1. redlines4me

    redlines4me Member

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    I have a bunch of Dahlia's growing in my garden. I live in a zone 6 (midwest) Is it ok to live these bulbs in the ground over winter? Or, should I dig them up and re-plant in the spring?
     
  2. Charles Richard

    Charles Richard Active Member 10 Years

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    Location:
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    Hi,
    We tried leaving ours in the ground for a couple of years and we lost some each year.
    It is Zone 7-8 here (other than last winter). If they are special to you then I would dig them up and store for the winter.
    We used to store ours in a coarse sawdust that I used for the bedding in stalls. Some suggest using peat moss. A grower of dahlias that we purchased ours through suggested this and it worked very well. Store in a frost free place.
     
  3. Marn

    Marn Active Member 10 Years

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    Location:
    Union, Oregon
    What about using packing peanuts for storing them in ??.. used to have tons of them.... i have some dahlias that i need to dig up for winter so i was just wondering if that would work ??..
    im new to all this stuff .. :)

    Thanks

    Marion
     
  4. Charles Richard

    Charles Richard Active Member 10 Years

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    Hi Marn,
    If you are talking about the styrofoam peanut shells, I am not sure if they would work?
    The tubers need to cleaned off and dried for a couple days or so. You do not want to let them dry too long, just long enough to have the surface moisture gone from washing soil off.
    We used to dust our with a bulb dust, but it was becoming harder to find. They still stored well without the dusting.
    You probably could try perlite, vermiculite or bagged bedding for pets (rabbits or chickens). Some suggest moistening the storing medium, just slightly, but you would not want it wet. If the material is too dry then it can dry out the tubers over time and too wet they will rot.
    When you store them (in box, large pale, etc.) do not seal the top. Layer the bottom with medium, then the tuber (one or two depending on the size of your container) and then cover with more medium. We would layer the tubers, but you do not want them touching, as if one is going to rot, then will transfer to the others. Cover the top with medium, a good couple inches.
    I used to check on them in the early spring. Store in garage or crawl space as long as it will not freeze where they are.
    I hope this helps,
    I have not tried it, but I have received alot of excellent advice through this website
    and it was mentioned to me to try the 'Search' (top right) for the individual forums.
    It was very helpful to me many times.
     
  5. Marn

    Marn Active Member 10 Years

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    Thanks for the tips on that .. i would really like to save my Dahlias .. they are pretty .. and it grew really nice it was the first time it was planted as i bought it as a tuber from the store .. ive heard of useing the animal bedding and i was thinking of doing that ..

    well i just hope i can keep all my plants alive this winter .. :)

    Marion
     
  6. Katalina25

    Katalina25 New Member

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    Location:
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    Temperature - keep the tubers in a frost free environment. A temperature range of 35 - 45 Fahrenheit will suit them fine. In practice, the garage will normally provide the correct environment.

    Dark - keep the tubers covered away from light. Again, the garage should be suitable.

    Moisture - the tubers must be kept dry, but not allowed to dry out completely. Surrounding them in peat, vermiculite or sawdust is a good way of achieving this.

    Four or five tubers are placed in a plastic bag (pierced with small holes) with some sawdust to absorb moisture. The bags are then placed in a plastic container which will be covered to provide darkness. To provide a more even temperature, the container is loosely filled with crumpled paper.

    During the winter, examine the tubers each month, and throw away any which show signs of rotting. If the tubers appear to be drying out, open the bags and sprinkle with a small amount of water.
     
  7. Marn

    Marn Active Member 10 Years

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    i hope my shed is safe enough .. i know at times it gets pretty cold here in NE Oregon .. way below zero .. and the shed aint insulated .. well gonna try it out and see what happens .. if it dont survive them ill just buy more next spring ..

    thanks again for the info ..

    Marion
     
  8. Katalina25

    Katalina25 New Member

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    Location:
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    Marian,

    Stuff the bottom of the shed door with any cloth, coats etc so frost does'nt get in.

    You could from inside cover any window in the shed with newspaper..
     
  9. Silver surfer

    Silver surfer Generous Contributor 10 Years

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    Location:
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    Katalina, remember that they have it REALLY cold in some places.
    The idea I believe, is to store the dahlia tubers in a frost free place. No amount of draught proofing will work when the temperatures are so low.
    In some places they have to plug the car engines into the house electrics, just to stop the oil freezing. Dahlia tubers in a shed here would simply never work.
     
  10. soccerdad

    soccerdad Active Member 10 Years

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    35-45 F in the garage? How I wish!! I have to put my mind back to grade school to convert to Fahrenheit, but if I recall correctly -20 F was what my garage used to reach in Winter in Calgary (and yes, we plugged our cars in overnight so that they would start in the morning, otherwise the oil would freeze).

    Here in balmy Vancouver my garage will go no lower than +10 F, I think. Virtually tropical. But my dahlias would still be toast if I left them there.
     
  11. Katalina25

    Katalina25 New Member

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    Ok,

    Wrap them in double fleece and store in the garage..or where ever, even in the bathroom if need be lol
     
  12. Marn

    Marn Active Member 10 Years

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    Location:
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    Ya it does get pretty cold here in the winters .. last winter it snowed pretty good for a while and oh ya .. dont decide to move in the middle of winter .. it aint fun ...lol..
    we had bought our house last Dec so ya moveing was done in the middle of Jan .. NE Oregon we are surround by mountains .. we get alot of snow ..
    This shed is not insulated and no windows .. it was like a lil add on to the orginal shed more like a garden shed .. but ill get them wrapped up good .. i also have 100 punds of potatos in there so i hope they dont freeze ..but if they do oh well it was only $10 for them . i know my neighbour stores her Dahlias in her shop they dont keep it heated ..

    Marion
     
  13. Katalina25

    Katalina25 New Member

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    Good luck Marn, I am so glad our winters are quite mild in camparison.
     
  14. Charles Richard

    Charles Richard Active Member 10 Years

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    Location:
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    I know here on Vancouver Island were we are I might be able to store things in the garage (uninsulated), but our winter weather is so unpredictable that I would not take the chance on it here. Especially after last winter. If it where insulated it would not be a problem. Not knowing what everyones climated is like unless you have lived there it is always just a educated evalutation, based on climatic zones given.
    I believe that we are similar in Zone, can be quite different depending whether you are on the coast.
    I know that all of the information I get from this website is always very helpful.
     

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