Overwinter Dahlias in Pots | The Easiest Way To Store Them Over Winter!

This will be my third year overwintering dahlias in pots and this is the method that is both the easiest and has had a 100% success rate for me.
Pre-sprouting dahlias video: • How I Pre-Sprout My Da...
Here are the steps I take:
1. Wait until a killing frost and let foliage stand for two more weeks if possible based on temperature. Temps below 35F can kill tubers, so move inside before then.
2. Cut the stalks back to a few inches above the soil.
3. Remove the top inch of soil to try to prevent hundreds of flies from hatching in your house
4. Bring the pots into a protected area, like a garage or shed. Somewhere that will stay between 40-50 degrees is ideal.
5. Water only if necessary. Tubers in soil can hold onto moisture. I only watered once last winter when I stored them in grow bags and plastic pots retain much more moisture compared to grow bags.
6. In the spring, move them inside your home to pre-sprout (video linked above)
7. Once shoots start appearing, water and put in front of a window or other light source
8. Move them outdoors after last frost
9. I'll also add a layer of compost at the top of the pot to add nutrients to the soil
Let me know how you store your dahlia tubers!
For daily garden and houseplant updates, follow me on Instagram @chicagogardener

Пікірлер: 31

  • @SnappyR
    @SnappyR7 ай бұрын

    Your channel is such an inspiration to gardeners who don't have a yard or much space♥

  • @ChicagoGardener

    @ChicagoGardener

    7 ай бұрын

    Thank you so much!! That’s exactly what I was hoping for when I started making videos. I used to think I’d have to wait to have a yard to garden and if that was true I’d still be waiting!

  • @zarkatalksbangla
    @zarkatalksbangla7 ай бұрын

    I love Garden

  • @user-bu4jk2jq4l
    @user-bu4jk2jq4l7 ай бұрын

    This is going to be fun!

  • @ZombiesAteKattherine
    @ZombiesAteKattherine5 ай бұрын

    perfect. exactly what i needed to hear. Ive been watching vieo after video of people digging them up to wrap them in platic or put them in ceadar chunkcs. Ill just leave min in the pots and bring them in the garage

  • @rogerjacobs5240
    @rogerjacobs5240Ай бұрын

    I live in the Seattle area, zone 8b. The last 3 years I've been leaving my dahlias in the ground with quite a bit of success, covering them with around 3 inches of dead leaves. it's the end of may and most people are just putting them in the ground. I have some plants a foot high with multiple branches, so probably a 6 week jump on the season. Probably will dig them this year though, the tuber clusters get huge. Good video! 👍Lived in Decatur when I was a kid.

  • @atlchipper10
    @atlchipper107 ай бұрын

    Your channel has taught me so much- keep up the great work

  • @ChicagoGardener

    @ChicagoGardener

    7 ай бұрын

    Thank you so much!!

  • @sabrinassuburbangarden9448
    @sabrinassuburbangarden94487 ай бұрын

    Hi, I saw your channel featured on Dig, Plant, Water, Repeat. I hope that new ones get to enjoy your channel as I have for a few years now.

  • @ChicagoGardener

    @ChicagoGardener

    7 ай бұрын

    Thank you so much!! I’m so happy Janey chose to feature my garden!

  • @DaveCollierCamping
    @DaveCollierCamping7 ай бұрын

    That cold weather is about to hit us soon.

  • @ChicagoGardener

    @ChicagoGardener

    7 ай бұрын

    I’m not ready 😩

  • @andrewhollander-urbach5114
    @andrewhollander-urbach51147 ай бұрын

    So cool! I'll have to try this

  • @rachelweishaar6085
    @rachelweishaar60857 ай бұрын

    I should have tried this method. I'm in Zone 6a outside of St. Louis and I had a lot of trouble even digging the tubers out of my clay soil this year. I feel they have already dried out too much in my garage wrapped in newspaper. Thanks for sharing all your experience!

  • @ChicagoGardener

    @ChicagoGardener

    7 ай бұрын

    The ones I dug out the first year dried up bc I wasn’t on top of them as much as I should have been. This has been so much easier for me!

