Dahlia Tubers

Our first flower-growing love: the flashy dahlia.

We remember planting it; an ugly tuber that was gifted to me for Mother’s Day in 2015, before we even had our land. We planted it trusting that this little potato-looking thing would turn into the flower on the front of the package. We remember watching the sprout emerge to the surface of the soil and we watched the foliage grow for what seemed like months! Though this wouldn’t be our last lesson in patience, it was a noteworthy one. Once we noticed a giant bud form, truly bigger than anything we’d ever seen, we watched in anticipation of what would grow. By the end of August that summer, in our little neighborhood backyard, the most beautiful flower we had ever set eyes on surprisingly bloomed – there he was, Kelvin Floodlight in all his glory, a giant “dinner plate” lemon yellow colored dahlia! Such a beauty! In short, that “waiting in wonder” sentiment never left us. Because if you fast-forward to summer 2024, we grew 300+ dahlias on our flower farm. We add more every year. Do not underestimate the work these diva-flowers are, because they absolutely make you earn the splendor! We have no regrets, as they really are the star of the show and the “grand finale” of our summer annually!

The most beautiful bouquets are certainly those with dahlia as the focal flowers, but as mentioned, they are not easy to grow. Dahlia require a great deal of planning and work, but most definitely, they are undeniably an investment. Like most annuals in our growing region, dahlia tubers are planted out after last frost and will be ready for harvest by late summer/early fall. We plan on these beauties for our August, September, and October focal stems, and they never disappoint! Once first frost arrives in the fall, the dahlia foliage nearly immediately turns black and the plants become completely unrecognizable. Within a few days to a week, we begin the laborious task of cutting off all the plant foliage to the ground. There is a vast range of opinion on when it is best practice to dig your tubers from the ground to begin winter storing, but we typically let them rest in the ground for about two weeks. From a flower farmer’s perspective, dahlia digging is a MASSIVE undertaking, especially when you grow 300+ plants. At this point, it is important to keep in mind why you do what you do, and for us, sharing the beauty God gave us to steward with our community is reason enough to carry on. People are left in awe of these blooms, as God has used that continually as a means for us to point people to Him. What a privilege and joy! If you are new to dahlia growing, you may be delighted at the next step! Remember that one tuber you planted back in May? God did something fascinating over the summer! As He always does, He miraculously multiplies our efforts beyond what we would ever consider to ask or think. Below the surface lies a surprise for the newbie. When you set out to dig your tuber, you will find a clump of tubers! It is truly a perfect picture of the kindness, generosity, and faithfulness of God. He multiplies! It’s time to dig. For this part, we recommend using a garden fork rather than a shovel. Start by forking 12 inches of so around the perimeter of where the plant grew from the ground to loosen the soil. Dig 10-12 inches deep. The clump of  tubers should be loosened enough by this point to gently pull from the soil. You will then immediately rinse the clump of tubers to remove most of the soil. The rinsing step will allow for you to clearly see how to best divide the clump into individual tubers. If you do not plan to divide the tubers, you do not have to rinse. As there is vast ranging opinions of when to dig, there are vast ranging opinions on how to divide and store your tubers. If you plan to divide your tubers, you can learn how here. Dahlias need a few important things to store overwinter well. They need a space that is dark, cool (but it cannot be freezing temperatures). Ideally, the temperature should be between 40 and 50 degrees F, and where the humidity stays around 75%. We store our dahlia tubers in a Michigan basement, which is perfect for us. It is a good idea to check on you tubers periodically for be sure there is no shriveling or rot happening. If you are a casual home landscape gardener, rest assured, you don’t need to feel overwhelmed by this. The good news for you is that growing 10 plants is vastly different than 300.

You may be beginning to see why dahlia tubers are an investment; they are labor intensive, especially if you are growing many of them. If you are ready to jump in, you can shop our dahlia tubers here.

 

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