Wow, can you believe it is the middle of October as we hit week 15 of my Dahlia Diaries (you are very welcome if you are a new reader!) and so very very mild here on our flower farm in the South Cotswolds, UK. This time last year on this exact day I woke up to a hard frost, at least minus 2 degrees and that spelled the end to our 2024 flower cutting season.
This week I have cut hundreds of stems for wholesale orders, a wedding and some mixed buckets and bouquets.
It means firstly, that our dahlias have now been flowering and being cut for 15 weeks which is a record for me and will probably have a correspondingly record breaking stem count in terms of annual dahlias cut and processed on the farm. Big numbers are important only in that it signifies cash flow; quality is our number one priority so we will keep cutting until I sense the flowers have passed their peak. This could be in a few days, or with continuing mild and calm weather, another couple of weeks. I’ll have to play it by ear. Sunday is forecast to be horrible.
Secondly, it means that these diaries have covered the entire cutting season which is totally cool. So Phase 1: Flowering, done. Next up, Phase 2: The Dormant Season. I reckon 75% of dahlia growers, whether it be those that have one in a flowerbed to many in a cutting garden will be pondering the age old question: To Lift of Not to Lift.
I also know that 85% of statistics are made up on the spot. However, I have had many many messages over the last couple of weeks asking me exactly that. What to do? What are the pros and cons of each? Why even lift? So here we have it everyone, my take on the answers to these questions. If you are growing in pots, scroll down for more info…
Before we begin
For those new to dahlias (skip this bit if you are a pro) I just wanted to explain what is meant by lifting or leaving. Lifting dahlias is essentially taking the plant out of the ground tuber and all, cleaning it up and storing it over winter to then be handled again either in February time or planting directly into the ground after your last frost.
Leaving dahlias in the ground means just that - you chop the stems off and the tuber stays where it is. Both methods require a bit of work to ensure the tuber survives, which I will cover step by step next week.
This week we are talking about making the decision and what kit to prepare either way.
The case for lifting your dahlias at the end of the growing season
Lifting gives you control and is essential if you want to propagate more dahlias yourself through cuttings next Spring.
The pros:
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INSPECTION: You can inspect tubers for damage, disease or rot. This is particularly in relation to leafy or crown gall - the former on the top of the tuber and the latter on the bottom / side.
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DIVIDE: You can divide tubers and increase your stock. We do this every 3 years as the tubers can get so big they can’t regenerate in a season as there’s no space for new tuber growth in between the old ones, so they run out of steam.
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LABEL: You can label everything clearly so there’s no guessing game next spring.
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HONE YOUR STOCK: Chuck out the ones you don’t like, gift them to a friend, protect the ones you really really don’t want to lose. Lifting is an opportunity to refine your dahlia growing list or simply to move them to somewhere else in your growing space.
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TAKING CUTTINGS: If you want to take cuttings from a tuber in the spring, you will need to take it out of the ground at some point - some people do lift in spring to do this. I want to do it in the Autumn so that I know the mother tuber (the one lifted) is clean and disease free and I can plan volumes.
The cons:
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TIME & EFFORT: Depending on how many dahlias you have, lifting them can be hard work. We are on cloggy clay soil here and when the tubers come out of the ground they are heavy, I mean really heavy. Then you have to handle them a couple of times before they are ready to store and then you have to lug them into storage. This all takes time.
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SPACE TO DRY AND STORE: You’ll need somewhere dry and frost-free to keep them, not everyone has that luxury. Please note, despite what you might see on social media, an airing cupboard or under your bed in a plastic box is NOT an ideal place to store them, more on that next week, but you do need some space. You also need space to dry them before storing.
Lifting is invaluable insurance if your soil is heavy or poorly drained. If you are a bit of a dahlia nut and want to get really into taking cuttings, refining your stock etc. then lifting is your way to go….
The case for leaving your dahlias in the ground
This is a more relaxed approach where you don’t want to propagate new stock and simply want to enjoy your dahlias again next year in the same place.
The pros:
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EASIER: Obviously leaving dahlias in the ground is far far less labour-intensive, no digging, drying or crates.
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EARLIER FLOWERING: You’ll get earlier flowering next year, perhaps as much as three weeks earlier that those replanted. The dahlia plant will start to wake up as soon as the soil hits around 15 degrees centigrade.
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MULCH NOW: You’ll be covering your dahlia tubers with some matter and those nutrients have a long time to get down into the soil which is good for the soil and good for your dahlias.
The cons:
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RISKY: What unpredictable weather we are having and who knows if we will get a deep 4 week permafrost this winter that annihilates everything in its stride, including our precious dahlias, despite being heavily mulched. Or biblical amounts of rain which wash out even the best draining soils?
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NOT 100% LABOUR FREE: You’ll need to get hold of some matter to put on top of your tubers like compost, bark chippings, sheep fleece etc. and somehow make sure it stays down for the winter so might involve a little bit more work than just winging it.
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HEART HEALTH: Can you handle the uncertainty???? Will you be running out in your dressing gown at 4am with fleece when your flower bed thermometer raises an alarm for a proper ground frost?
In all seriousness, the success of leaving your dahlias in the ground will largely be down to two factors - how cold does it get where you are and how free draining is your soil. It used to be that heavy frost was the main danger, a prolonged freeze would penetrate the soil and kill the tubers outright. But with our changing climate, that’s no longer the biggest threat. Winters are milder now, but far wetter, and it’s the persistent damp that does the damage. Tubers sitting in cold, soggy soil are far more likely to rot than freeze.
How to decide
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If your soil holds water, lift.
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If you have rare or sentimental varieties, lift.
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If your soil drains well and you have plenty of matter to put on them, leave.
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If you struggle for space and time, leave
What we are doing here on the flower farm
Many growers (us included) take a mixed approach. This year I am going to leave the majority of our dahlias in our main field in the ground and cover with wood chip. Last year it took us a couple of days to lift them and then me a few weeks of processing and finally, lugging 1,000 tubers into storage. This year I simply can’t face it, so for the main field, I am leaving them in and will replace any losses with our garden ready dahlia plants in late spring.
The super special ones - mainly those in our breeding program - I will lift and cosset.
The ones I want to increase stock from I will lift for cutting production in the spring.
The ones I don’t like will be lifted and gifted.
Kit List – Getting Ready to Lift
Whatever you decide, now’s the moment to get yourself organised. Gather everything you’ll need:
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Permanent marker pens – for labelling (and re-labelling!). The only pens I find work - I’ve mentioned it before - are these Artline ones which you can find on Amazon here
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Strong labels – top tip, get the ones with a hole in them so you can tie them to the tuber. Also don't get them too big or they will get in the way in storage. I use these ones here
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String or twine – for tying labels and bundles. I use polypropylene twine which is fairly indestructible - link here. If you use normal string or jute twine it might rot over the next month or so in contact with a drying tuber and then it will break and your label will be parted from its owner. Very very frustrating, happened to me a few years back.
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Bleach solution for disinfecting your snips between each variety so the tubers go in clean.
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Bale arm crate or black crate – to store lifted dahlias in. I find the storage box / crate must be vented i.e. have holes in it, for air flow. This is super important. If you are going to stack them, you also want the ones that are identical to a supermarket delivery crate (the ones with the holes in the bottom, though) which are the deeper ones, not the shallower ones.
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Garden fork – gentler than a spade when lifting the tubers and less likely to cut into them - wounds on any tubers can attract bacteria and lead to disease.
A little preparation now makes the job calmer, tidier, and far more satisfying when the cold mornings arrive.
A Note about Storing Dahlias in Pots
If you are growing your dahlias in pots then storing them is super simple. If you can move the pot, simply chop the stems down to the soil level and move the whole pot into somewhere frost free with some ventilation - leave the tuber in the pot and let the whole thing dry out naturally. Once the temperatures have risen in the spring and no more frosts are forecast, just move the pot outside somewhere sunny, give it a water and the tuber will come back to life.
I’ll be doing this with all our saved 2L pots so will show you how simple it is when I do the step by step lifting or leaving next week.
In Other News from the Flower Farm
I’m in the process of cutting 500 dahlias for drying, amongst other things, for our Luxury Wreath Workshops we are holding in the first week of December here in Sopworth. We’ve decided to give people a choice to make either a wreath or a table centrepiece which is where the dahlias come in as a few people said they would prefer this. Such a good idea!
All materials for the workshops have been grown here on our flower farm or we are sourcing them hyper locally so the end result will be absolutely gorgeous, no plastic, no fake bits, just super luxury, natural and 100% sustainable. The only part we are buying in is the delicious velvet ribbon to give the wreaths the extra wow factor.
We’ve still some spaces left so do check out the dates on our website and come along - it is £75 a space - no pots of what you can have, only so many of this or that nonsense or restrictions. There will be a veritable abundance of material for you to get your hands on. It’s going to be super fun, Caroline is the floral genius, I’m in charge of ‘entertainment’ and making sure everyone has everything they need for their creative masterpiece!
Hope to see you there. In the meantime, I hope your dahlia seed saving is going well and if you are new to this Dahlia Diary, do have a read of previous weeks 1-14 on Substack.
As always, any questions just drop me a message in the chat or comment on this post.
Even though it is mild, next week I will do a step by step guide to both lifting and leaving as I know some of you are in colder climates and are already gathering your forks and labels…..
All the best
Rachel
