally over night. I have on occasion managed to rescue some seedlings by re potting the unaffected ons into fresh compost in a sterlized container and leaving outside/in isolation just inacase.

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Spring Equinox – why is it so important?

Spring has finally sprung. It’s the day of the vernal equinox, 20th March here in the UK. It is such a crucial date in the gardening calendar, this is the time that night and day become equal. There is a slight discrepancy which is due to various astronomical reasons which I will not bore you with right now as the most important thing to remember is short winter days are disappearing and the long days of summer are on their way. You will begin to see a surge of growth and activity from plants in the garden and seedlings sown earlier in the year as many plants respond to the lengthening of days of spring and the shortening cooler nights very well. It is such an important response that it has its own name, photoperiodism.

Each plant has its own inbuilt regulated response to the length of day and night. Some plants like more daylight hours, some less and others like equal length so these form 3 distinctive groups. Short Day plants, Long Day plants and Day neutral plants. Short day plants will flower best when day lengths are below a certain number of and vice versa for long day plants. Day neutral plants will flower when they are ready and are not really affected by light so much.

Short day plants : Chrysanthemum & Dahlias tend to flower later in the season, during late summer and autumn as they do not like long sunny days and prefer longer nights.

Long day plants : Foxgloves, Hibiscus & Gypsophilla like to wait for longer daylight hours.

Day neutral plants: Viburnum, radishes, tomatoes & strawberries will flower when they ready.

Horticulturists and home gardeners can of course use artificial lights and controlled environments to manipulate the day and night length and increase the growing season. Daylight lamps will force rapid growth in seedlings but the cost of this to the home gardener usually outweighs any benefit on such a small scale.

However in late spring and early summer it is much easier to shorten daylight hours on flowers for instance Chrysanthemums naturally bloom with the long nights of spring or autumn. By making the days shorter by covering them for at least 12 hours a day over the course of several weeks in late spring/early summer you can stimulating blooming.

Taking photographs and record notes for where sun lies in your garden at the equinox and which flowers are in bloom is a great to refer back to year after year when planning your garden.

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