Content
The luxury and splendor of dahlias deserve the love of many gardeners and summer residents. Even the most modest site will be more exquisite if dahlias are planted on it. Therefore, it is not strange that in the arsenal of many summer residents and gardeners there are these flowering plants of various varieties.
However, the joy of flowering dahlias will be short-lived if you do not provide the necessary conditions for winter storage of tubers in the house or apartment. This article will show you how to keep dahlias in your apartment until spring.
How and when to dig dahlias
There are basic rules storage of dahlia tubers, but a lot of success depends on when and how you dig up the roots of these plants. To ensure the early flowering of dahlias, they need to start working at the end of February.
The optimal time for digging tubers is the first autumn frosts. Do not delay with this, as otherwise the frost will destroy the shoots, which will soon begin to rot during storage and spread to the planting material. As a result, all the blanks for planting may die.
Too early to dig up tubers is also not worth it, since they are also poorly stored. In addition, in the next season, in this situation, you should not expect abundant flowering. This is because green leaves provide natural root nutrition while the buds are actively preparing for the next bloom.
So, before digging out the plants, you should cut off the stems. So, you will definitely not damage the roots or buds. To avoid damage to the root collar, hemp should be left above the ground, having a height of about 20 cm.In addition, in order not to damage the neck of the dahlia, it is necessary to place the shovel not too close to the stems, and you should also not pull the bush by the stems.
To safely dig out the planting material, you should dig in the bush from all sides at a distance of about 30 cm from the stems, then scoop up the soil and get the roots. But that is not all. The tubers need to be prepared for storage.
The secret to successful storage lies in the quality preparation of the bulbs for wintering. So, a number of preparatory operations should be carried out:
- Flushing... The roots should be shaken off the ground and rinsed in running water.
- Shortening... Use sharp scissors to cut off the tubers by about 15 cm.
- Division... At this stage, you need to divide the rhizomes. The stems are cut almost to the base of the tubers. Each root should have kidneys. Hard roots with underdeveloped buds do not need to be separated.
- Disinfection... To disinfect the planting material, you need to immerse it in a potassium permanganate solution for half an hour. This activity minimizes the possibility of developing fungal diseases and rotting tubers. Another option for disinfection is the treatment of rhizomes with a fungicide. Each section should be checked for signs of disease and damage. All roots with suspicious spots should be destroyed. White bloom on tubers is a sign of the initial stage of fungal infection. Such roots must be destroyed immediately, otherwise all planting material will die before spring.
- Drying... The roots must be dried well in the fresh air after rinsing.
Storage methods for tubers
Gardeners have come up with many ways to store dahlia tubers.The easiest and most common method is to store dahlias in boxes lined with newspaper. However, this method is not always suitable. Alternatively, you can store dahlias in an apartment in a clay or paraffin shell, as well as in plastic wrap. Each of these storage methods will be further described in the article.
In boxes
If we talk about storing dahlia planting material in boxes, then they must necessarily be wooden. The bottom is covered with newspaper, and then tubers are placed in boxes for winter storage of plants. Cover them with newspaper and put them in a basement or other place where you usually store vegetables.
Also, for better preservation, some summer residents fill boxes with tubers with sand or sawdust. But, if you have to store planting material in an apartment in winter, then this option will not work for you.
Waxing of planting material
To keep dahlias in an apartment easier, gardeners have come up with another method, which is to wax the tubers. To do this, you need to purchase ordinary candles or special paraffin and boxes / nets for storing planting material. Then the paraffin is heated in a steam bath over medium heat. After that, it is necessary to dip the previously washed, dried and disinfected tubers into the molten paraffin on both sides.
Waxed dahlia tubers are put in boxes according to varieties, and then sent to storage on the balcony or in the pantry. The storage location should be cool and with low humidity. Before planting tubers in spring, you need to clean the planting material from paraffin by gently wiping it with a dry cloth.
Storage in polyethylene
It takes less time to prepare for storing tubers in plastic bags or cling film. In addition, this method of storing tubers is cheaper. Before packing the planting material, it must be treated with colloidal sulfur. Peat is poured into the bag and the tuber is laid, and after that the bag is tightly tied.
Packaged planting material is placed in boxes and placed in a cool dark place. The main advantage of the storage method is the absence of contact between the tubers, which makes it impossible to infect one root from another. The condition of each spine can be easily checked by simply untiing the bag. The same manipulations should be carried out when twisting the roots into cling film.
Clay shell
One way to store dahlias in low humidity conditions is with a clay shell. To do this, dilute the clay in water to a creamy consistency. Then you should dip the tubers in a diluted solution and put them to dry in a cool, dark place. When a clay crust forms on the tubers, they can be transferred to the storage box. In the spring, you need to free the tubers from the shell. To do this, you need to lightly knock on them and the clay shell will sprinkle.
Conclusion
So, storing dahlia tubers is not that difficult. By following the above recommendations, you can avoid rotting and fungal infection of the planting material. For more information, we recommend that you also read the accompanying video:
