April Digest 2025
Dear Dahlia Friends,
Happy Spring! Please read below for a note from our president as well as information about upcoming meetings and events.
Meg
If you'd like to be featured in future issues of the Digest please email me at digest@dahliasocietyofohio.org.
A Note From Our President
We’re quickly approaching planting season and I hope that you’re as excited as I am to see what this year brings.
Over the weekend I started what I’m dubbing the “class of 2025” which are 125 seedlings that I’m growing out this year. I don’t have a ton of room, so I’m hoping to plant them close together in pots and see how they do. I saw this method on a YouTube video by Kristine Albrecht, which you can watch here.
If you’re interested in growing dahlias from seed, I’d love to share! I saved quite a few seeds from last year and am happy to pass them along — just be able to swing by my house for pickup. All I ask in return is photos of your adorable dahlia babies once they bloom. 🙂
April also brings our annual tuber sale! Details are below, but we’ll offer a preview ahead of time so you can scope out your favorites. Huge thanks to everyone who has donated or plans to — your generosity powers both our tuber sale and our new member kits.
If you're not super comfortable with online purchasing, don’t worry — I’m happy to help. I can even connect you with a “personal shopper” (possibly my very patient husband, who has plenty of experience navigating the process!).
Please also take a moment to review the draft of our updated Bylaws below. The previous version was from 1999, so this has been a long time coming. Big thanks to Sharon, Jerry, Pat, and Kat for helping bring it all together! We’ll be voting on these during our May meeting.
In addition, I’ve included our new Expense Approval Procedure. If you've made purchases on behalf of the club before — or plan to — please read through it so you’re up to date on how reimbursement works.
As always, feel free to reach out if you have any questions. I hope to see many of you at the tuber pickup on the 26th!
Jess
Bylaws and Expense Approval Procedure
To review the bylaws, you can view the .pdf here. Membership will be asked to vote on these after our speaker during the May meeting. If you have questions, please email me and I’ll distribute it to the group who’s been working to put these together.
You can also review the Expense Approval Procedure that the Executive Committee will also be voting on in May. If you need to make purchases for the club, this is the process that we’re asking you to follow. You can always reach out to Misty (treasurer@dahliasocietyofohio.org) or Jess to put purchases on a card as well instead of incurring the expense yourself.
Question of the Month
It's time to hear from our members who answered the question of the month! This month we asked you what method you used to store your dahlia tubers this past winter and if it successful.
We are relatively new to the Dahlia world, so we let Home Depot and Lowes store them for us. Hoping to change that!!
After several years of complete failure, I now overwinter in an unheated garage in styrofoam coolers and pine shavings. I do usually have some rot, but I think that is to be expected.
I’m new to growing dahlias, so this past winter was my first year storing them. After a LOT of research, I went with the Saran Wrap method then into a towel lined tote in my garage. So far, I’ve only tossed 8 tubers, which is 6% of what I’ve processed.
I was very concerned about the dahlia tubers i packed for storage this season. This was the third year that i ever stored tubers and i had more to store than i had before. Previously i kept about 8 tubers, last year 35 and this year, i am estimating that i have maybe 90. I consider myself a novice. I did not divide the tubers when i dug them in the spring. Mostly, because i am still unsure of where to cut to assure a viable eye. Last year i attempted to divide in the fall and in the spring i found that i had blind tubers and ruined too many. So this year, i dug, slightly dried, knocked off excess dirt, labled, and buried in a plastic tote with cedar chips. I kept them in my attached garage on the inner most corner wall, hopefully the warmest area. I did put the cover over the tote but propped it open for air. Normally, this area of my garage doesn't get any colder than ~40-50°. Of course, this year had some brutally low temperatures and the garage was measuring 25-35°. I have just brought them into the house and monitoring for sprouts. I hope to divide when i think i can more confidently cut and divide. They're are some sprouts showing and i have misted water in for a bit of moisture. Nothing appears rotted, or shriveled dry, so i think the freezing didn't claim any and i hope to successfully divide soon.
In vermiculite in plastic shoe boxes. Worked great
Whole clumps in newspaper, basement, about 55, very successful
I stored them in vermiculite. I don't know as they are so still in storage. The method has been good.
Saran Wrap and Store in a cooler
Saran Wrap was successful. Keeping storage temps as close to 40 degrees as possible is important.
Plastic wrap method !
