Dahlia tuber dividing workshop

Half-way through May, and with the cold weather approaching, it's time to start thinking about digging and dividing your dahlia tubers.  As a home gardener this is not a necessary step here in the southern hemisphere, however who wouldn't want more dahlias the following seasons!?!
So why do we dig and divide our dahlia tubers?  As a flower farmer this is an easy one to answer.  You either want to increase your stock of particular varieties, you want to have dahlia tubers available to sell for the coming spring, or a bit of both.  Here at Blooms on the Hill we have been steadily increasing our stock through both dividing and purchasing new varieties each season, but we also have tubers for sale in the spring, usually around September.  This year we are aiming to have our sale up and running a bit earlier and our systems working so our sale can take place with orders via our website. (In the past orders have been via direct messages and bank transfer)
As a home gardener you also may want to increase your stock of a particular variety, depending on your garden space and your love for dahlias, but it is also a lovely way to share the flowery love and pass tubers onto friends, family and neighbours.  This is just one of the extraordinary things I find about gardeners....they are the most generous lot of people you can ever meet...always wanting to share tubers, bulbs and cuttings.  It's almost like passing on pieces of their gardens is passing on pieces of their hearts and souls and nothing gives them more joy than sharing something they have grown, and loved, themselves.  
If you don't want to dig and divide your tubers, here in the southern part of the world you certainly don't have to.  Dahlia tubers can remain in the ground quite happily, as long as they are not sitting in standing water.  If they are they will most likely rot.  Your dahlia plant will naturally die back over the end of autumn and early winter and then re-sprout for you come next spring.  The single tuber that you originally planted will have turned into a sizeable clump, storing its nutrients safely until it's ready to grow again the following season and produce another bounty of beautiful dahlia flowers for you.  Leaving the plant in year after year is perfectly fine, however you will find that over a few years that the plant will produce more foliage and less flowers, so this is the time when it is a good idea to dig up the clump (which by this time will be enormous!) and divide.  You don't have to divide into individual tubers, unless of course you want to, but simply cutting it into half or quarters with your spade is enough to give your dahlia plant a new lease on life.  Re-plant the parts, maybe give some away, but you will find that your dahlia will produce a lot more flowers the following season.
In the northern hemisphere, in areas where the ground freezes over winter, it is necessary to dig up your dahlia clumps, as the tubers can't handle the freezing temperatures and will basically turn them to mush.  Storing tubers over the winter can be a challenge but is not an impossible feat if you have the right set up. The same rules apply here in the southern hemisphere as they do in the north. This need not be complicated or expensive but getting the temperature right and the level or humidity, is important.  Storing your tubers in some kind of medium, like potting mix, saw dust or vermiculite can help keep your tubers safe through the winter.  You will also need to keep the temperature above freezing.  The other thing is you don't want your tubers getting too warm otherwise they may wake up too early, which you don't want as the plants are tender annuals and don't handle frost well.  You certainly can't plant them out in the garden until the last frost has passed.  In terms of the humidity, you do need to make sure that your tubers don't dry out too much otherwise they will shrivel up and potentially die.  Check your stored tubers regularly and spritz them with water if you feel they are drying out. You may find that some still do shrivel but often these are fine and still viable.  Often do we find that a tuber that looks way past it and almost dead goes on to produce a perfectly good shoot and grow a fantastic plant.  So don't give up on them too soon!
This weekend here at the farm we will be hosting a dahlia tuber dividing workshop with bookings currently open through the website.  For the cost of $150 you will learn how to dig up the tubers and you will then be given your own clump of tubers to have a go at dividing.  You are free to take home your divided clumps and extra tubers will be available to take home.  The more participants we have on the day is an added bonus as you can share tubers amongst yourselves so you can take home a good selection of varieties for your garden, so be sure to invite your friends and family!  The workshop is taking place on Sunday the 18th of May at 10.30am with morning tea provided.  

Hope to see you here at the farm!

Amber