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idafrances

shriveled

17 years ago

Hi there,

After researching and talking to different dahlia fans around, I thought I had stored my tubers pretty well. I checked on them today and they are all shriveled! Just a couple seem to have mold.

Is this salvageable? What did I do wrong?

I rinsed them off, hung them upside down, then stored them in my basement with newspaper for a little insulation, but not tightly wrapped.

Thanks for listening...

Comments (3)

  • 17 years ago

    Hi,
    Was the rinsing and hanging upside down in newspaper after you found them shrivelled, or is that how you stored them in the first place? Something a little more protective of moisture loss i.e. vermiculite or wood shavings might be better in the future.

    For the mold, 10% bleach water rinse or lysol spray would help now. A lot of people use sulphur dust to coat the tubers for winter storage. Don't use it if you have a sulfa allergy.

  • 17 years ago

    I was given really really really shrivelled tubers this fall. I managed to get them to sprout this spring!

    These are the things I think made them successful;

    1.) I bathed them in a 10% bleach solution to kill of any fungus / mold for around 1/2 an hour. Then switched them over to a water bath for a few more hours to try and help hydrate them. I added a tablespoon of an anti fungal product called "no damp" to the water bath, but I don't think this is critical. Afterwards, you have to let them dry off for an hour or two.

    2.) Once they are dry, they are ready to package them up for storage, or start to try and grow them. If you want to store them a bit longer. I recommend putting them in wood shavings (the type you get at a pet store, really inexpensive, pine or cedar, or a mix of both). Another good choice for storing them would be vermiculite. If you only have a few tubers, then try putting them with the shavings in a ziplock and stash it in the fridge. If there are too many for the fridge, then find as cool a place as you can. check on them every few days if you can.

  • 17 years ago

    Thank you for the help!!! I plan to try to revive them, and either way, I've learning my lesson. Thanks!