Dahlias are surprisingly beautiful and elegant flowers that can give any garden a truly fabulous and even somewhat magical look. Be that as it may, but the growing season passes, and winter comes, bringing with it a lot of worries.
In particular, it was during this period that novice gardeners asked themselves how to store dahlias. But if you incorrectly organize this event, then next year your garden will not be as beautiful.
First option
Dig up the tubers, shake them off the ground, and then lay them out to dry in a dry and well-ventilated place. After about six days, they need to be cleaned of the remnants of the earth and roots, and cut the stem six centimeters above the root neck.
Places of cuts are treated with lime. After this, the tubers are kept at a constant temperature of 20-25 degrees Celsius for another week.
By the way! Since it is not easy to store dahlias without a suitably equipped room, it is advisable to start its construction in advance.
For a week of exposure, the slices manage to become covered with a strong cork layer. After this, you need to take wooden boxes, the bottom and sides of which are covered with two layers of newsprint.
At the bottom, a couple of centimeters of fertile land is poured and tubers are put there. They are also covered with earth, and it is better to try to fill all the voids as carefully as possible. Then the next row is stacked. This method guarantees almost 100% safety of your seed material.
Since dahlias can be stored in this way only by those who have a fully equipped cellar ready, consider a more common situation.
Second option
Even our ancestors acted somewhat differently, covering the tubers with a clay shell. As in the first case, dug dahlias need to be cleaned from the ground and dried for four days. After that, they are finally cleaned of the remnants of the earth, after which they are immersed in a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate for 12 hours .
Make a red clay talker, the consistency of which should resemble thick sour cream. Since it is not easy to store dahlias due to problems with fungi, it will not hurt to add any fungicide to the mixture. Each tuber is dipped in clay and dried during the day.
The resulting "workpiece" can be stored all winter on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Before planting, they are cleaned of the protective shell and planted in the ground.
And how to store dahlias in winter, based on general recommendations? It is believed that the optimal temperature in the storage should not exceed seven degrees Celsius (1-7 degrees), air humidity is preferable to within 80%. Under these conditions, planting material will not only not go into premature growth, but will not dry out due to lack of moisture in the air.
And one more way
If you don’t have the opportunity to store tubers in a cellar or refrigerator, you can use the proven method. To do this, several dahlias are placed in a dense black plastic bag, covered with clean and calcined sand (absolutely dry!), After which they are sealed as tightly as possible, preventing moisture from entering it.
So we told you how to store dahlia tubers in winter!