How to preserve dahlias at home from winter until spring

Dahlias are a beautiful perennial plant, so beloved by gardeners throughout Russia. However, the climatic conditions of many regions do not allow leaving the tubers in open ground for next year. They are dug up and conditions are created for wintering, but not every experienced summer resident manages to ensure the safety of the entire collection. Therefore, the question of how to store dahlias in winter is very relevant, especially among beginners.

When to remove dahlias for the winter

Dahlias do not require special care while in the ground, however, in order to preserve the tubers until next year, you will need to work a little. Thus, in the southern regions of Russia, to preserve the plant, it is recommended to mulch with sawdust or dry leaves. However, in the northern regions, it is recommended to dig up the tubers in the fall and store them until spring.

In outskirts of Moscow

Winter comes to Moscow and the Moscow region a little later, and almost always at different times. It is recommended to collect dahlias based on weather conditions. Typically, the optimal time is from mid-October to mid-November. If frosts are expected in the next 2-3 days, and you need to leave the dacha now, it is recommended to dig up the dahlias a little earlier and process them properly.

In the Leningrad region

Gardeners in the Leningrad region, due to special weather conditions, have to be especially careful. After all, a distinctive feature of the region is constant precipitation, and it is recommended to harvest dahlias in dry weather. The optimal time for collecting tubers is the first ten days of October.

In the Urals

Dahlias are harvested at the beginning of October, after frost has already destroyed the stems of the plants, but the ground has not yet frozen.

Important! It is recommended to dig up dahlias in the first days after the tops freeze. If you wait at least a week, the trunk will begin to rot. The rot spreads to the tubers, and the entire collection dies.

Also, if a warm period comes after the cold, there is a risk of swelling of the buds, which is extremely inappropriate before winter.

In Siberia

In Siberia, frosts occur much earlier, and therefore the garden cleaning season occurs in early autumn. Dahlias are harvested in mid to late September.But you should not rush to collect plants. The optimal time for digging is the first two to three days after the first frost. The stem dies and no longer needs nourishment from the tuber; the deplorable state of the above-ground part serves as a bell for collecting tubers.

According to the lunar calendar for 2018

Also, some gardeners excavate, focusing not on the climatic conditions of the region, but based on the data of the lunar calendar. The most favorable dates will be:

• in September - the first week in full, numbers from 10 to 19, and from 23 to 30 (all numbers except 25);
• in October - the first three days, 7 and 8, week - from 10 to 16, all numbers from 20 to 30, except 24;
• in November - the period from the third to the sixth, from 8 to 12, and the numbers from 17 to 20 inclusive.

How to dig flowers correctly

To keep the tubers in a suitable form until spring, you should trim them correctly. To do this, it is recommended to cut off the upper part of the stem with pruning shears, leaving 10-15 centimeters from the ground. A small stump is required to eliminate the risk of moisture penetration and infection. Then the soil around the tuber should be loosened and the tubers should be carefully pulled out without pulling the remaining stems. It is recommended to dig and lift dahlias with a pitchfork, as a shovel or hoe can seriously damage the plant.

Important! If air humidity allows, you need to leave the harvested tubers in the beds to dry. Then it is recommended to shake off the adhering soil and inspect the tubers for abrasions or rot.

Preparing tubers for storage

It is important not only to follow the digging rules and not damage the roots, but to carry out the preparation procedure for winter storage correctly. To do this, it is recommended to carry out the following steps clearly, point by point:

• eliminate the risk of disease;
• get rid of excess moisture;
• prepare a wintering site;
• take care of storage conditions.

If all actions are carried out correctly, then after wintering the dahlias will certainly delight their owners with beauty and grandeur.

Treatment

To avoid the appearance and spread of infection, it is recommended to treat the tubers after digging. Potassium permanganate is considered a popular remedy against root diseases. You need to prepare a pink solution in a large bowl (the volume depends on the number of tubers) and place the washed roots in it for half an hour. Often, instead of potassium permanganate, sulfur or any fungicide with a similar effect is used.

