Top 5 Dahlia Storage Mistakes Most Gardeners Make

Storing dahlia tubers over the winter can be a tricky animal to master. 

People seem to have neverending issues with storing dahlias, so we've put together a list of our top 5 tips and tricks to protecting your tuber investment and making sure they get through the winter in-tact, and alive.

Here are the top 5 mistakes most dahlia growers make with storage - and what to do instead!

1. Forget to check on them.  Think of your dahlia tubers as a newborn baby.  They are living beings.  They need checking on, especially in the beginning!  After storing them away, whatever your method, check on them every day in the beginning - especially to make sure they aren't too wet.  Condensation on their container is a sure sign they are too wet, so make sure to take them back out and dry them off before packing them away again.
2. Let them rot or dry out. Moisture level is everything.  Dahlia tubers should not be allowed to dry out, and they also cannot be too wet (this encourages rot).  Tubers should be properly dried off after washing, then stored in a plastic container that will hold in proper humidity and moisture.  Do not store tubers in a paper bag with nothing else around to trap the moisture, or even worse, leave them in an open area without any container at all.  We use kitchen trash bags, placed inside a hard plastic tupperware to store ours en masse.  If you don't care about dividing, then don't wash your tubers at all.  Just brush off any excess dirt, throw it in a plastic container, and move on.
3. Let them get too cold, or too warm.  Dahlia tubers should be stored between 40 and 55 degrees.  Tubers cannot be allowed to freeze (so storing them in a detached garage is probably not a good idea), but they should also not be allowed to warm up too much since this kicks them into growing mode and they can sprout & sweat under these conditions.  Dahlia tubers are the golidlocks of the tuber world I guess!  We store ours in an attached garage that never freezes, but an unheated basement that stays cool can also be the perfect place.  If you only have a few, and no available basement, the back of the fridge is fine (but make sure it doesn't freeze, and block out the light with a box or paper bag).
4. Let them get eaten.  Yes, dahlia tubers are edible.  Do I eat them?  No.  Will mice and rats go for them?  Absolutely!  We store all of our tubers in sealed hard plastic containers to protect them from critters in our basement and garage.  Setting a couple snap traps is probably a good idea too.
5. Divide in the spring.  Can you divide in the spring?  Yes.  Do I recommend it?  No.  Dividing in the fall is better because generally speaking, the tubers are warmer from the soil, so the eyes are easier to find.  Secondly, when you divide your tuber clumps, you have the chance to remove the mother tuber, which often rots, as well as any other rotted plant material hidden in the clump.  Thirdly, tubers can easily break off of their central stalk when stored whole, leaving them useless, but once you divide your clump into individual tubers with an attached eye, breakage is much less likely and takes up way less space.

Have more questions about dahlia tuber storage?  Email me at miranda@newpetalflowerfarm.com!

Good luck and have fun!

Miranda