stored Dahlia trouble

Checked on my stored Dahlias the other day in my garage and noticed one or two had a white kind of fluffy mould on them and the tubors where slightly soft , Should I through them out ? Also what was the cause of this ? I stored them in plastic trays in the Garage with no natural light .

 

Bally, when storing Dahlias, they need to be free of soil and dry. Also give them a dusting with yellow or green sulphur, to prevent fungal growth. The white stuff is a form of Botrytis, a fungal growth.

 

They may still be OK.

The fluffy mould can just be a slight thing.
Fungus does not need light to grow

If you have a heated greenhouse I would get them growing now, by putting them in boxes of slightly moist compost.
Once a few good shoots form you can take cuttings if you want to.

If you dont have a greehouse that is frost free I'd leave them at least another month, before planting out, but try to give them a bit more ventilation.
The tubers may well be soft, but that is not a problem unless they are slimy.

 

Thanks, hope they don t deteriorate before I plant out as I have no greenhouse. Last year was a first for me growing Dahlias and I have to say I have found them quite time consuming and they take up quite a bit of storage room if you lift them. I live in the North East and have friends who have success leaving them in the ground.There soil is a bit better quality than mine. My soil is a little on the heavy side do you think I would be wasting my time not lifting them next time around?

 

After the winter we have had this year I would say you did the right thing in lifting them.:gnthb:

 

Some of my dahlias haven't been lifted for Twenty years.I chop bits off for friends,just give them a good mulch for winter.

 

hi bally
it seems that you didnt dry your dahlias of enough. i lift on a dry day and when they are dry
i line a big container with dry newspaper and then some dry compost put in dahlias add more compost and paper on top, and keep in the shed. no problem up to yet.
ps shake off axcess soil before storing

yours may still be okay but keep offending ones away from good ones.

good luck rpdiy