Drying

Next, you need to dry the tubers well and prepare the dahlias for storage. The procedure is simple, but it is recommended to follow several rules:

1. The roots should dry well and completely get rid of external moisture.
2. You should lay the tubers with the rest of the stem down to remove any liquid stuck in the shoot.
3. It is not recommended to dry dahlias in a warm room, as the evaporation of moisture will cause the roots to dry out completely.

The optimal place for drying would be a shelf or window sill in the open air, in the absence of precipitation. However, it is recommended to perform the procedure on a sunny, relatively warm day, and not leave the tubers overnight.

Storage locations and conditions

It is also important to think in advance where the dahlias will be stored all winter. The tubers of the plant are unpretentious, but require minor conditions. Typically, summer residents prefer to leave dahlias in the cellar for the winter, but not everyone can boast of having one. Then they leave the plant in the living room. But what conditions are required?

In the apartment

Important! The permitted air temperature for storing tubers varies from 3 to 10 degrees Celsius, but humidity should not exceed 70 percent.

Therefore, gardeners often take them to the basement, but if there is no basement, you can find many other places for tubers to stay at home in winter:

• a glazed, unheated loggia or a special cabinet for storing vegetables on the balcony;
• space in the bathroom (with a separate toilet) under the sink;
• staircase;
• a specially equipped box on the outside of the window sill;
• If the amount of material is small, the tubers are stored in the refrigerator, in the lower section for vegetables.

In the cellar

Dahlias are also stored in the cellar at their summer cottage. But in this case, it is necessary to completely protect the wintering place from rodent invasion. It is recommended to treat the floor with special pest repellent agents.

Another problem is the inability to independently control air humidity, which can cause the tubers to rot. Therefore, gardeners advise taking out several tubers at least once every month or two and inspecting them.

Methods for storing tubers

To provide the tubers with complete care during wintering, it is recommended to store dahlias in small boxes filled with any of the suitable fillers.

In boxes

Wooden boxes for preserving dahlias until spring are an optimal place for several reasons:

• if necessary, they can easily be moved to a more suitable place;
• the tree absorbs moisture, thus reducing the risk of rot;
• in apartment conditions, the drawers are decorated on the outside; they can be made part of the interior.

In sand

When choosing a filler, many people prefer sand, which has many advantages:

• not expensive;
• it’s easy to pull out dahlias to check their condition;
• does not accumulate excess moisture.

However, there are a couple of disadvantages.Firstly, you will need a lot of sand and large boxes. It is also heavy, and if necessary, you will have to make efforts to change the storage location.

Important! The sand should not be watered during the wintering of the tubers, even if it seems that the roots are losing too much of their moisture. Slightly overdried dahlias can be restored, but nothing can save rotten ones.

In the sawdust

Sawdust, especially coniferous, creates optimal conditions for storing dahlias:

• absorb moisture well;
• create a suitable temperature;
• cheap;
• pine sawdust also has disinfecting properties;
• lungs.

When covering tubers with sawdust, it is important to make sure that they are well dried and free of pests. If the gardener is not sure of their quality, it is recommended to dry them yourself in the open air, spreading them in a thin layer in the sun.

Waxing dahlia tubers

A very labor-intensive, but very effective method of increasing the safety of dahlias is waxing. Paraffin destroys possible infections and creates optimal microflora for tubers, eliminating the influence of the external environment. Wax-coated roots also take up significantly less space.

Regular old candles are suitable for the procedure:

• You need to melt the material in a water bath;
• dip the root suspended on a thread and immediately pull it out;
• hold in a suspended state until the paraffin hardens completely (about a minute).

Use of vermiculite

Vermiculite is also used for storage. It is enough to cover the bottom of the box with a small layer of coarse vermiculite, place dahlias on top, cover the box with cling film and transfer to a cool place. Any increase in storage temperature in this case may cause the risk of plant germination ahead of time.