Bright, beautiful, lush dahlias are a real decoration of any garden. These plants delight with their flowering from mid-summer until the very frost. But in order to repeat such beauty next year, you need to know how to properly store the tubers of these flowers in winter at home until spring planting.

Preparation for wintering begins even before the onset of the very first frosts in autumn, which are very dangerous for plants.

During a slight frost, not only the ground part, but also the root system can suffer. Such planting material will not be preserved until spring. So before the cold snap it is necessary to spud every bush, this procedure will warm the tubers.

Next, you need to look at the weather conditions before the onset of winter. As soon as the first frost comes, the foliage of dahlias will turn black and dry. When this happens, you need a sharp knife cut all stems, leaving 8-10 cm to the base.

The names of varieties can be attached to the remaining stumps for easy storage after harvesting. After pruning the ground part, if precipitation is not predicted, the tubers can sit in the ground for another 5-7 days.

Then them need to dig. To do the right digging, use the following tips:

• Dig around the stem in the distance about 20 cm.
• With a pitchfork or a sharp shovel, pry and lift each spine. At the same time, do not pull the bulbs out of the ground by the remaining stems.
• Rinse all the tubers under running water, thoroughly washing off the remaining soil.
• Process each root pale solution of potassium permanganate.
• Damaged places of tubers and roots, cut off small nodules, sprinkle cuts with ash or treat with brilliant green.

Preparing for wintering at home

Dahlias must be dried before storage.

You can do this in a greenhouse, on a balcony or veranda. Warm living quarters are not suitable, as the roots will dry out quickly. After 4-5 days, the roots will dry out.

Then recommended treat dahlias with fungicides. This procedure will help to avoid the appearance of pathogens, from which plants can die. This is done either as a dry preparation (the roots are lightly powdered), or in solution (the roots are completely immersed in the liquid).

How to properly process the solution:

• To prevent the roots from rotting during storage, you can add an insecticide to the fungicides.
• Every variety process in a separate container by signing it in advance.
• Tubers that have floated to the surface must be removed, as they will not be suitable for planting.
• Wear durable rubber gloves to avoid burns of hands from drugs.

With this treatment, the likelihood of plant diseases is reduced to almost zero. Soak time in solution 15-20 minutes. After that, the roots must be laid out on a wooden surface, thick paper, cardboard and dried.

It is better to immediately decompose dahlias into varieties, so as not to confuse them later. After drying, dahlias can be marked with a special chemical marker or pencil.

How to store tubers in a city apartment in winter

Wintering is best tolerated by dahlias placed in a basement or cellar.

Optimum temperature from 3 to 5 degrees of heat, with humidity up to 70%. The room or city apartment must also have adequate ventilation. Tubers are recommended to be stored in wooden or plastic boxes.

Place the roots in the box as follows:

• Drawer bottom cover with paper(old newspapers, cardboard).
• Pour a layer of dry earth.
• Lay the tubers loosely so that they do not touch each other.
• Pour a small layer of dry soil on top. You can use dry sand or sawdust.
• Top the boxes with paper.

Then the boxes are placed in the cellar or basement on racks. Previously, the racks must be sprinkled with a layer of sand. This is the most common storage method.

But there are other storage options:

• Do liquid mortar from ordinary clay, add potassium permanganate and copper sulfate to it. Dip each tuber into the mash, dry, place in a cloth bag. Then put into boxes.
• Drop every root in hot paraffin. When cool, wrap in paper and put in boxes. Remove paraffin before planting.

If it is not possible to store dahlias in the cellar, you can consider apartment options:

1. The roots are placed in a plastic bag, which is filled with dry peat or sphagnum. Store packages in a cool pantry or insulated balcony.
2. Treat the tubers with dry wood ash, place in dense cellophane, fill them with air and tie up. Then place in a cool place.
3. A small number of plants can be placed in the refrigerator.

During the period of winter cold, one often has to visit the storehouse, where roots, bulbs and tubers of various colors are waiting for a warm spring, which delight with their beauty on summer days. These plants include dahlias.

Many believe that these flowers are the most capricious 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 the storage of dahlias in the cellar, in the apartment and in the basement. After all, some varieties of this plant require appropriate care.

