I know it is a funny subject at this time of year, but in my
garage I have about 20 plants from last year, dug in to autumn
and left upside down to dry. Only trouble is that I usually
after a few days wash them to remove most of the soil and then
let them dry throughly. This year due to the rain and other
thing I did not wash them, so I have a number of solid heavy
blocks of Dahlia tuber and soil. I've started trying to tease
out the soil from the smaller ones, but he larger ones are too
heavy to handle and you can not get into the middle without
damaging the tubers.

Would it be safe to wash them at this time of the year, or
would they take that as a sign of spring and start shooting?


--
Roger T

700 ft up in Mid-Wales

On 01/02/2016 16:26, Roger Tonkin wrote:
I know it is a funny subject at this time of year, but in my
garage I have about 20 plants from last year, dug in to autumn
and left upside down to dry. Only trouble is that I usually
after a few days wash them to remove most of the soil and then
let them dry throughly. This year due to the rain and other
thing I did not wash them, so I have a number of solid heavy
blocks of Dahlia tuber and soil. I've started trying to tease
out the soil from the smaller ones, but he larger ones are too
heavy to handle and you can not get into the middle without
damaging the tubers.

Would it be safe to wash them at this time of the year, or
would they take that as a sign of spring and start shooting?

I'd say it depends what you want to do with the tubers.
If you are just going to replant them in the ground then I'd leave them,
just sprinkle a few slug pellets around as those little blighter's can
find new shoots even when you think things are still dormant.
If you are going to use the old tubers to go grow shoots for cuttings
then Yes you could wash them off, divide them and put them in
boxes/trays with a good layer of peat/compost to encourage them into
growth. Again a few slug pellets.
David @ a sunny and rain free side of Swansea Bay.

In article , david@abacus-
nurseries.co.uk says...

On 01/02/2016 16:26, Roger Tonkin wrote:
I know it is a funny subject at this time of year, but in my
garage I have about 20 plants from last year, dug in to autumn
and left upside down to dry. Only trouble is that I usually
after a few days wash them to remove most of the soil and then
let them dry throughly. This year due to the rain and other
thing I did not wash them, so I have a number of solid heavy
blocks of Dahlia tuber and soil. I've started trying to tease
out the soil from the smaller ones, but he larger ones are too
heavy to handle and you can not get into the middle without
damaging the tubers.

Would it be safe to wash them at this time of the year, or
would they take that as a sign of spring and start shooting?

I'd say it depends what you want to do with the tubers.
If you are just going to replant them in the ground then I'd leave them,
just sprinkle a few slug pellets around as those little blighter's can
find new shoots even when you think things are still dormant.
If you are going to use the old tubers to go grow shoots for cuttings
then Yes you could wash them off, divide them and put them in
boxes/trays with a good layer of peat/compost to encourage them into
growth. Again a few slug pellets.
David @ a sunny and rain free side of Swansea Bay.

Thanks David, that is what I'll do, but should I split the big
ones anyway? - they are about 1ft in each direction!

--
Roger T

700 ft up in Mid-Wales