  • @joyaraninath9724
    @joyaraninath97247 ай бұрын

    Wow......💕💕

  • @sunshine..journey
    @sunshine..journey7 ай бұрын

    Wonderful information Bethany! Coming from "dig plant water repeat". I am also zone 6, I tried growing dahlias and storing tubers but failed at both. I am sure it was a user error, might try it again some day 😀

  • @ChicagoGardener

    @ChicagoGardener

    7 ай бұрын

    My dahlias did not do as well in the garden this year as they have in the past, and it seemed that way for most other gardeners I talked to, so if this was your first year definitely try it again next year!

  • @areb3312
    @areb33127 ай бұрын

    I have moved mine in pots into the unheated garage this year. We’ll see what happens! Zone 7b. North Alabama.

  • @ChicagoGardener

    @ChicagoGardener

    7 ай бұрын

    Let me know how it turns out!!

  • @itsmewende
    @itsmewende7 ай бұрын

    I did mulch mine 2 yrs ago zone 7b. Some made out fine some did not, those that came back and bloomed had way less flowers, and smaller as well. I lifted them last yr, but just kinda cleaned them off, laid them on an area rug in a storage room. I looked at them now and then, used a frost cloth if I thought it may get too cold. I thought I lost some, but in hindsight, those I threw out, were maybe ok.

  • @ChicagoGardener

    @ChicagoGardener

    7 ай бұрын

    That’s so interesting the ones that made it didn’t perform as well! How did the ones you lifted do the next year?

  • @itsmewende

    @itsmewende

    7 ай бұрын

    @@ChicagoGardener I should have mention that…dah. They were great this yr, some new ones stunk tho, hope they’re nice next yr.

  • @PopcornAndKittenz
    @PopcornAndKittenz7 ай бұрын

    Thanks for this! I tried overwintering some bulbs last year but I don't have a place in my house that sits between 40-50, so I left them at my sister-in-law's...but couldn't get over there very often, so they dried out. This year, I have two I want to keep, so I dug them out of the ground and planted them in pots to keep in my garage. I'll definitely scrape off the top inch before I bring them in though! I just had to deal with an aphid infestation for the hibiscus I had outside, and I'm not doing that again... I was going to suggest...would you maybe create some playlists for specific things (like dahlias)? Finding all your dahlia videos took a bit of time. Did you make a Spring video for the first overwintering experiment? :) Thanks again!

  • @ChicagoGardener

    @ChicagoGardener

    7 ай бұрын

    That’s a great idea! I’ll definitely make a dahlia playlist. I have a video from last spring that should come up if you search for “how I pre-sprout my dahlias for earlier blooms. I’ll create a playlist and add all of them!

  • @PopcornAndKittenz

    @PopcornAndKittenz

    7 ай бұрын

    @@ChicagoGardener thanks! It's a great playlist!

  • @aiai-j7i
    @aiai-j7i7 ай бұрын

    I just planted daffodil, muscari and crocus bulbs in containers on my balcony. I live in an apartment on the Northshore of Chicago. I just realized I made a huuuuge mistake, lol!! I thought to just wrap them in burlap or something. There is a storage room in the basement but it gets too warm, I think. Also watered the containers per instructions and now I noticed it is going to freeze tonight, aaargh! I feel so dumb!

  • @ChicagoGardener

    @ChicagoGardener

    7 ай бұрын

    One thing I’ve learned in gardening is you’ll never know for sure if something will work or not 😆 I would try to keep the soil from staying too wet but let me know how it goes!

  • @aiai-j7i

    @aiai-j7i

    7 ай бұрын

    I'll let you know come Spring 😊@@ChicagoGardener

  • @fabilovesplants
    @fabilovesplants4 ай бұрын

    Giving dahlias in pots a try this year. Where did you get the short cages?

  • @ChicagoGardener

    @ChicagoGardener

    4 ай бұрын

    Home Depot! They’re 18”. Sometimes I can find them in the store but I’ve also ordered some through their website.