Preparing tubers for storage

So, how to store dahlias in the cellar or in the apartment? First of all, the plants must be carefully dug up. In this case, the tubers should remain intact. After digging, the roots of the flower are carefully shaken off the clods 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 should also be removed, leaving a stump 3 centimeters from the neck. All places where cuts were made are best treated with lime. After that, the 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 breaks and cuts to become more dense.

earlier?

In Soviet times, it was quite difficult to get these plants, not to mention varieties of foreign selection. That is why every housewife sought to hide dahlias for the winter so that they would live until spring. Most often, tubers were stored in small boxes. Initially, the containers were covered with fairly thick paper. After that, a layer of earth of three centimeters was laid out at the bottom. On the ground - flower tubers. Then the dahlias were completely covered with earth. At the same time, the soil had to close all the voids formed in the box. After that, a row of tubers was again laid and covered with it. When the box was completely filled, it was closed with the edges of thick paper. This method made it possible to save dahlias almost 100%. This method is still used today. However, it is not suitable for many varieties.

Preparing tubers for storage in the basement

So, how to store dahlias in the cellar? Before putting flower tubers in containers for their further preservation, it is necessary to treat them with a strong solution of potassium permanganate. Plant roots should be kept in the product for 15 to 30 minutes. After that, the tubers need to be dried and laid out in the basement in boxes, on shelves or on wooden decks. If space allows, it can be stored in undivided nests. It is best to sprinkle plant tubers with coniferous sawdust or sand. No more than two rows of dahlias should be stacked in boxes. You can wrap the tubers in paper and place 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 the tubers about once a month. If there are signs of decay, then such dahlias should be removed. If the lesions are small, they can be carefully cut to healthy tissue. After removal, all sections should be treated with a strong solution of potassium permanganate, brilliant green, or another fungicide. As for sawdust or sand, they must be replaced with fresh ones. The room where dahlias are stored should be ventilated. 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 take care 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 spraying the filler in which the tubers are stored with water from a watering can or a spray bottle. It is worth remembering that due to excessive dampness, dahlias begin to rot. To prevent this from happening, you should replace the sand or sawdust with fresh ones, and ventilate the basement. If the plants began to germinate ahead of time, then it is worth exposing them to the light. So that the sprouts of dahlias do not stretch much, you can plant them in pots. Rodents can also greatly spoil the tubers - this should not be forgotten.

Clay shell for storage

Storing dahlias in a cellar has its advantages and disadvantages. For example, in a dry room, tubers can quickly dry out and shrivel. To prevent this from happening, they can be stored in a shell of clay. Prepared and well-dried dahlias should be lowered into a clay mash. Add a little fungicide to the solution. As for the consistency, the talker should resemble thick sour cream. Tubers in clay must be dried. This may take 4 days. When a strong crust forms, dahlias need to be folded into a box in several rows. With the advent 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 temperature must be at least 3 °C and relative humidity - 70%. So that the air in the basement does not stagnate, it is worth regularly, about three times a week, to ventilate the room or turn on the exhaust fan for about 20 minutes.

How to protect tubers from rot?

Most often, the loss of dahlias during winter storage occurs precisely because of the rotting process. Usually the tubers start to deteriorate at the top of the remaining stump. At the same time, the rot very quickly gets through the succulent tissues to the root neck. The main problem is that at the initial stage of decay, outwardly damaged tubers are no different from healthy ones. As a result, the affected dahlias are found 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 worth removing the stem from the excavated tuber and removing 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 collar. 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? Tuber storage plays an important role in the further growth of the plant. That is why it is important to create optimal conditions so that the planting material does not deteriorate. What is the best place to store tubers?

An ideal place is a cellar or basement, where the air temperature fluctuates between 1-7°C and humidity ranges from 80 to 100%. It is worth noting that in such a room the tubers will not begin to germinate ahead of time and will not dry out.

Since it is not easy to store dahlias in winter, you should carefully consider the choice of storage location. A basement is suitable, where the temperature is from 1 to 10 ° C, and the humidity is from 50 to 80%. However, planting material should be prepared by clearing the soil, drying and treating with a fungicide. The 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 keep planting material in the apartment. To do this, it is necessary to place the tubers in polyethylene bags, sprinkled with peat, vermiculite or perlite. After that, the package should be tightly tied.

