FALL AND WINTER DAHLIA CARE

DAHLIAS

 

DIVIDING YOUR DAHLIAS

DO I NEED TO DIVDE?

If you dig up a clump with 3 or less tubers, just leave it as is, no dividing necessary. For a larger, denser clump, you can choose one of the methods below. A third option is to not divide the clump at all and plant it whole next season. This is usually fine for a season or two. After a few years of skipping the dividing step, however, you may start to see a decline in productivity of the plant, and will likely end up with an unruly clump.

SHOULD I WASH MY TUBERS?

Most people opt to wash off all the soil and divide their clumps before storage. But many don’t. Try a little of both! If you wash right after digging, you can divide before packing them for winter storage. If you wait on the washing, you’ll divide closer to spring.

DIVIDING GUIDE

Supplies Needed:

  • Garden hose with sprayer

  • Sharp pruners, snips, and/or a knife

  • File (as needed)

NO-FUSS DIVIDING METHOD (Perfect for the home gardener)

  1. Using your hose, spray into every crevice to remove all soil. Make sure to let the tubers fully air dry before you put them into storage later on.

  2. If you’re keeping track of varieties, pay attention to your labels now. Only divide one variety at a time and label each storage container with two different types of labels in case one gets damaged.

  3. Cut away everything that you don’t need:

    • Stem

    • Mushy/rotten tubers

    • Tubers with broken necks

    • Very puny tubers (this is relative to the others in the clump. Certain varieties like ‘Dark Spirit’ and ‘Cherry Drop’ just always have tiny tubers and should not be divided until closer to planting time.)

    • The stringy tails (makes everything a lot less tangly)

  4. Cut right through the middle of the stem stump all the way down through the clump. You will end up with two separate halves. You can stop here or quarter the clump by cutting each in half again. Try to avoid excessively damaging the crown where the tubers connect to the stem. The crown is where the eyes will grow in spring.

  5. This technique will surely sacrifice a couple tubers, but most should still be firmly attached to the clumps. If stored successfully, each new clump will produce one new dahlia plant.

Using a strong stream from the hose to wash the dahlia clump.

ADVANCED DIVIDING METHOD (To get every single tuber separated from the clump)

  1. Follow steps 1-3 in the No-Fuss Method above

  2. Using precise and careful cuts, remove every tuber from the clump. Be sure to leave a big chunk of the crown attached to each tuber. If you look closely, you may be able to spot the place where an eye will grow- a faint bumpy circular area on the crown. Not every tuber has a corresponding eye, and some tubers have several.

These eyes (circled in yellow) are swelling and just beginning to send out little purple sprouts

WHAT ARE BROKEN NECKS ANYWAY?

The neck of the tuber is the pathway for nutrients and stored energy to get from the body of the tuber to its eye. If that pathway is broken or severely damaged, there is a good chance that the tuber will never grow into a plant. Some necks are long and thin, others are short, broad, and sturdy. Just like people, every one is different, and variety is the spice of life! If you do find a broken or severely bent neck in your clump (and you always will) just cut off and discard the tuber that was attached to it.

Need some help with storing your tubers over the winter? Hop over to our Storage Guide for ideas.

Questions? Send us a note at forthillfarm@gmail.com