How to Safely Dig Up and Store Your Dahlia Tubers During the Winter Season

Are you thinking about overwintering your dahlia tubers this year? I’ll share some simple tips on how to safely dig up and store your dahlia tubers during the winter season.

Are you wondering if you should leave your dahlia tubers in the ground through the winter or dig them up and store them in a safe spot until the last frost next season?

When it comes to dahlias, this is one of the most asked questions I get. And the answer really depends on where your garden is located.

---

For your shopping convenience, this post contains affiliate links. As a Reward Style and Amazon affiliate, I earn commission on sales at no extra cost to you. Read my full disclosure here.

I’m a self-taught hobby gardener, not a Master Gardener. Everything I share with you on my blog is my personal opinion and things that have worked for me personally.

---

How to Know Whether to Should Dig Up Your Dahlia Tubers to Overwinter

How do you know whether it’s safe or not to keep your dahlia tubers in the ground through the winter? Should you dig them up to overwinter them in a safe environment until the chance of freezing has passed?

The answer is actually quite simple. It depends on where you live and your climate.

---

Mild Climates

Because I live in a more mild climate, (zone 8B) I’ve been very fortunate, and leave my dahlia tubers in the ground throughout the year. I did dig up and store my dahlia tubers ONCE in the 9 years I’ve been growing dahlias in my cut flower garden.

By adding a 3-inch layer of organic leaf mulch around each plant, I’ve protected the dahlia tubers from freezing during the coldest months of the year.

So far, so good. When we have had a wetter than usual winter, I’ve lost about 15% of my tubers to rot, but I personally have had more rot occur the year I stored the tubers.

I will dig up my dahlia tubers in April to split and inspect them, toss any rotted or diseased tubers, and remove the mother tuber.

---

Colder Climates

In most areas, winters are too cold to leave the dahlia tubers in the ground. For those zones that have colder climates, dahlia plants should be cut back after the plant’s top growth dies back, or is blackened by the first hard frost.

With clean, sharp pruners or loppers, cut all but 4 inches of the top growth.

The longer the tubers are kept in the ground, the more mature they will be. This will give them a better chance of surviving in storage. But you want to dig them up before the first hard freeze of the season.

You can find your first and last frost dates here.

Label Your Dahlia Tubers

It is SO IMPORTANT to label your dahlias before their blooms die off so you’ll be able to keep track of each tuber once they are removed from the ground.

If you do not take your dahlia tubers out of the ground, you will still need a plan to be able to find them next spring so you can dig them up to divide.

---

Options for Storing Dahlia Tubers

No matter what option you decide on, you’ll need to go through these steps to start the process of digging dahlia tubers out of the ground.

Steps to Digging Dahlia Tuber Clumps Out of the Ground

1. Use either a shovel or pitchfork, to dig around the dahlia clumps. Be careful not to accidentally sever the roots. I tend to use a pitchfork because the tubers are so sensitive.

2. Gently shake excess dirt off the tubers, and set them aside.

3. Repeat until you’ve dug up all of your tubers.

---

OPTION 1:

This is the option I have used to store dahlias.

Rinse the tuber clumps to remove all the excess soil, and then wash them by dipping them in a 5% bleach-95% water solution. After you’ve rinsed the tubers off, examine each clump to make sure that there is no damage or rot.

If the tubers have several eyes, you can divide them at this step in the process as well. Use a sharp knife or pruners to divide tubers, making sure each piece has at least one eye.

The eyes of dahlias are the set of cells that produce the next season’s plants and blooms.

I have much better luck finding the eyes in the spring. So if you can’t find them in the fall, wait to divide your tubers when they may become more visible in the springtime.

To prevent the tubers from rotting, make sure they are completely dry before you store them for winter.

Some gardeners suggest setting them out to dry for several weeks before putting them away for the winter. Others recommend only a couple of days.

I’ve been lucky because we have a wood-burning stove in our outbuilding, so our tubers dry pretty quickly.

Choose a location for storage where it’s cool and dark, and temperatures won’t go below freezing, preferably between 40-50º F. This could be an unheated basement, closet, utility room, or attic.

Pack the tubers in slightly dampened peat moss or sawdust, and then in a cardboard box or paper bag lined with newspaper.

Tubers must have good air circulation, so make sure that they aren’t touching, and that they have enough room for proper airflow.

I check my tubers for rot once a month throughout the winter season.

---

OPTION 2:

I learned this option from Erin at Floret Flowers who is basically my gardening hero, and her flower farm is located in the same state, Washington.

After Erin digs her dahlia clumps up, she shakes off the excess dirt, puts the clumps into deep bulb crates, and stacks them in a 40-50º room in her basement. THAT’S IT! She warns that most pros may question her tactics, but I have to tell you, I love this idea.

Erin says that the soil seems to keep the dahlias tubers hydrated enough to avoid shriveling. Then in mid-late March, she pulls out all the crates, rinses off the clumps, and starts dividing the clumps. EASY PEASY!!!

---

OPTION 3:

This is the Saran Wrap method.

Rinse the tuber clumps to remove all the excess soil, and then wash them by dipping them in a 5% bleach-95% water solution. After you’ve rinsed the tubers off, examine each clump to make sure that there is no damage or rot.

Lay them out to dry in a cool garage or basement for a day or two. Once the clumps are dry, carefully divide them and then separately wrap each tuber in a piece of Saran Wrap. Read more about dividing in my blog post All You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Dahlias.

Place the wrapped tubers into plastic bulb crates, stored in a 40-50º room throughout the winter. What is great about this method, is that if a tuber were to rot, it would be completely separate from the other tubers because of the plastic.

---

I hope this has given you something to think about when planning to store your dahlia tubers for the winter.

For more on dividing dahlia tubers or other information about growing dahlias, you can read my blog post on All You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Dahlias.

I’d love to hear from you, leave me a comment. Thank you for being here.

Until next time.

Happy gardening!

---

More Gardening Inspiration from My Friends

Make sure you visit my friend Stacy at Bricks ‘n Blooms to find out more about gardening for summer highs and lows. Stacy is a Master Gardener who lives in New Jersey and has so many great gardening ideas no matter what the season.

For some great tips to save plants over the winter, visit my friend Rachel of The Ponds Farmhouse where she uses her gorgeous greenhouse to overwinter her plants.

---

If you’ve enjoyed this blog post, please pin and share this on Pinterest.

.

---

---

Let’s Connect on Social Media

• Follow me @shiplapandshells on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook
• Join my Facebook Gardening Tips & Tricks Group.