Dahlias that die!

[sunnymay10]

Hi all,

can anyone offer advice, every year I have to buy new dahlia's, at the end of the summer I've tried lifting and storing but they never seem to survive.
I have tried leaving them in the ground where they grew, but they seem to get eaten.
So come this time of year I have to go out and buy them, and I do like a lot of them as I grow them in the veg garden for cutting in the house, so to save them for me this year, any idea's what to do come oct/nov time

Sunnymay.

[rana]

When you lift dahlias in the autumn they must be allowed to dry thoroughly before winter storage or they may rot. Unless your ground is particularly waterlogged I would expect them to survive OK in the ground in your locations.
In the late spring fresh dahlia shoots are a magnet for slugs which may be wiping out your immature plants before they get going.

[Two_Sheds]

I (accidentally) dug up a tuber in the autumn, so potted it up in MPC, letting it grow slowly in a cool room. Come March I was able to take cuttings from it: I now have four cuttings & a bushy 12" tall plant

[Snadger]

The recommendation is to bury them under a privet hedge for the winter. Its always dry and frost free there, but do make a note of WHERE you buried them!

[Newbie]

I kill them every year too, however my brother lifts them, places them in a shallow box, sprinkles them with some kind of powder then puts the box in his loft until planting time again & manages to keep them year after year.

[Snadger]

I kill them every year too, however my brother lifts them, places them in a shallow box, sprinkles them with some kind of powder then puts the box in his loft until planting time again & manages to keep them year after year.

Probably uses Flowers of Sulphur which is a fungicide?

[sunnymay10]

Thanks for the replies, I've had another look at the ones I left in the ground at the end of last year and it looks like I've only got 3 out of 10 seperate plants each one being a different variety.
So it looks like buying more again this year, but I think I will lift them again at the end of this year,
not sure how to store them thats different to what I have done before, they seem to dry out and crumble, so if there are any other thoughts, I'd be interested.
sunnymay.

[bramble]

If you just want them for cutting why not sow seeds. I sow seeds every year. They are very easy to germinate and you can get tall or dwarf ones.

[dincur]

Hi there. I know for a fact that ashes(mostly cinders) will act as a mulch against the cold and deter slugs. Tesco cat litter may do the same. Neither will look attractive but the dahlia tops won't look great either. Give it a shot.

[rana]

Hi there. I know for a fact that ashes(mostly cinders) will act as a mulch against the cold and deter slugs. Tesco cat litter may do the same. Neither will look attractive but the dahlia tops won't look great either. Give it a shot.

Presumably the resultant cat poo acts as a free and handy fertilizer ?

[dincur]

Or deters the slugs. Maybe the litter doesn't really work. HA HA.

[IgglePiggle]

I had 60 odd once and only had 4 by the following year Last year I lifted them, wiped off the muck as much as I could and put them in a small box in a shed. Most rotted but about 12 lived. So maybe trying lifting them again this year