Checking on the dahlia tubers

Dahlia tubers come in many shapes and sizes. Different varieties produce tubers of different shapes.

Optimal storage ensures dahlia tubers wake up in the spring healthy and ready to grow.  Some dahlia growers check on their dahlia tubers in storage every couple of weeks. Pah! The last thing I want to do in the middle of winter is go hang out in the cold garage poking around in some dormant dahlia tubers. I like to divide them and wrap them up in the fall, and then ignore them until spring.

I store my dahlia tubers wrapped in plastic wrap in a cooler packed with sawdust in my garage. This storge method is very robust against fluctuations in humidity and temperature, and I have virtually no tuber storage loss over the winter.

Successful dahlia tuber storage depends on knowing your storage conditions. The ideal dahlia tuber storage conditions are a cool, dark, location with temperature between 40-50 degrees F, and humidity of 75-90%. I don't always have that. My garage gets colder than that in winter, and my humidity fluctuates a lot depending on the temperature. When it's freezing outside, the ambient humidity is very low. Knowing your storage conditions can help you decide how you want to pack your tubers for their winter nap.

I store my dahlia tubers wrapped in plastic wrap to mitigate humidity fluctuations, and once they're wrapped up, I pack them in coolers filled with sawdust. This evens out any temperature fluctuations, traps the correct moisture level around the tubers, and enables me to ignore them completely over the winter. It sounds like a lot of work, and it is, but I have thousands of dahlia tubers, and I want them to be well protected. And I also want to ignore them.

And the tubers look great!!!

A dahlia tuber from 'Peach Fuzz'

A package of my 'Peach Fuzz' dahlia tubers all wrapped up for winter storage

This article from the American Dahlia Society explains all about successful storage of dahlia tubers in plastic wrap.

https://www.dahlia.org/docsinfo/articles/no-fuss-store-your-tubers-in-plastic-wrap/

But you don't have to do all that work of storing dahlia tubers! You can treat them as annuals and just buy new tubers each year!

Our dahlia tuber shop is open for 2026 pre-orders! Take advantage of our special early bird pricing.

Visit our dahlia tuber shop at SheaFlowerFarm.com

So why did I check on my dahlia tubers in January, you ask? Just so I could take their pictures for this blog post. :/