I can relate to the "Winter Woes" of Dahlia storage, But I tend to go with the "no fuss, no muss" method and it still works for me. Dig,wash,dry, store clumps loose in a cardboard box on the concrete floor of the garage. I did lose a few that shriveled up.These were stored in a different area, too. I am thinking that maybe those don't store as well. I lost Iceberg, Rebecca's World and Hawaii. All in All, the survival rate is pretty good. Everything else seems to be sprouting, although on a delay because of all the wet, cloudy weather. I need to work up a new Dahlia and Daylily bed, but it won't stop raining long enough to get it done. Our temps are fine , just too wet.

Annette, I have iceberg tubers coming out my ears. All sprouted though. I am not sure how that works to send. Obviously the growth won't make it, or will get crushed pretty badly. You could still plant them and have tubers for storing this fall. I love Ice Berg and it did really well for me last year. Obviously.

Mary, I go through a "bad storage mood" every other year or so, especially when I'm losing so many tubers to shriveling. I can't count the times I've almost decided to let them rot in the ground and just buy new ones in the spring. But once they're planted and blooming, all is forgiven and forgotten ... until the next year. I typically lose 30-40% each year to shriveling or not eyeing up in the spring. This year the survival rate was well over 90% and the sprouting rate of those has to be at least 80%. Never had this "problem" before. I've given/sent tubers to a dozen or more family/friends and still have enough for a couple more on the list.

My biggest problem is that I don't have enough sunny windows or grow lights to accommodate 16 planters, two large storage boxes and four large pots. Carrying them in and out of the house every day is getting old. I'm dying to see the nighttime temps stay warm enough to keep them outside on a regular basis. I probably have 175 or more started. So much for cutting back AGAIN this year! lol

I have never lost that many to storage, but if they all came through okay I would be in big trouble. I figure, after this year, that my maximum is about 180 plants in 3-5" pots with several in larger pots (12-18"). If all I did was dahlias I could handle it though I get so discouraged as I see the spindly ones. I have started to 'cull the herd' by dumping non performing or super spindly, despite pinching the centers) plants to examine the roots and tuber. Sometimes it means they are just living off the tuber and will never amount to anything. So better to pitch now. But I also have those two rolling racks, four shelves each with four flourcent lamps each that grow vegies and annuals. And many of those are still in 6-paks and need replanting outdoors. I have already repotted many to 2" pots as they are outgrowing the 6-paks. I have made room on the 2 4x8' tables for overflow by moving two lots of dahlias outdoors to harden off. They are done, so now to move out the final batch.

I am sure I will give in this fall to storing again, but this time I will only keep so many of each tuber I like. Ice Berg, White Fawn, Karma Martin Swan outdid themselves with tubers and many many survived winter and I dutifully potted them all up as they sprouted. Never again. Only those with sprouts and only 3 at the most of each kind I want. Maybe even just 1 if it is healthy enough to give one nice plant. If I am going to flat out pitch some plants or tubers that actually look good, I will post on my list here for anyone who wants them for postage. Preference to people I know of course.

I think I will take an actual inventory as of today, and do a bit more culling. Those I have pitched thus far in the last week had really good tubers but not much in the way of roots. Not sure why. Other than the huge mess when I over watered and repotted. I know I did a lot of damage to feeder roots then.

Mary, if you have spares of Iceberg or anything else that you would like to share, I will gladly pay postage if you let me know how much. I have sent Dahlias that had growth on them and they made it ok. I always wrap/roll the foliage in a newspaper sleeve and pack the box with paper to take up any airspace and keep the plants from moving, it seems to work. However if they have not been hardened off they may be brittle and tend to break easier. Not sure about that, but my Dahlias seem to be pretty resilient and can take a certain amount of abuse and still produce very well. I have 3 dogs that think my flower beds are "dog beds" lol. One of them is a 160# Great Pyrenees/Lab mix who could level a bed of Dahlias pretty quickly if he wanted to, lol. Thankfully the Dahlia bed isn't one of his favorite spots to nap. Too much sun

Checked into prices for fence posts for my rows. Wow, over 5 bucks apiece. Couldn't afford that. So I had a bunch of easels that were given to me along with a piece of flat metal. My hubby and I made our own posts. I don't think they are going to be strong enough but we are going to use them this year. I'm also going to pinch my dahlias back to bush them out and keep them from getting so tall, so that should help. I will probably get some rebar for next year-cheaper than fence posts.

