Dahlia Dilemma ?

I grew Dahlia Bishops Children from seed this year. These grew into healthy plants and gave a lovely display. I have just lifted the tubers and was quite surprised how big they were , as big as my fist ! Now my question is am I better growing from seed or these tubers next year ? Will the tubers give a bushier better plant ?

TIA

 

Hi Harry, here we are again on another question! I have grown Dahlias for about 25 years from tubers and get a very good show be they a little late in getting going. I am no expert but had a friend (sadly now dead) who was a Dahlia expert and literally won prizes all over the UK with his. He started his Dahias off from tubers and then took cuttings from the resulting shoots. He then discarded the tubers I think. This method evidently produces flowers quicker. hope this helps.

 

My experience is a bit limited, but when I grew Bishop of Llandaff, I found it flowered from mid summer, easily, if not slightly earlier.
Growing a few of the larger flowered types I have found they flower much later, often well into August before the first buds appear.

So, my guess is that some varieties of dahlia flower earlier than others.

Personally, I'd regrow the tubers from last year, I think you will get a stronger bushier plant.

 

This method will also give you bigger flowers!!

 

I knew somebody who grew hundreds of them for cut flowers to sell and he would lift a proportion of the tubers, take cuttings from them, rotovate through where they had both been removed and left in-situ, plant the cuttings, and then perhaps plant some saved tubers almost as an afterthought, maybe to fill up some gaps, maybe for later flowers.

He knew what he was doing because he'd win all the Dahlia classes in the Village Show.

 

Thanks all for the advice , I will grow the Dahlia Bishops children from the Tubers next year. I always find dahlia tubers a complicated item to plant . I am never sure what is doing what , it's like planting sets of bagpipes .