Giving Up On Dahlias!!

Grew some extras last year from seed. Cactus . Of course as well-known seed is hit and miss with many seed companies these days it seems.

 

@Kitty52

Think with buying tubers its always a risk as you do not know how well its been stored, plus many are left on dry shop stands for months. Always look for plump tubers if possible.

Don't go too light on the watering when starting them off, we find a bit of bottom heat helps get them going, though the time it takes to see any shoots can vary from a week to a month.

You do not mention growing any from seeds ?
Its usually too cold or wet for us to overwinter in the ground and we do not have that much space indoor to store loads so we usually grow ours from seeds each year.
Very easy to germinate and grow on, we usually go for the dwarfer varieties but the larger ones can still be grown and flower in the same year.
With this late cold Spring, bet you could still set some seeds now for flowering in July ..

 

Dahlias need a soil temperature of about 55 degrees Fahrenheit before they start to develop eyes and grow. A bit of bottom heat will get them going but be mindful that if they grow too much, they can become lanky whilst you are waiting to get them into the garden after your last frosts. It’s all a juggling act!

Some dahlias are notoriously late developers - Thomas Edison, Purple Gem, Cafe au Lait and some of the Bishops in my garden.

Tubers turn to mush if they get frosted or become too waterlogged so I second the above advice re planting in damp compost and holding off on the watering.

If the dahlia crowns are above the compost level (cuttings, checking for leafy gall, etc) sometimes it helps to cover the crown lightly with a bit of damp compost/old tea towel to put them in the dark.

Finally, watch out for those pesky slugs and snails. They will have the growing sprouts whilst your back is turned.

Tea break over - back to work. Guess what? Potting up another 20 or so dahlia tubers to add to the other 50 already done!

 

Thanks @Ezzie, Thomas P. Edison was the one of mine that didn't sprout until about 2 weeks after the others.

 

I always think if starting in pots its best not to completely cover them, leave the neck of the plant above soil level.

 

They have to be started indoors here, and in most parts of the country they need protection until weather and temps are more consistently reliable. They're not regarded as hardy. I certainly couldn't leave them in the ground here to overwinter, but in many places it's possible. It also depends on the variety - some are more resilient, especially if the tubers are big enough.

They don't need much moisture when first potted up. If the compost you use has moisture in it, that's enough until there are decent shoots on them, and even then, you have to be careful not to overwater. That does more damage than anything.

You could also try growing some from seed @Kitty52 . They're quite easy that way, and if you lose any, it isn't a huge expenditure. I've just sown a few - in the house in a little propagator. I might take some cuttings from those this year instead of trying to keep the tubers

 

Thank you

 

Thanks all for great information. All taken on board. I
Think I’ve been okay re watering so maybe just patience!! Fairygirl remember you from GW forum and believe you’re north of the border like me so I’m aware we’re always bit behind anyway. I have them inside on a windowsill. Is that best place or should I put them out in greenhouse although it’s not a heated one? The seed I’ve seen has been quite strong colours and I prefer more pastels etc but will look harder for next year.

 

Hi @Kitty52 - mine are in the gr'house now, but with an extra layer of protection - clear plastic box etc. One has already shown signs of life, so it's just a question of keeping them ticking over until the temps are ok for them to beoutside full time. A couple of new ones were in the kitchen, still in the bags they came in, until last week. They're not sprouting yet though. I make sure the main crown of the plant isn't buried too much, and I find dry wood shavings quite useful.

I had a very vigorous one last year called Neon Splendour, I took a cutting from it, as it was already sprouting when I got it. It got pretty large, and I left it outside in the pot, but with a cover over it. It seems to have survived well. I took it out the pot and discarded the bits that had rotted off, and re potted it. The original of that was kept in the gr'house, in it's large terracotta pot, and it seems to have coped quite well too. It's difficult to get them dried off well enough here when they're finished, and that was the hardest job with those two.
Some will always do better than others. I experimented with them for winter, and the ones in the shed didn't make it - too damp. Then it's the slug problem, as already said. I had to do the 'raised up in a container of water' method last year for a couple of them. That's when I remembered the reason I'd stopped growing them for such a long time! All a juggling act as @Ezzie says.
I love strong colours, so maybe it'll be tricky to get suitable seed for yourself.

 

I soak my tubers in water for a few hours, ive heard some soak overnight which i think could be a bit dicey . Then I put my tubers in a seed tray one tray to one tuber . Cover with compost just enough to cover don't worry about using as much as in a pot. You don't need to level it up.

Then I leave it in a greenhouse or somewhere warm and dry . As the compost dries i use a sprayer just to keep slightly damp . Not sopping wet.

Mine have been in greenhouse around eight weeks. They have started with leaves once the first leave has started they romp.

 

This is very likely the case; its fairly commom practice to treat stored tubers and onions, bulbs etc with a anti-sprouting treatment to gain shelf life. A 24 hour soak in clean water will remove this, and so long as no fungal infection is present, should not cause rotting.(can be dusted with sulphur if unsure)
Remember, once your tubers have produced shoots, you can take these as cuttings to increase your stock, allowing the tubers to go on produce plants , and subsequently, even more tubers.
Being extremely southern, and marine climate, dahlias here can be left in ground all year, covered in autumn with mulch.

 

I leave my dahlias in the ground over winter as well, and have done for several years now. It's too soon to be checking for signs of growth this year, but if they don't grow that's spaces for other things.
I spotted lots of these at Hidcote yesterday - a kind of lobsterpot affairs with a bit of horticultural fleece in the bottom. They had some of them filled with straw too (or instead - couldn't tell weather there was fleece under the straw).

 

It isn't too late to sow dahlia seed Ì grew some 4 year ago from seed they flowered the same year after the first frosts I dug one up for curiosity I was amazed that it had deloped tubers the size of my small finger , So I tried to overwinter all, with some in the conservatory and rest in the greenhouse they were a success!
In the later years I doused them with a light sprinkle of sulphur but first after I'd removed the compost - id let it dry first then carefully removed much as possible from the tubers . .only thing is I grew bedding dahlias so they bushed up but have never got the size of bought ones.

 

I always start tubers and seeds indoors in March. Here in Cornwall my Bishop's children grown from seed a couple of years ago and then planted in the ground the first year have started sprouting. Just left in with bark piled high for the winter. As we seem to be a couple of weeks ahead (I just gauge by the bluebell season which has flowered for 3 weeks) my faithful Arabian Night (Wilkos) always lifted as don't want to lose it ,has now gone outside. It's been outside for a week in a sheltered position, grown cold, numerous cuttings back but growing like mad. Yes I am of an age where Dahlias were strictly late summer but these days climate is changing.