Dahlia Tuber Care

The following are simply guidelines to storage and planting of tubers- there are many variables depending on your storage availability and soil when planting! 

Tuber Storage Care:

Tubers do best when kept in 40 degree- 50 degree temperature with fairly high humidity. You want to avoid freezing temperatures for them. I keep mine in an unfinished basement. Crawl spaces and garages work well too! 

Planting:

After our last frost (usually mid-late May) you can plant your tubers out in an area that gets at least 6 hours of sun. I usually plant mine when we plant our tomatoes. You also want the ground to be moist/damp but not soaked or flooded. You will not need to water the dahlias until you see them sprout. These are just guidelines but it’s not an exact science- especially with the extreme weather we have had in the spring. I have had to plant in wet ground and they have grown regardless of the flooding. I have also planted in the drought and watered before they have sprouted because of the drought. My tubers have always survived. While they are picky on their preferences, Dahlias have been pretty hardy for me throughout the last 7 years in this extreme New England weather. When you plant, you should place the eye of the tuber facing up and plant them 3-4 inches down. If you are planting tubers next to each other they should be planting about 12 inches apart. Dahlias need a deep soaking once a week (if we don’t get rain).