The injury of dahlias can cause some concern for beginner growers, especially if there was once a bad experience, and the planting material was partially or completely lost. This happens if the storage conditions for dahlias are violated. And they are as follows: a constant air temperature from + 3 ° C to + 6 ° C at a humidity of 55-70%. It is this temperature and humidity that are stored in the basements.

You are reading the continuation of the article "How to save dahlias?" Step three: storing dahlias in winter.

Storage of dahlias in basements.

Before storing, clean dahlia tubers are kept for 15-30 minutes in a strong solution of potassium permanganate, dried and placed in the basement on wooden flooring, shelves, in boxes or boxes. Even undivided dahlia nests can be stored in the basement, as there is enough space. Dahlia tubers are sprinkled with sawdust (preferably coniferous) or sand, laying in 1-2 rows. You can simply wrap dahlias in paper and put them in a box or box. The main task in storing dahlias is to protect them from rotting, drying out, freezing, premature germination and eating by rodents. For this, once a month, dahlias are viewed. Tubers with signs of decay are removed, small lesions are cut out to healthy pulp, wounds are cauterized with brilliant green, a strong solution of potassium permanganate or another fungicide, sand (or sawdust) is changed to a new one. Basements are periodically ventilated so that air does not stagnate in them and infection does not spread. When the tubers are wrinkled (a sign of drying out), they and sand (sawdust) are moistened from sprayers, watering cans. If the substrate is excessively moistened (decay begins), the air humidity is reduced, the storage is ventilated, sand or sawdust is replaced with a dry one. With premature germination of dahlias, they are exposed to light so that the sprouts do not stretch, if necessary, they are planted in pots with earth. Rodents can cause considerable harm to dahlias. They are saved by the usual methods and techniques.

In the photo: Dahlia (Dahlia, Dahlia, Dahlia). Bicolor dahlias.

Storage of dahlias in a clay shell.

If the basement is dry and the tubers are shriveling, try storing dahlias in a clay casing. Dip the prepared tubers (washed, dried, treated with a fungicide) in a clay mash, thick as sour cream, with the addition of some fungicide. Then dry until a crust forms and fold in 2-3 rows into boxes. In the spring, break the crust by tapping and plant dahlias.

Storage of dahlias in cling film.

In recent years, experienced dahlia growers are increasingly using a new way of storing dahlias in cling film. The method has many advantages, including allowing you to save even the thin roots of dahlias. The method is suitable for cool basements with a constant positive temperature not higher than + 7 ° C. The absence of temperature fluctuations prevents the formation of condensate inside the film. The method is convenient, simple, gives minimal losses from decay, the tubers take up very little space (a few tubers can be stored in the refrigerator). During storage, the tubers do not dry out and do not fade, they do not require checking in winter, as they are reliably isolated from each other. The essence of the method is as follows: prepared divisions are treated with a fungicide and dried (liquid fungicide) for an hour. After one, the tubers are wrapped in cling film with an "envelope", reporting a new tuber at each turn (fold) of the film. The result is a compact bundle with 5-6 tubers inside. The end of the film is fixed with adhesive tape, adhesive tape. For each variety, they make their own bundle, mark it with a marker and put it in a box. In the spring, the film is torn apart. Dahlias without buds are germinated on wet sawdust.

Storage of dahlias in the apartment.

Not everyone who wants to grow dahlias has a basement. Sometimes only a loggia or a room of an apartment is available. But even in this case, it is possible to preserve dahlias even at temperatures sometimes reaching + 20 ° C. Dahlias are stored in apartments, already cut into pieces, because here we are limited in area. When cutting delenok, they often resort to removing the hemp. It is believed that the rotting of the dahlia begins with it. The stump is removed immediately after digging, gently scraping off its skin and pulp with a knife until the root neck appears (do not touch it). After that, the tubers are dried in the air for 3 hours, kept for half an hour in a strong solution of potassium permanganate (or other fungicide) and dried again. Prepared root tubers are put in a box (for example, from under shoes), sprinkled with sand. The box is placed in a plastic bag and stored until frost on the balcony, at sub-zero temperatures - in the apartment near the balcony door.

Storage of dahlias in vermiculite, perlite.

