With their tremendous variety in form , size and colour , dahlias are prima donna of the summer and declination garden , often flower right up until frost , bet on thedahlia sort .
Are dahlias annuals ? No . * * Dahlias ( Dahlia ) are sore perennials that grow in USDA hardiness geographical zone 7 to 10 , but they are grown as yearly in many gardens . * *
Growing dahlias is not for the chance gardener , because you need to dig up the tubers in the fall , store them carefully over winter , and replant them in the spring . Even in clime in the ardent end of their range , dahlia benefit from the greening that appears when you dig them up and divide them .
Why Lift and Divide Dahlia Tubers?
Even if you live in a climate warm enough for a dahlia to avoid the wet , cold soil that it dislikes so much , there are still good reason for digging up and dissever your dahlia tubers :
moreover , digging up and dividing dahlias give you the chance to share or swap with fellow gardener .
If your garden is in the warmer part of the dahlia ’s climate range , you’re able to strain lifting and dividing tuber in alternating years while allow them to winter in the garden soil every other year .
offer some winter protective cover via a thick layer of mulch , but remember to remove the mulch after all danger of rime is past and before they begin to regrow .
How to Lift and Store Dahlia Tubers
When the top growth of the dahlia dies back in the pin , it ’s meter to dig up the genus Tuber . It ’s fine if this is just after the first rime , because you want the tubers to stay in the soil as long as possible — the more mature they are , the better they bear up in storage .
Warning
Do n’t switch off down the dahlia stanch until you are quick to dig up the tubers , because their hollow interior roll up water that can result in rotted tubers .
Digging Up the Tubers
loose the soil around the plant using a spade or shovel , being careful to quash sever any tubers or damaging the cervix , which is delicate .
Gently repeal out the Dahlia pinnata tubers , take care not to nick the skin if you could debar it . * * Any cutting or abrasions in the genus Tuber can invite disease and putrefaction . * *
Cleaning the Tubers
dispatch all the ground from the Dahlia pinnata tubers using a hose or submerging them in water . The grease might hold micro-organism that contribute to decline . you’re able to divide them at this level or hold back until you get them out of storage . To separate them , practice a sharp , sanitised tongue .
Dry them for a few days in a locating with dependable airflow and out of unmediated sunlight , in temperature of about 60 to 70 ° F .
Storing the Tubers
The main goal whenoverwintering tubersis to keep them chilled below 50 ° fluorine but above freeze . They should not be allowed to dry out , but too much moisture invites waste , so this is a soft residuum . jam them in moist vermiculite , sand , sawdust or forest shavings inside plastic or newspaper bags .
Check them on a regular basis . If any have develop soft daub or come along to be moulder , polish off them so they do n’t spread decomposition to the other tubers .
Next twelvemonth in late spring after the last Robert Lee Frost , replant them in full sun and well - draining soil . Then , sit back and bask your flower garden .
