One of my biggest concerns was keeping the slugs away from the dahlias as they're first coming up. I had several this year that were eaten off right to the ground, and although they did grow again eventually, it took a long time. Jack shared his solution with us; once the dahlias start growing, he and Jan pop a margarine container collar (a margarine tub with the bottom cut out of it) over each one. This protects them long enough to get a good start, as it's the tender growing tips that the slugs love.
I also made sure I asked Jack about the process of storing dahlias, another process that has been fraught with failure for me in the past. As you know, once the first frost hits, you need to cut your dahlias down and let them stand a week or so before you dig out the tubers. Then you need to wash them to get rid of all the visible dirt and bugs.
For Jack and Jan, the next step is to stand the tubers in a weak bleach and water solution for 10 to 15 minutes to prevent fungal infections and diseases. I'm definitely going to do it this way this year; it sounds like a huge improvement on sprinkling each tuber with bulb dust, a process that always coats me just as much as it coats the tubers!
After the tubers have been "bleached", they need to dry for a week. Then it's time to divide them. This, says Jack, is a crucial step, because if you don't divide the tubers, they'll just grow bigger and bigger each year, meaning that all the plant's energy will be going into tuber production instead of flowers, and you'll end up with dahlias that get smaller and fewer flowers each year.
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