In apartments, dahlia tubers are stored in plastic bags with small holes for air, sprinkled with dry sand, sawdust, peat, vermiculite or perlite. Packages are located in the coolest places of the apartment, for example, at the balcony door. Sand heavy, absorbs moisture well, so the germination of tubers in it begins a little earlier. Vermiculite retains moisture well, is easy to use, protects tubers from drying out, but at high humidity causes early germination of tubers. Perlite, on the contrary, takes moisture from the tubers, drying them out, which is undesirable, its dust is harmful to breathing.

Storage of dahlias in paraffin (waxing)

It is very convenient to store dahlias in paraffin in apartments. Paraffin inhibits the germination of tubers, therefore it is especially suitable for varieties that germinate too quickly. Dahlia tubers, no later than a day after digging out, twice, with a break for hardening, are immersed in paraffin, melted in a water bath to a temperature of + 60 ° C. Tubers in hardened, cooled paraffin are placed in plastic bags, sprinkled with sawdust, tightly closed. When stored in cool rooms, waxed tubers are placed without filler in low boxes. Before planting, the film from dahlias is not peeled off, it is enough to rub it so that it cracks.

When storing dahlias in any way, losses are possible, consider this. Until one of them has been tested and worked out, leave a sufficient number of root tubers for storage.

Preserving the grown crop of dahlia tubers until spring is a big issue for many gardeners. After all, everyone has their own conditions for storage, and who does not have them at all. The easiest and most common way is to place the tubers in an underground or basement. At the beginning of spring, the tubers begin to germinate, and they are taken out into the light. With this method, there are often surprises when either completely rotten tubers or completely dried ones are taken out of storage. Therefore, every year flower growers experience many other, more reliable methods, and each chooses for himself the only one that suits him.

Proper storage of dahlias.

For good preservation of the tubers, they must be dug up in time so that they are fully ripe and not damaged by frost. When digging, the most important thing is to keep the buds intact, which are located on the top of the tubers, at the base of the stem. In autumn, the buds can be small, almost invisible. The lower parts of the tuber, cut with a shovel, injured during digging, should not be regretted. They still do not have buds, and when laying for storage, the tubers will still be cut off.

Many growers store tubers whole, undivided. If they are planted in the spring, whole, then they will form roots and new tubers poorly.

It is more difficult to divide tubers that have become lignified after storage in spring than in autumn. Therefore, they are divided immediately, when digging. On each part there should be a part of the root collar with dormant buds and at least one nodule from below, to feed these buds in the future.

Excess roots and old tuber are cut off. All rotten parts are cut out, if any, suspicious red or brown spots, harbingers of diseases, and nodules with voids inside. The entire remaining part of the stem is also removed, up to the kidneys. It is from her that, usually with excess moisture, the rotting of the tuber begins. Wounds can be treated with greenery.

After trimming diseased parts, the cutting tool must be disinfected with alcohol or over fire. If all parts are healthy, no tool processing is required.

The tubers are washed, preferably under a little pressure from a hose, helping to remove pieces of earth with a brush. Then the tubers are soaked in a strong solution of potassium permanganate or another fungicide (fundazol, maxim). Floating nodules can be thrown away, they will not be able to survive until spring, they will dry out.

Sections are sprinkled with ash or powdered phytosporin. The washed and processed parts are laid out for drying. The thinner the root, the less time it dries, from 2 to 4 hours to a day, so that the wounds slightly wither and heal.

Varieties are indicated by plastic or metal tags, or you can sign them directly on the nodules with a special permanent marker or ballpoint pen.

conditions and temperature.

The tubers are then stored. This requires a cool room, with a temperature of 3-7 * C, an average of 5 * C, constant, without jumps, with an air humidity of about 60%. It can be a basement, an underground floor, an insulated balcony, a cool corridor.

The tubers are sprinkled with some material to maintain constant moisture in them. It can be sand, large sawdust, peat, vermiculite, needles, sphagnum moss. The main thing is that they are DRY. You can put each nodule in a bag or a cut plastic bottle, pouring one of the above materials into a thin layer. You can put the tubers in wooden boxes or plastic baskets, covering and covering with newspapers.

During storage, it is advisable not to allow individual nodules to come into contact with each other, in order to avoid infection. It is not recommended to store dahlias next to potatoes.

In winter, it is periodically necessary to check the humidity, temperature and condition of the tubers. Drying can be sprinkled with water, and rotting cut off and dried. By the beginning of March, or from an inadvertent increase in temperature, dahlias can germinate, then they are brought into an apartment or in a greenhouse, and grown as seedlings so that they bloom earlier.

