Hi All!
I'm a relative newbie to growing dahlias and have spent considerable time scrolling through old threads in this forum. I wish I had found some of these threads before I stored the tubers I purchased last year, almost 100% of them were mushy!
FrankRichard16 has the most informative post (with a link to pics) that I have found. Thank you sir!
In my quest for knowledge I joined a dahlia lovers group on Facebook and learned a little about 'waking up' your tubers.
I totally over committed to 2023 by purchasing 16 packages (3+/- clumps each) from a retail store and I have potted up 4 packages in pots but on FB I saw photos where the growers are just laying the tubers on top of the soil in trays and placing the trays in warm well lighted locations.
That sounds great! I could write the variety name on each tuber in case tags go missing.
How many of you fellow dahlia growers start your tubers off this way?
What advice do you have to offer that you wish someone had shared with you early on?

Botton line is that I'd much rather start my tubers a little late than too early. It seems I've been taking my tubers out of storage later and later each year. I don't like to start them too early or they'll be tall and leggy by the time I plant them in the garden. I usually bring them out of storage in mid April and cut them out of the saran wrap. Most will have eyed up by then but if they appear a little slow, I'll put them in gallon zip locks with "barely damp" potting soil. I lightly spray the inside of the bags to create a little humidity. This usually kicks starts them and the growth is fast. It's not long before I can see the white roots forming.

After I see green sprouts, I move them to 24" long planters, usually after the first of May. I don't mind crowding 6-8 tubers into a planter because they'll only be in there a few weeks. The growth is fast. I don't have enough sunny windows to accommodate 30+ planters. So when the nighttime temps stay consistently above 50 degrees I leave them outside under the eave 24/7. My biggest concern is that they'll grow too fast. I try to plant mine the 3rd or 4th week of May and sometimes a few plants are so tall and willowy, I have to tie then to the stakes as soon as they're planted.

I used to start tubers on top of soil in trays. But they seemed to dry out fast. Then the problem is that I tend to overwater and end up with some rotted ones. I much prefer starting them in zip locks with just a light spray of water and I stress LIGHT!

Sorry to be so long-winded! LOL

Dan, thank you.
I've been looking at all the different methods gardeners are using and I may try several of them in addition to the ones I have already potted.
The baggie method would be space saving.
You've given me good info so you are not long winded at all! I really appreciate the time you've taken to reply.

I store them at about 40 degrees in a produce cooler, so mine won't up up until they warm up. I usually take them out around now, inspect them, divide them pretty aggressively .. not so much because I want more plants, but more to have manageable size tubers for pre-sprouting- big clumps are unruly

once they're cleaned up and divided, and ive let the cuts callous over, I lightly dampen the storage media (which will have dried significantly in the ~3months they were stored in cardboard boxes)- usually by mixing in relatively wet fresh media- somehow that seems easier for me to get the right feeling then adding water... when I use water directly I feel like it's messy and hard to get evenly damp and I always end up overdoing it. then I put the tubers back in their boxes into the media vertically, with the tuber buried, but the crown exposed so I can tell when (and which) develop eyes. I check the boxes about every 2 weeks and pot them as they begin to sprout. I cover them/put them vertical instead of laying on top because I can fit more in each box, to encourage root development, and keep them from drying out and make it easy to see which have sprouted with a quick glance. I do go very very light on the moisture to keep away rot..

this way, I can stack their boxes while they're sprouting. they don't need light to sprout, just warm. I go to the local florist and ask them for their empty flower shipping boxes.. they are about 8" wide and 3 feet long, and very sturdy, you can stack them and because they're narrow, it's easy to divide into sections for different varieties so you don't have to label each tuber individually. that's not going to be an issue for you yet.. but when you have a couple hundred tubers and dozens of varieties, it will.

I do have a big wire shelf unit with grow lights on a 3 season porch, so I have a place where, once they're potted up they are protected from low temps, can get good natural light, and with supplemental lighting to extend the photoperiod. they focus on growing feeder roots when days are longer than 12 hours, and fattening tubers when shorter, so you don't need very strong lighting, just long photoperiod (14 hrs) so they develop a good root system when potted up to get best results when moving out side.

if I didn't have that space, a protected outdoor spot with good sun, I definitely wouldn't warm them up this early. oh, in my location, they usually go in the ground mid- to late May, so I'm warming them up 75+ days early and most will have 4-6 sets of leaves before they go in the ground.

