STORING DAHLIAS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 136, 10 June 1937, Page 26

STORING DAHLIAS

END OF SEASON WORK

The dahlia season is now over and the tops of the plants .can be cut down to 6 inches from'the ground.. The stakes-and ties should be collected and carefully looked over,,the good stakes being placed together and any that require resharpening should be placed on one side to be dealt with when the weather is too bad for outdoor work. Labels should be securely tied to the portion of the stem left on.the plants. It is a mistake to let the labels get lost or mixed up; the result of unnamed plants is "usually that the best gradually get into' the minority, as the less desirable ones usually increase more readily. ' > After the tops are cut down and the labels fixed, the tubers can be lifted and stored. When lifting use a digging fork. arid. do. not work too close up to the stem or you will break off the tubers. In..some districts where I the soil is light and, well drained, and where hard frosts do not occur, it is quite safe to leave, the tubers in the ground, but better results and more systematic, planting ;can be obtained by lifting the roots each season and replanting in the early summer. The tubers may be stored under a hedge, in a shed, or in any cool, fairly dry, frost-free (position. They may be left until they begin to show signs of growth towards the end of : the year, when they can be divided and replanted.