Knocking my own post so it drifts down the page. That way nobody else needs to feel guilty for doing it. :)

Now, the challenge is to keep them happy until planting next year! I lose 70% of my tubers during storage. Good luck!

70%? That is a lot, Kousa. May I ask how you store?

Yes, please let us know--70% is very high.

I store poorly and rarely lose a tuber. Dry seems to be the key, moreso than temperature.

I put the dahlia clumps or partial clumps in plastic bags and then in plastic tub (55qts size) and stored the tub in the garage. When I took them out in March, they rotted quite a bit. I think my problem is the temps in the unheated garage. Things can freeze if temps get low enough. Or is the plastic tub the problem? I don't know. But last year I lost most of my dahlia tubers. The year before last, I lost most of them to mold. I do not know where else to store them as the only cold place at my house is the garage.

Trapped humidity spells trouble for tubers. Even if you dry them for a week, they still put off moisture during the storage period. Sounds like you're giving them a double-whammy, by sealing them into bags then a plastic tub with no ventilation.

I'm far from an expert at storage, still learning from experimentation. My failures have taught me to dry them as much as possible prior to storage, not seal them up, check for trapped condensation and cross fingers. Of course, you leave them out, and they can shrivel to husks. I store at 65 degrees, so mold is more of a problem for me then most. Temps don't keep mine from going dormant, but high humidity WITH warmth does... Wakes them right up, ready to grow.

Every storage area is a microclimate into itself, and what works for one grower utterly fails for another.

+1 CCvacation. What works for me may not work for thee.

I also store "too warm," currently clocking at 61 degrees (I keep a radio thermometer down there for the sprouts and seedlings, there's no reason to move it during other parts of the year).

I lift, dry a bit in air outside (rarely more than a couple hours), pop into paper bags with the tops open, and drop them in the cellar. After a few weeks, I close the tops of the bags. There's never more than six small or four large tubers per bag, and the bags are the garden trash collection ones, so very large.

Post that, keep an eye on them once a month or so. If they're shriveling, spray with water and open the bag again. If they're only a little wrinkled, ignore.

It's rare that I have to spray with water, and the humidity in the cellar (sharing the air system with the first floor) averages about 35%.

This year I am modifying the storage and hopefully get better results. I just stick the clumps into tub without putting them in plastic bags and then use perlite or peat moss as fillers and insulation. Between perlite and peat moss, which one do you guys think is better at insulation?

>>Between perlite and peat moss, which one do you guys think is better at insulation?

Six on one, half dozen on the other. Peat moss is really, really dry out of the bale, so I'd actually damp it faintly and then mix. Not more than a single mist shot from a sprayer.

Try plastic wrap next year i was shocked it sounds silly but the proof is in the basement LOL 90% still firm and healthy!!!!!

Try plastic wrap next year i was shocked it sounds silly but the proof is in the basement LOL 90% still firm and healthy!!!!!

I've used Saran Wrap for the past few years with success. After digging the tubers, I let them dry for about a week. (Make sure you have them labelled. Then wrap in cellophane and store in a cool cold cellar. - very few losses:). Good Luck!