Leaving dahlias in ground

smosolgo

10 months ago

I have overwintered 2 dahlias for several years. Are some dahlias hardier than ithers?

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Comments (2)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
10 months ago
As most dahlias we plant are hybrids, for sure some will be hardier than others. But not to any huge extent. What is more critical than winter cold with overwintering in the ground is soil drainage. If you have a fast draining soil that does not become overly saturated in winter and you mulch well, many dahlia varieties are able to overwinter in the ground. But there is a limit determined by how deep your soil freezes. I wouldn't encourage this practice in zones below 7,
rosaprimula
10 months ago
last modified: 10 months ago
It also depends how mature the dahlias are. I lost every single seedling dahlia bar one, last year...but the older ones, with huge tubers, sailed through winter. Even so,they do better for me (usually) in the ground than in pots. Get them through the first year and they seem to do better. I only have limited dahlia experience but have found that the species I grow (d.merckii, d.coccinea and a so far non-flowering d,imperialis) all need to be lifted and kept dry under glass (lost several 3 years running and had to regrow from seeds every year, when my other seedling hybrids survived a UK winter (until last year, and a cold, wet March). Always hesitant to extrapolate universal rules from my experience though...but in general, dahlias are cheap and easy so always worth experimenting.
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There are two keys to getting dahlias to overwinter in the ground in a temperate climate regardless of where you live. 1.) You cannot allow the frost to penetrate to the depth of the tubers. Unlike frost hardy bulbs, daffodils for example, which can actually freeze solid without harm dahlia tubers cannot be allowed to freeze or they will turn to mush and die when they thaw. 2.) The dormant tubers should not be allowed to sit in wet soil. This causes them to rot. So you should be able to get dahlias to overwinter in your climate if you can meet those two conditions. A heavy mulch of leaves is a good idea and I would also recommend covering the leaves with sheet plastic or a cold frame to keep the soil dry throughout the winter.
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I have been leaving mine in the ground. One year I dug one in the fall and forgot it in a pot under my deck, with no soil or covering, and it survived the winter. I planted it in a pot in spring so it got some warmer conditions before planting in the garden. It bloomed much earlier than ones left in the ground. I dug it in the fall and it made an enormous bushel of tubers. Since that time I have left it in the ground and it blooms earlier than the other dahlias planted as a single tuber, and has a lot of blooms. I haven't divided it for several years. Sometimes because of the cold soil and late start dahlias left in the ground don't bloom at all. I suppose it depends on location and on that particular dahlia. I'm actually considering digging some this fall to try starting them in a pot next spring and get a jump on blooming.
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I just attended a discussion given by the Dahlia Society. The recommendation is to NOT dig Dahlias for storage, but to mulch for the winter, then AFTER they've sprouted in the garden, carefully dig and divide them, be certain to always keep a growing bud or sprout on the newly divided tuber, a section of the base of the previous year's stem. You can replant them immediately, or share the extras around. And a note... If a tuber breaks off and it doesn't have a bud or sprout, it will NEVER sprout. Another tip is to put a stake in the hole when you plant the new or newly divided tuber, that way you won't skewer the tuber. I grew Dahlias for years in California, and though it is admittedly a milder climate, culture is the same.
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I leave them but they don't bloom as early as ones in pots. One year I dug a tuber and forgot it sitting uncovered in a pot under my deck all winter. I found it in spring and planted it in the pot until it was a foot tall, then put it in the ground. It bloomed much earlier than tubers in the ground and made an enormous bushel basket sized clump of tubers by fall. That same dahlia, undug several years, was my earliest and biggest bloomer this year, planted at the edge of my driveway where maybe it gets some additional warmth. Several undug dahlias didn't make it to bloom. I think if they had been started in pots they would probably have bloomed. So I think it depends somewhat on the dahlia and how early it blooms. A friend who digs hers, and plants them in very good soil in raised beds with a lot of fertilizer has plants that get to 6' tall and are loaded with flowers.
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Leaving dahlias in ground

Comments (2)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

rosaprimula

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