Bully,
Thank you. I need to improve my storage effort by this fall. I stored mine from last year very much like yours except they almost all were squishy, I'm going to try the Saran Wrap method I read in a thread from several years ago by FrankRichard16. His photos really helped me understand how to proceed using that method.
Thank you for taking your time to respond. I do appreciate your info.

Just realized you bot 16 packages, lol ( you're my tribe ). I thought you said 6.. yeah, I'd get some florist boxes or other storage solution to lay out your tubers in shallow media and let them sprout before you pot them up.

I know there are a lot of storage methods.. this year was my best storage year yet. I stored them in sawdust in cardboard boxes, I didn't loose a single one, no mold, they came out looking like I dug them yesterday ..

The saw dust was from fresh trees- if you have a local saw mill or tree cutting service, you can usually get it free. not carpentry shop saw dust.. wood used in carpentry is kiln dried.. fresh has a good moisture content and it's nice and fluffy, a lot less work than other methods, and less dirty, easy to clean up if you're working inside to wake them up early.

quick question for you, did you order online, or buy dahlias locally? where did you get them and how were they?

BullysMamma said: I know there are a lot of storage methods.. this year was my best storage year yet. I stored them in sawdust in cardboard boxes, I didn't loose a single one, no mold, they came out looking like I dug them yesterday ..

The saw dust was from fresh trees- if you have a local saw mill or tree cutting service, you can usually get it free. not carpentry shop saw dust.. wood used in carpentry is kiln dried.. fresh has a good moisture content and it's nice and fluffy, a lot less work than other methods, and less dirty, easy to clean up if you're working inside to wake them up early.

quick question for you, did you order online, or buy dahlias locally? where did you get them and how were they?

My husband needed a plumbing fitting from Home Depot and as soon as we walked in the entry there was a dahlia display! My hands started shaking immediately and I stammered out "I…I..I'll find you later" to my husband. After a brief fugue state I realized I had a cart and one package of each variety was staring back at me. When I went inside the store I found ANOTHER display. Be still my heart.
So far I've potted up the 4 packages where I could see a bit of growth and they are doing well.
I like the idea of putting some of the tubers on top of soil and letting them start the waking up process. As long as the dogs and cats don't discover them and use them as toys!


Right there when I walked in! Well played Home Depot, well played.

How did you ALL get in there?

Waiting patiently for my love and attention.

Sorry, can't talk... gotta run to home depot Immediately

lol! seriously... here's a look in my 2nd to last box. I can fit about 50 to 60 divided tubers per box, and I can stack the boxes along the wall or on top of my bookshelves without getting in the way, I separated the varieties with drinking straws- but blue masking tape, strips of colored paper or bamboo skewers works too.. im going to top it off with a little more sawdust to get close to the crowns, then put it away, check in 2 weeks. as your collection grows, make sure you keep notes on which varieties are in which boxes..

[quote="BullysMamma"] Sorry, can't talk... gotta run to home depot Immediately

lol! seriously... here's a look in my 2nd to last box. I can fit about 50 to 60 divided tubers per box, and I can stack the boxes along the wall or on top of my bookshelves without getting in the way, I separated the varieties with drinking straws- but blue masking tape, strips of colored paper or bamboo skewers works too.. im going to top it off with a little more sawdust to get close to the crowns, then put it away, check in 2 weeks. as your collection grows, make sure you keep notes on which varieties are in which boxes..




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So the boxes in the photos are your winter storage or how you wake up your tubers? Dear lord I would pass out in front of that sheer volume of dahlia tubers in your house!

In a Dahlia group on fb a user commented on the quantity I purchased this year versus the quantity last year:
[[The math is right. Now you can tell how many you will be growing in 4 years😅]] I sense an intervention in my future.

So far all but Lavender Perfection and Hawaii are doing well and showing growth.
Here are a few.
I hope everyone else's are doing well too!