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Pulling
Tubers From The Garden - When and How:
(by Murray Thompson)
Just as day follows night, the end of the growing season will arrive, and for
Dahlia gardeners, that is a time for a little sadness about the end of the
flowers, but at the same time, we can look forward to a good crop of new tubers.
Most folks who have just a few plants will want to wait until the first killing
frost blackens the foliage before harvesting starts. If you have hundreds
or more, some elect to start before the frost, by pulling a few each day, and
thus spreading out the work. There is also a growing third option for
people who are just too busy, and opt to buy and plant new tubers each year.
While the purist might wince a little, Dahlias do require a bit of work.
Most people buy new Impatiens and Geraniums each year, so why not Dahlias?
However, this article is for the people who dig up and store tubers over the
winter.
Once you start inquiring, you will find many different ways this task is
accomplished, and you will seldom find two people doing the whole job the same
way. Many ways work just fine, and you will find one which suits you and
your circumstances. This article is to provide you with an entry-level
understanding of what to do. For advanced discussion (if you are in the
Toronto area) feel free to come to our meetings. See below for pictures
and a short note relating to that step of the process. (Click on the
pictures for a better view)
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Digging the tubers is best done with a shovel or spade. While
some prefer a garden fork, the tubers may have roots over three feet
from their end. Best that
these roots are cut while circling the
plant to loosen the soil. |
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Circle the plant about 12" from the stem, gently loosening the soil.
It often helps to remove some of the surface chunks which come free,
before circling the second time with a deeper cut. Try to be
careful, since the tubers are quite brittle. Don't be too upset if
you break the bottom of a tuber off, though. It's the part nearest
the top which will produce the new stem |
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The tubers emerge! Ensure you have a tag to keep your
varieties straight! By the way, since earth tends to stick around
the spot where stems and tubers converge, this is the time you can
appreciate the benefits of dropping a handful of perlite over/under the
shoot when you planted in the Spring....it both retains moisture and
helps the root come out of the ground more cleanly. Don't overdo
it, though, since the roots need earth, not perlite, for anchoring and
plant support. |
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This one was well anchored! It started off as a stem which was
broken off a tuber, so I coiled it into a 4" round pot and threw some
earth on it...and it grew just fine. And it was well anchored in
the ground, too! |
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Lopping shears are handy to sever the larger stems. Note that
the plants with the larger flowers are not always the most prolific
below ground. These tubers in the picture are 'White Perfection',
a white dinnerplate, |
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Make sure the tags are well attached. It's very easy to lose
or misplace a favourite cultivar at this point, if a tag comes loose.
These tags, by the way, are made from white plastic venetian blinds, cut
to appropriate length, with a hole drilled through a stack of 25 or so
at one time. Great tags, low price. Remember to use a
'permanent marker' for the labels, or risk losing track of your
cultivars when you wash the earth off the roots. |
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