1. Wait to dig up dahlia tubers until the foliage has turned brown in the fall. Cut the foliage down prior to digging, making sure to leave a few inches of stem above ground.2. Dig around the drip line of the dahlia with a shovel or spading fork. (The drip line is imaginary line around the outside perimeter of the foliage.) Dig carefully to avoid damaging the potato-like tubers.
3. Lift the clump of soil gently so that the tubers are exposed. Shake out excess soil.
4. Wash the clump of tubers under a gentle stream of water to remove the dirt, being careful not to damage the outside skin. Use a shower head instead of a strong jet sprayer hose attachment.
5. Use a sharp knife or clippers to separate tubers into individual pieces, leaving a two-inch piece of stem on each one. If the stem is removed completely, the tuber will not sprout next season.
6. Lay the prepared tubers on sheets of newspaper in a single layer. Allow them to air dry in a sunny location for one week.
7. Dust the prepared tubers with sulfur powder to prevent fungus disease and rot. Sulfur powder is available at nursery supply stores. [I'm thinking I may skip this step and see what happens...]
8. Store tubers in a cool, dark, dry location. The tubers can be stored in single layers in a cardboard box or nursery flats lined with newspaper. [I've also read that storing in old panty-hose works well. I plan to keep mine in the garage.]
9. Plant tubers in the spring after the soil has warmed.
Sounds easy enough. I am in no rush for the cool weather, (unlike a certain little munchkin) but I do love this time of year. In the past few weekends we went to a beautiful fall wedding, a pumpkin patch, and a picnic in the park just as the leaves were at their very brightest. That all makes for lots of fun pictures for some new posts....if only I had enough free time to sort through ALL the pictures AND write updates.....
a few of the never-ending questions / comments from my Sylvie girl:- do stink bugs have belly buttons?
- why did that baseball player (Cody Ross) paint eyebrows on his cheeks?
- are there bones in your eyebrows?
- are there bones in your brain?
- why do Weebles wibble wobble, but they don't fall down?
- why do Weebles wibble wobble, but they don't fall down?
- why does Aunt Chrissy call Uncle Mark "honey"? (haha!) She asked that when she recognized "Somewhere over the Rainbow" on the radio as their wedding song.
- WHEN am I going to see Aunt Chrissy again? (that lasts from the time she leaves until she returns :)- Can Brock and Mama Mia come for dinner tonight? (asked almost everynight)
- Mommy, mommy look! (at the flags around the car dealership outside our car). The flags are dancing to our music!!!
Sylvie and Stella both sing and dance to all music, and are convinced the whole world is dancing with them.
Lots of love,
Keri
