Dahlia, a perennial herb, originated in Mexico, is the most widely cultivated ornamental plant in the world. There are huge rod-shaped tubers, but they are not cold resistant, and their tubers can not be frozen. Therefore, the tubers of Dahlia will be dormant at 0 ~ 5 ℃, and will be frozen below 0 ℃. Therefore, they can not overwinter in the open in North China, and they should be harvested and stored before the early frost. The following is about the harvesting and storage methods of Dahlia tuberous roots. Let's have a look.
Dahlia root tuber harvesting and storage methods Dahlia root tuber harvesting:
After the winter frost, dahlia plants and leaves will gradually wither. At this time, the aboveground part of the stems and leaves should be cut off immediately, and the roots should be dug out. Potters can take off the pot or even put it into the greenhouse for storage（ Before harvest, check the varieties and select the best ones to ensure the purity of the varieties.)
Dahlia root storage:
Method 1: before storage, the withered stems and leaves should be cut off about 15cm away from the root neck. In order to prevent the root neck from being twisted (the part that will germinate in the future), the tuberous roots should be dug out. After digging out the roots, first dry them in the sun for 2-3 days, and then collect them. In order to prevent frost at night, the roots can be covered with reed curtain or straw. When the soil on the root is dry, shake off the soil, classify according to the variety, bind the label, and put it in the greenhouse with the temperature not more than 5 ℃. At this time, keeping the constant temperature of about 3-5 ℃ and preventing too high temperature are the key to save the root, because too high temperature will make the foot buds germinate in advance, consume water and nutrients, affect the bulb, and too low temperature will make the bulb rot.
In addition, the storage place should be sterilized. When placing, it should be placed on the ground of the greenhouse with the root neck upward. In order to prevent premature germination and root rot due to heat, it is generally better to pile up 3-5 layers and bury them in slightly wet sand.
During storage in winter, it is necessary to check frequently and cut off rotten and useless roots in time. If the buried sand is too dry, do not water it directly. Take out the root tuber, spray the sand wet to reach the wet degree, and then bury the root tuber again.
Method 2
After the withered stems and leaves of potted plants are cut off, the original pot can be put into the greenhouse with the temperature of no more than 3-5 ℃, and the pot can be piled up and protected from strong light. During storage, if the basin soil is too dry, a little watering (not too much water) can be used to keep the soil slightly wet to avoid root rot. This method is simple, but it takes up a large storage area.
Method 3
Another storage method is to divide the dried root tubers together with the adventitious buds growing in the root neck.
After segmentation, the cut is coated with plant ash, packed in a wooden trough or box, and the pores are filled with dry sand or sawdust. Then store in a wooden tank or box at 3-5 ℃ with good ventilation and no direct light. During storage, there is no need to reverse. This method is not only convenient to keep, but also convenient to use, and can save storage area.
Some varieties of Dahlia root tubers are difficult to store, such as lotus, honeysuckle and so on. When storing the tuberous roots of these varieties, do not mix them with other tuberous roots. The dried roots can be placed in wooden boxes or flowerpots, covered with a small amount of dry sand and stored at 3-5 ℃. In addition, the potted Dahlia can also be moved into a 5-10 ℃ greenhouse a few days before the arrival of frost period, and the flowers and buds can be removed for cultivation for about 15-20 days, so that the nutrients can be fully concentrated in the root tuber, and then the stems and leaves on the plant can be removed for original pot or off pot storage.