Dhalia tubers

i did a daft thing the other day and pulled this out of the ground by mistake.They ar`nt rotten,like the ones i left in a container and will have to be chucked,so what i`m asking is if i replant them,will they grow?There are a few straggly roots,but not many.

 

I dont really grow dahlias, but I would guess the thing to do would be to carefully split the tubers and then pot them up. I would then leave them to grow on in a cold greenhouse or such like until planting time in May.
Someone else may have better advice for you.

 

Should be no problem. I kept mine as tubers over winter - looking just like that And have only just planted them again in a pot. It might be worth waiting a bit before splitting. Only the tubers that sprout will be viable on their own. And this will not be all of them.

 

Thankyou Blackthorn and PeterS.When you say splitting,do you mean just gently pull apart or should i use a knife?

 

I keep mine just like that all winter. Just wait until you see little shoots on them and then plant them. It seems to work. Apparently, when you split them you have to leave a bit of stalk on the tubers. I some times have to use a knife to make sure I get a bit of stalk with them, good luck

 

You could put it in a seed tray in the greenhouse, partially covered with compost and some warmth.
Shoots will soon appear which can be taken as cuttings, just leave a couple so that the tuber can be planted out later when there is no frost.

 

I deal with mine like pete - on seed trays in the conservatory which doubles as a winter greenhouse. The tuber you pictured looks OK - if you need to cut it to get into pots then it's better to dust with 'flowers of sulphur' to stop any rotting.

Best of luck...........

 

i've left mine in the ground at home and they always come back up, at work i do take them out and store them (just in case) but i don't ever bother with vermiculite or dry peat or stuff, i just leave them in a frost free well ventilated place and because they're not smothered with peat i can easily see any rotting that's occurring and can deal with it.
as for splitting; the tuber in your picture, i would split into no more than two. the two pieces should be left in the greenhouse (or wherever) until the cut faces go 'corky' then pot them up. you will get more plants if you use pete's method, but they'll be smaller for a season or so splitting gives you bigger plants for that season.

 

I grow dahlias and I would delay splitting for a bit. Pot it up - and as Pete says takes cuttings from the new growth as it appears. If you want to split it, I would wait until after it has started shooting, so you can see exactly what is growing - then split it- before planting out.

When splitting try not to damage individual tubers, as that can lead to rot - but split away groups which are sprouting.

 

Thank`s everyone.I feel a bit more confident now.I think it`s amazing that they started off as seed!You lot are the best!

 

I have bought some tubers for the first time. I havent planted them yet though as my gardens a bit boggy at the mo. whens that latest I could get away with planting them to still flower this year does anyone know?

 

Lazy-G, just put them in a pot with some compost, and plant them out later at your lesiure. It too early to put them outside now anyway. Whilst the tubers have a bit of hardiness, the foliage doesn't.

 

I've planted completely dormant tubers, a bit shriveled in fact, in late april and still had flowers by August.
I think it can depend somewhat on the type of dhalia that it is, but I'd bet most would flower if planted before the beginning of June, but perhaps a bit late.

 

Hi all I am new to dahlias, and am awaiting a dinner plate collection, from J Parkers and also a Rebecca's world. What size pot should I put them in to start them off? Also should I start them in a tray of damp compost before potting up. They will be in a cold greenhouse

 

Hiya jono.
I would imagine that although you have them on order, they won't be delivered for a couple of months yet. By then temperatures should be higher than now. First thing is to make sure the tubers are firm. You can either pot them into reasonable size pots or use trays. The compost should be kept moist, but not soaked. Some grit of some kind incorporated into the compost would probably be a good idea. Don't bury the tuber, leave the crown above the level of compost. After a couple of weeks you should see some growth, and it's just a case then of looking after them and potting on once they're too big for their container. Plant outside once all risk of frost is gone.
Hope this helps.