Storing Tender Bulbs & Tubers for Winter
In this cozy late-fall episode, the Hort Culture team (Alexis, Jessica, and Ray) talk all about lifting, curing, dividing, and storing tender bulbs and tubers—especially dahlias, begonias, caladiums, gladiolus, cannas, elephant ears, and more.
The hosts begin by chatting about Kentucky’s unpredictable weather, winter chores, and even a tangent about hot chocolate “tea hacks,” before digging into the main topic: what to do with plants that can’t survive a Zone 6 winter in the ground.
They walk through the why and how of storing tubers successfully:
Prevent rot and prevent drying out—the two main goals.
Ideal storage temps: generally 40–50°F, with some exceptions like caladiums that prefer it warmer.
Curing time: often just a few days with good airflow, and you don’t need to overthink it.
Leave the soil on to avoid excess moisture and bacterial problems.
Check stored tubers monthly for rot, shriveling, or excess dryness.
Storage media options: pine shavings, vermiculite, peat moss (in drier spaces), perlite, and more.
Dividing dahlias: the trickiest—eyes form near the crown, not on the tuber body, and are easier to see when the clump is warm or beginning to sprout.
Tools they rely on: shovels, digging forks, loppers, snips, and sometimes saws for huge clumps like cannas.
They wrap up with discussion on microclimates, overwintering experiments, and the joys of having a cellar or basement that naturally works as an ideal root-cellar environment.
Overall, the episode is a friendly, practical deep-dive into helping gardeners confidently store their favorite tender ornamentals through winter—and maybe even multiply their stock through spring dividing.
Digging and Storing Tender Bulbs Protects them from Freezing Temperatures
Questions/Comments/Feedback/Suggestions for Topics: hortculturepodcast@gmail.com
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