I successfully stored Dahlia Tubers in cedar shavings, in plastic shoe containers. They were in a dark room, temp about 50 all winter,And when the humidity dropped I put a humidifier on and tried to keep humidity 60-70+
I store them in pots covered in topsoil - watered them once a month just to keep the tubers from drying out. Stored in our attached garage
I tried 1 clump of sweet Natalie in 4 different methods in a garage fridge. 1. Saran wrap - great, 2. Corse vermiculite-great, 3. Peat moss- fair to poor- neck rotted4. Premium Pine shavings from tractor supply-poor/moldy
Intact clumps in cedar shavings in my cool basement inside plastic storage totes - about 95% success
Vermiculite in clear totes, lids, no air holes, kept in basement underneath the partially cracked window enclosed in plastic sheeting. Humidifier inside and Bluetooth humidity and temp monitor. Yes. Only lost a few to rot but they were clumps and probably not suitable to store.
We stored out tubers in the usual way, apple boxes lined with newspaper and then wax paper. they we stored in a insulated shed that we could heat and keep about 45 degrees. one thing we learnt this year is that we will have to introduce some more humidity to it nexy year. we will simply put out some pans of water and hope for less tubers drying out.
My laziest year ever. I dug them, didn't wash them off. Let them dry a bit and knocked off some of the dirt. Piled them in large black plastic bins with lids askew and 2 loosely placed plastic grocery bags on top to hold him some moisture. Kept them in an unheated room around 45* It was completely successful .
Saran wrapped after shaking in cinnamon and vermiculite. Stored in a cool closet at about 50 degrees. I would say decently successful.
I am a newbie to this but tried the pine shaving method in plastic bags. lost a few but overall they are in fine shape. Dividing is another story
Saran Wrap- no. I should have let them dry out more. I lost a lot to mold :(
Coarse vermiculite in plastic shoe boxes. My second year storing this way after trying several other methods and this way gives me best results. I use an inexpensive hygrometer to monitor humidity and crack lids open as needed.
Peat in bins with holes - left in basement - very successful
Vermiculite in plastic shoe bins, in my root cellar. Yes extremely successful!
I used the Saran Wrap method. It was very successful. I lost a few but they were ones that were iffy to begin with.
Membership Renewals - DSO and ADS
It’s that time of the year again to renew your membership. If you joined after 9/2024 then you don’t need to renew (your membership will be good until March of 2026). A reminder that you do need to be a member to shop our tuber/plant sales.
You can renew your membership online at: https://www.dahliasocietyofohio.org/shop/p/memberships-n349c
While we are not selling American Dahlia Society memberships through our website this year, we do encourage you to purchase a membership to the American Dahlia Society.
You can purchase your ADS membership via their website at: https://www.dahlia.org/about/membership-join/join-ads-and-pay-with-paypal/
With an ADS membership, you get a number of benefits including:
The Bulletin, their publication which is sent three times a year
The ADS Classification handbook (if you’re interested in showing this is a great way to prepare and we will have a class in June to walk you through how to use it),
Their Members only section to the website which has a number of great resources for members.
If you’re a judge (any level) it is a requirement that you be an ADS member
Their monthly newsletter
We always love to hear what’s going on across the dahlia world and the Bulletin and website are great tools to keep us up to date.
ADS National Show
The American Dahlia Society National Show will be hosted by the Central States Dahlia Society in Northbrook, IL on Sept. 18-22, 2025.
For more details, you can visit their website at:
https://www.centralstatesdahliasociety.com/2025
Tuber Sale/Donations
The tuber sale is scheduled for April 16-17, opening at noon on the 16th. An email to follow closer to the date with the link and instructions on how to shop the sale.
If you have extra tubers that you’d like to donate to the DSO tuber sale, we will have drop off locations throughout NE Ohio. Tubers must have a visible eye for us to use them at the sale.
New Member Kits
You can now RSVP for your three free tubers. To RSVP, please click on the link below.
You must RSVP by 4/10 so we can make the kits up before the tuber sale. You do need to pick up your tubers during the s tuber pick up at Petitti’s on Apr 26, 2025.
Dahlia Stamps
Did you know the USPS is releasing a series of dahlia stamps? Thanks to Sharon Swaney for sharing this information. You can see the stamps here and they’re expected to be released April 26th.
ADS National Show
The American Dahlia Society National Show will be hosted by the Central States Dahlia Society in Northbrook, IL on Sept. 18-22, 2025.
For more details, you can visit their website at:
https://www.centralstatesdahliasociety.com/2025
Member Spotlight
Name: David R Olson
City/Town: Girard, PA
Tell us a little about yourself (occupation, hobbies ect): I am a retired public school administrator. I have been gardening since the 60's. I used to grow enough veggies to fill a freezer but now I focus on flowers (mostly dahlias).
Number of years growing dahlias: About 10 years.
How did you get into the world of dahlias? My mentor and Master Gardener friend invited our Erie Co. (PA) group to tour his gardens (mostly dahlias) about 8 years ago. After that visit, I got "bitten" by the dahlia bug.
What is your favorite dahlia to grow? I haven't met a dahlia I don't love.