Rebar works well and prices do vary, so check around for the best buy. In the meantime, you're doing just fine and have a very neat garden.

Thanks Arlene. Spent a lot of money on straw for mulch, but I have to find easier ways to keep the weeds out of the garden and hoeing about killed me off last year. And I will till this in next spring to improve my heavy clay soil.

That should work out well to prevent weeds and for the future of the soil. We spend a lot of money on mulch because I hate the sight of weeds.

Despite the abysmal dahlia weather the last month, 12 of 15 have popped above the soil surface since planting 4/16. We've had so much rain, cool/cold temps, long stretches of cloudy days, I thought for sure they'd all be toast. We have had 4.58" of rain since, 12 days with highs in the 50s, 18 days cloudy or cloudy with rain, and 14 days with overnight lows <45*. Luckily I had the forethought to put extra sand in the bottom of the sunken pots as a bed for the tubers. I also put extra sand and pea gravel in the back fill mix. Hopefully the last 3 will pop out soon. I'll have to water them extra this summer with the better draining soil mix.

All the dahlias are growing like crazy, some already over one foot tall. Some are returning from last year and some are new. Got cafe at lait this year.

That reminds me. I had a volunteer dahlia from last year over winter and return this year! It had gotten too much shade and never bloomed so I wasn't going to save it and left it for dead. I noticed it the other day when I was walking about the yard.

Maybe that is a sign, lol. That one is a survivor. Maybe move it to a sunnier spot and see what it does.

Maybe you're right. I have love for survivors Volunteer dahlias have tubers just under the surface much like iris rhizomes. I'm especially amazed this one made it.

I hope it is raining is Anchorage and cool til I return this weekend. Then I can finish caging and replacing any that didn't make it. They are tough little flowers.

Swans Island dahlias has a 40% off sale on everything. I was looking over their offerings when I saw Cafe Au Lait Dahlia Going for almost $20. Was I shocked! But I can see why it maybe so priced because all my Cafe Au Lait tubers (about 20) did not sprout except for only one. Thanks Geof for selling me this dahlia last year for a very reasonable price.

I was unable to salvage any of my CAL tubers either. I was disappointed in the actual color of the bloom last year so not a big loss.

It has been a while since I checked in. It sounds like everyone is doing well. I still have some tubers that haven't sprouted but as I check them, they have eyes that are bulging.
I have been trying to weed around the areas that I had dahlia's in last year and have dug up 15 seedlings to replant. I will replant them in a special place all to themselves so I can see what I have. I am rather excited. I was able to leave some where they were growing. Since I flood irrigate everything, I need to have my ditches free.
I have been outside every night until after dark, (My father use to call it 'dark:30). If I work during the day at my regular job, when I come home I check in with my sweetheart and see if he needs anything then tell him that I am going out to have some fun. On my days off, I am out most of the day. I can't believe that I still have so much to do.
Best to all. Happy Gardening.

"So much to do" - its the name of the game this time of the year. I think every single one of us are in the same boat.

I am hoping to start putting my dahlias in the ground Sat & Sun. They have been hardening off on the porch for a few days, and since rain is predicted Monday, I would like to get them planted before then.

As to Cafe Au Lait - I hope the few tubers that I sold of it were good. I kept two for myself, and one is growing away, but the other, while it eyed up, and has made roots, hasn't crested the top of the soil yet - and its been in there a long time, so I don't think it will. It will be my 3rd season with it, and I have been pretty disappointed so far, I am not quite sure why there was so much hoopla about that variety. If it doesn't do better this year, I won't be inviting it back.

I can't believe you are still planting, my dahlias are already 4 feet tall. It's been raining 3 days, my grass is to high but the dahlias like it. I got some came up that I taught they where dead, so I am glad I will be having some surprise ones.