During the winter cold weather, one often has to visit the storehouse, where the roots, bulbs and tubers of various colors, which delight with their beauty on summer days, are waiting for a warm spring. These plants include dahlias.
Many believe that these flowers are the most moody in the world. And it is true. Of course, in the process of growing them there are no special problems. A more difficult task is to store dahlias in the cellar, in the apartment and basement. After all, some varieties of this plant require appropriate care.
Preparing tubers for storage
So, how to store dahlias in a cellar or in an apartment? First of all, plants must be carefully dug up. In this case, the tubers must remain intact. After digging, the roots of the flower are carefully shaken off from the lumps of earth and laid out to dry. This is best done in a greenhouse. At the same time, windows and doors should be left open. After 5 days, the tubers are cleared of roots. As for the stem, it is also worth removing, leaving a stump 3 centimeters from the neck. All places where cuts were made are best treated with lime. After this, dahlia tubers should be kept for another 7 days in a room where the temperature is from 20 to 25 ° C. This time is enough for all the breaks and cuts to become more dense.
How did dahlias be stored before?
In Soviet times, getting these plants was quite difficult, not to mention the varieties of foreign selection. That is why every housewife sought to hide dahlias for the winter so that they survived until spring. Most often stored tubers in small boxes. Initially, the containers were covered with rather thick paper. After that, a layer of earth of three centimeters was laid at the bottom. On the ground - tubers of flowers. Then the dahlias were completely covered with earth. In this case, the soil was supposed to close all the voids formed in the box. After that, they again laid a number of tubers and covered it. When the box was full, it was covered with the edges of thick paper. This method made it possible to preserve dahlias by almost 100%. Apply this method today. However, for many varieties it is not suitable.
Preparing tubers for storage in the basement
So how to store dahlias in the cellar? Before putting tubers of flowers in containers for their further preservation, it is necessary to process them with a strong solution of potassium permanganate. The roots of plants should be kept in the product for 15 to 30 minutes. After this, the tubers need to be dried and laid out in the basement in boxes, on shelves or on wooden floorings. If space permits, it can be stored in undivided sockets. It is best to sprinkle the tubers with coniferous sawdust or sand. No more than two rows of dahlias should be stacked in boxes. You can wrap the tubers with paper and put them in boxes.
Storage of tubers in the basement
The main task is to protect dahlias from being eaten by rodents, premature germination, freezing, drying out and decay. It is for this reason that it is necessary to inspect tubers approximately once a month. If signs of decay appear, then such dahlias should be removed. If the lesions are small, then they can be neatly cut to healthy tissues. After removal, all sections should be treated with a strong solution of potassium permanganate, brilliant green or other fungicide. As for sawdust or sand, they must be replaced with fresh ones. The room where dahlias are stored should be aired. This is necessary so that the infection does not spread, and the air does not stagnate.
Since you need to store dahlias in the cellar throughout the winter, you should make sure that the tubers do not deteriorate. If the roots of the plant are wrinkled, then this is the first sign of drying out. You can fix this problem by sprinkling the filler in which the tubers are stored with water from a watering can or sprayer. It is worth remembering that due to excessive dampness, dahlias begin to rot. To prevent this, replace the sand or sawdust with fresh, and ventilate the basement. If the plants began to germinate ahead of time, then it is worth exposing them to the light. So that dahlia sprouts do not stretch much, you can plant them in pots. Rodents can also spoil tubers very much - do not forget about this.
Clay shell for storage
Storing dahlias in the cellar has its advantages and disadvantages. For example, in a dry room, tubers can dry quickly and wrinkle. To prevent this, they can be stored in a clay shell. Prepared and well-dried dahlias should be lowered into a clay mash. A little fungicide should be added to the solution. As for the consistency, the talker should resemble thick sour cream. Clay tubers must be dried. This can take days 4. When a strong crust forms, dahlias need to be put in a box in several rows. With the arrival of warm days, the crust is removed by light tapping, and the plant is planted in the ground.
Can dahlias be stored without boxes?
Prepared dahlia tubers can be stored on shelves in the basement. However, the room must have a temperature of at least 3 ° C and a relative humidity of 70%. So that the air in the basement does not stagnate, you should regularly, about three times a week, ventilate the room or turn on the exhaust fan for about 20 minutes.
How to protect tubers from rot?
Most often, dahlia losses during winter storage arise precisely from the process of decay. Typically, tubers begin to deteriorate at the top of the remaining hemp. At the same time, rot very quickly reaches juicy tissues to the root neck. The main problem is that at the initial stage of decay, externally spoiled tubers are no different from healthy ones. As a result, the affected dahlias are detected quite late, when the plant is simply impossible to save. So that the rot does not destroy the tubers, you can resort to a simple but effective method - cleaning the hemp. Since it is very difficult to save dahlias in winter, you should carefully consider their preparation. First of all, it is worthwhile to remove the stem from the dug tuber and remove the skin, along with soft tissues, from the hemp. This can be done with a sharp knife. It is best to start with the root neck. After the procedure, dahlias should be dried again for several hours.
Where is the best place to store dahlias?
What could be more beautiful than a dahlia? The storage of tubers plays an important role in the further growth of the plant. That is why it is important to create optimal conditions so that planting material does not deteriorate. In which rooms is it best to store tubers?
The ideal place is a cellar or basement, where the air temperature ranges from 1-7 ° heat, and humidity is from 80 to 100%. It is worth noting that in such a room the tubers will not begin to germinate prematurely and will not dry out.
Since it is not easy to save dahlias in the winter, you should carefully approach the choice of a storage location. A basement is suitable, where the temperature is from 1 to 10 ° C, and humidity is from 50 to 80%. However, planting material should be prepared by cleaning it from the soil, drying it and treating it with a fungicide. Tubers should be placed in boxes and covered with sawdust, peat or sand, so that all voids are filled.
You can store tubers in the apartment
Since not everyone can store dahlias in the cellar, there are many ways to save planting material in the apartment. To do this, place the tubers in plastic bags, sprinkled with peat, vermiculite or perlite. After this, the packaging should be tightly tied.