If you grew dahlias in your garden this summer, now is the time to pop them out of the ground for safe keeping until next spring. Once they’ve gone through a couple of hard frosts, the plants are ready to be stowed away for the winter.

While some varieties might be fine left in the ground, our damp West Coast winter months place us near the edge for dahlia hardiness… it’s better to protect them than have them turn to mush in the wet, frosty soil.   

The other reason to dig-up your dahlias is so you can divide the tubers! This is a bit of an art and will take some practice, but it’s worth it if you want to increase your dahlia patch.

With a little effort you can save your dahlias and look forward to enjoying them all again next year! 

Just follow these 3 simple steps:

1. Dig up your dahlia tubers and label them:

• Use a pitch fork to gently pop your dahlia tubers up out of the ground, taking care not to puncture the tubers.  If you do, don’t worry too much since the tuber you planted in spring has likely multiplied several times over the growing season.
• If you know what varieties you planted, use some flagging tape and a permanent marker to label the tubers so you won’t be guessing when you go to plant them again next year.

2. Thoroughly rinse the tubers and let them air dry:

• Use a powerful hose nozzle to spray off as much dirt as you can. This is a cold and wet job so wear good gloves and rubber boots!
• Place the rinsed tubers in a sunny spot to air dry for an hour or so and then move them indoors to your basement or garage to dry for a day or two.
• At this point you have a decision to make!  You can divide your dahlias now, or you can wait until spring.  There are great resources online for dividing dahlias – check out the Victoria Dahlia Society as a start.
• Personally, I divide in the spring.

3. Store your dahlia tubers:

• Find a suitable container that will fit the tubers. You can use cardboard boxes, empty plant pots, plastic bins or crates. 
• Store the tubers in the containers with a good covering of wood shavings to protect them from water loss and from rotting. 
• Keep your containers in a cool dark place that does not freeze. Also be careful to protect your dahlias from rodents that might be looking for a mid-winter snack!
• Every so often, check on your tubers to make sure they are fairing their winter hibernation well (be sure to remove any signs of rot).

And that’s it!  You’ve saved your tubers to ensure a bountiful dahlia garden for next year! 

For even more garden beauty, you can divide the tuber masses in spring (if not already done in the fall). 

Happy gardening!

Kinglet Consulting offers garden coaching and landscape design in Nanaimo, BC. We would be pleased to help you learn these and more gardening activities.  Start by getting in touch to book an on-site garden consultation.