Dahlias are beautiful, but they're also finicky. This means that you'll need to take extra care when storing them for the winter season. Not only will this keep your dahlia tubers healthy and happy, it can also save you money by allowing you to grow more dahlias in the future!
Dig up the entire plant with a spade or shovel, taking care not to damage the tubers. You can remove all of the soil from around each tuber, using your hands and rinsing it off in water. We actually store ours with the soil still around the tubers. So this is totally not needed but depending on your space may be required.
You will need to cure, or ‘dry’ your dahlias before storing. The drying process is important because it helps prevent mold from forming on the tubers. The drying process will take a few days, so don't expect them to dry overnight! We put down cardboard in our shop and lay them out for a day or so.
Place your dahlia tubers in a wooden box, cardboard box, crate, tote or laundry basket, and cover them with wood shavings or sawdust (not cedar shavings). We recommend you try multiple methods to see which is best for your specific storage area.
When storing dahlia tubers, it’s important to keep them dark and cool. If you store the tubers in a basement or garage that is too cold, they will rot. On the other hand, if you store them in a warm room where they receive direct sunlight or near heat sources (like next to your furnace), they will also rot. A fridge is ideal or around 4 degrees. Here on our farm we store our tubers in bulb crates, in our cold cellar with a thermometer and a preprogrammed alarm so we get notified of any fluctuations in temperature and humidity.
One of the worst things you can do for your dahlia tubers is to let them freeze. If they freeze, they will thaw and be mush and then you'll have to throw them away. This can be a real bummer, especially if they're really pretty or expensive tubers!
How do you avoid this? Don’t store dahlia tubers in places that get extremely cold—like outside in winter (duh). So, what are you waiting for? Get digging!