Often, in order to preserve a valuable variety, they use. Spring cuttings take root much easier than autumn ones. Sometimes it happens that some (especially often it happens with very exotic) varieties have not formed a tuber over the summer. Then in the fall, the dug out part of the stem with roots is planted in a pot and placed on the windowsill, growing up to planting in the spring in open ground.

Some flower growers dip the tubers in a clay mash before storage, which protects the tubers from drying out. This is especially true for thin tubers - threads, for example, in non-double varieties. Waxing is also practiced, when the nodule is dipped into paraffin melted (but not boiling) on ​​an electric stove, then quickly dipped into water for quick cooling. Nodules treated in this way can be stored at a higher temperature, but they are more difficult to bring out of dormancy.

Recently, the method of storing dahlias in food plastic wrap has become increasingly popular. Divided into small parts, washed and processed tubers are tightly wrapped with a film, leaving no air gaps. No holes.

Storage at the required 5*C is excellent, but only if there are no occasional temperature fluctuations, otherwise when it rises, condensation will appear, which can destroy the stored material. The method is convenient in that the tubers take up little space, they can be stored even on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, when checking the tubers, their condition is clearly visible, and they do not touch each other.

It is impossible to imagine a modern flower garden without huge terry dahlia caps that adorn it from mid-summer until the very frosts. Breeders have bred a wide variety of species and varieties that differ both in the color of the buds and in the shape of the petals.

Dahlias are perennial plants, but in order for them to bloom violently and next year, it is required to dig up their tubers with the onset of cold weather in order to save the plants from freezing. After all, as soon as the first frosts hit, the bushes of these luxurious flowers are a sad sight, and this is only the ground part.

The same thing happens with root tubers - they just freeze and die. To prevent this from happening to your pets, you need to know how to store dahlias at home in winter.

How to prepare dahlia tubers for wintering?

First you need to decide when to dig up the tubers, because their storage during the winter period depends on it. There is an opinion that tubers should be dug as soon as the temperature drops to 0 ° C, but not lower.

You should choose a warm sunny day, because in frosty nodules can freeze and deteriorate even before storage. Since the planting material is very fragile, all actions must be carried out as carefully and slowly as possible so as not to damage the plants.

In the ground, dahlia tubers occupy a fairly large area, about 50 cm in diameter, which means that in order to dig them out, you will need to step back about 40 cm from the plant trunk and dig a hole deep enough to extract the entire earthen lump. The plant needs to leave a root neck about 15 cm long, trying not to break off or damage it.

After the tubers are dug up, they are washed in plenty of water to free them from the ground, and then immersed in a slightly pink solution for disinfection for 30 minutes.

Next, the tubers are dried in the sun and separated with a shovel or a clean, sharp knife, while cutting off small roots. For storage, you should choose the largest "potatoes", since they produce the highest quality flowers.

At what temperature should dahlias be stored in winter?

Plants will feel best when the ambient temperature is not lower than 5 ° C and not higher than 12 ° C. After all, if it is less, then this can lead to the death of tubers. A higher one contributes to untimely germination, depriving plants of a dormant period.

To store this planting material, you will need enough space, because there will be a lot of them. Although most often flower growers prefer to leave only a couple of nodules of each variety, and give the rest to neighbors or dispose of it, because such a plant as a dahlia is quite prolific and grows into a large bush by autumn.

Most often, plants are saved in the basement or on. Both methods are appropriate if the tubers are properly prepared and the air temperature is optimal for this.

There are many options for storing tubers in winter. To do this, use river sand, peat, sawdust, or simply store the tubers in plastic boxes that allow the plants to ventilate and not rot, as happens in various bulk materials adapted for storage. It is very important that the humidity of the room is not higher than 60%, otherwise the plants will not survive until spring and will rot.

How to store dahlias in the refrigerator?

Usually in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator, just the optimal temperature and humidity for storing tubers. To protect them from drying and spoilage, each nodule is wrapped in cling film and numbered for convenience so as not to confuse varieties. This method is suitable for those who have free space in their refrigerator.

How to store dahlias in winter in an apartment?

Those who do not have a basement and extra space in the refrigerator can be advised to store tubers in sawdust or sand on a relatively warm balcony, where the air temperature is not higher than 10 ° C.