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Frosty Times Already Hitting Some Areas

By Jos Van Hage

With the recent weather, we have been receiving it looks as though summer is coming to an end. 

It will not be long until the first killing frost will be here and in some of the higher areas such as Pineview, we have already had our first killing frost. 

Summer flowering bulbs such as Dahlias, Tuberous Begonias, Calla Lilies, and Gladiolas can be kept over the winter for next year if they are brought inside away from freezing temperatures.

 This is done by carefully digging the bulbs up after the foliage has been blackened by frost. Dahlias should have the foliage cut back to 6 inches above ground level and then using a fork loosen the soil around the tuber before gently lifting the tuber out of the soil. 

Remove any surplus soil from around the tuber label it with name, color and size, and then place the tuber upside down so that any moisture can drain out of the stem, and leaving it upside down put it in a dry airy frost free place for two weeks. After the tuber is completely dry dust it with bulb dust, which contains a fungicide/pesticide, and store it in a cool, dry, frost free place. It is a good idea to check it every few weeks for any signs of rot and if you see rot on the tuber cut off the bad spot, sprinkle bulb dust over it, and restore it. 

Begonia bulbs are stored by very carefully digging them up and placing them on newspapers and placing them in a cool location for 2 weeks. Cut back the stems to 4-6 inches from the tuber and gently remove soil from the bulb by holding the bulb upright and shake off excess soil careful not to disturb the bulb. After a few weeks the remaining stem will dry up and fall off which is when the bulb is dusted with bulb dust before putting it in a closed container filled with vermiculite or dry sand. Store bulbs in a dry, dark area where the temperature is around 6-10 Celsius. 

Gladiolus bulbs are stored a little differently. After they have finished blooming, remove any of the old flowers to prevent them from forming seed. They are dug up and the foliage is cut off to an inch. Sun dry the bulb for a few hours then place in a cool location away from frost for a few weeks. Separate the old bulb from the new bulb, which is on top of the old bulb. Throw out the old bulb saving the new bulb, which is sprinkled with bulb dust, dried and stored in a dry warm place.

Calla Lilies are grown by rhizomes and these should harden before lifting to store. To harden the rhizomes you leave them in the ground after the plant has finished blooming and cut down on the water so that the plant goes dormant. After the leaves have yellowed the rhizomes are dug up and cleaned. Sprinkle bulb dust on them and place at room temperature for a week so that the outer shell becomes hard which will prevent dehydration. Rhizomes are stored spaced (not touching each other) in a paper bag in a dark, cool 5-10 Celsius spot.

Canna Lilies are stored by cutting the foliage back to 5-8 inches and then digging up the rhizome. The rhizome is then air dried and sprinkled with bulb dust and stored in moist sand, vermiculite, or peat moss in a cool dark location. Check periodically to see that it does not get too dry and if it is dry add a little water but not too much as you do not want the rhizome to rot.

By storing bulbs, rhizomes, and tubers indoors that are not winter hardy you can enjoy them for years to come and tubers such as begonias get larger each year giving you a larger display each season and dahlias can be split in spring before planting. Do not forget to always label all bulbs before storing them with name, size and color so that next year you will know what to plant where!

-Jos 

Jos Van Hage owns three Art Knapp's Garden Centres in the Prince George area
-Hart Highway (Highway 97)
-College Heights ( Highway 16 west)
-Junction of Highway 97 South and the Old Cariboo Highway
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