3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
There is usually some evidential mark, but if you don't see any, just place your tuber in some moist potting mix.
You don't have to submerg the whole tuber....leave it on top of your fridge or some other warm area of the house and the warmth should make it eye up for you. DB
The tubers should be OK.....they won't start to sprout till the soil temp is in the mid to upper 60's.....gotta be careful though that you don't get too much rain and cool temps for a prolonged period otherwise your tubers will rot. I'm in zone 6 and a good rule of thumb up here is to plant the tubers around the memorial day weekend. DB
I don't know about temperatures exactly, but I do know you mustn't place your container of tubers directly on a cold floor, even if the room temperature stays at 45-50. This year, I cut, dipped in fungicide, dried and then wrapped each tuber in saran, (as has worked great in the past.) then piled the tubers in a plastic tub and put it in the basement. A few weeks ago, I found the entire bottom layer of tubers in the container had rotted. I am glad I wrapped them all up, the rot was contained and the others are fine!
caz, May I ask what fungicide you dipped in? Into which you dipped? LOL I am convinced I have skin reactions to sulphur dust, very reliable for me, but I can't do this rash/ itchy patch thing twice a year as I have this year. It coinicides with dusting in October/November and is just now recurring after unwrapping all tubers and dealing with leftover dust. Major drag.
I'd really like to hear your alternative and how you use it.
Thanks!
Pooch
I believe I got this link from this forum and have had it bookmarked ever since:
Here is a link that might be useful: Dahlia Support
Hi well done I have also planted about 8 small tubers that fall off in the fall when diging mine up. So far 4 are up I am not sure where I will plant them. I live in Quebec Montreal if you need any dahlias let me know i have too many and would like to trade 2 or 3 for 1 Anna Lisa
Hi Anna Lisa - alas I am still very much a newbie when it comes to growing/propagating dahlias. I don't have many varieties and I have not yet even dared to divide the ones I have, though clearly I must (by the look of my mess of tubers). I have not even labelled them - I didn't know I could write on the tubers - this fall I'll be more careful with labelling, and only then will I be a worthy "trader". Thanks anyway for the kind offer. Might you consider some type of SASE??
Anna
Hopefully this link will come through for you......check it out as it has a lot of good info .
http://www.midislanddahlia.com/Learning/Planting/EyedTuber/index.html
Yes, in fact I started mine mid-March and I'm in Central Ontario. I have lots of foliage already and have them under grow lights. I want blooms in June rather than late July/early August which is when I would normally get them if I were to direct plant tubers in the ground the 3rd week of May....so I'm hoping my timing is going to work. so far so good...they look very healthy and because they are in containers, I will at least be able to put them outside on warm days, then bring them in on frosty nights. Good luck with your dahlias!
My husband's excuse is always, ALWAYS....that he thought it was going bad...lol...whenever he eats the wrong thing, throws something out..blah, blah BLAH :):). When he breaks the rose canes with those wheels of the John Deere, he sticks them back into the bush as if they aren't going to die. I know the feeling, but at least you are able to go shopping for more. Wish I had some to share.
Margaret
Below is a link to Fuzzy Wuzzy> I lost it two years running to early season rot ( my fault) and always thought I'd like to try it. I don't know about Centennial, but Canby Centennial is a stunning hot pink/red and white.
Good luck with yor new flowers!
Here is a link that might be useful: 
Jim,
I just saw your message. No, I can't say I've heard of "mudding my cuttings". To what are you referring?
I agree with you on your surmise of the properties of plastic. You do want to have them dry before bagging them up though. I also dust mine well with a bulb dust aka fungicide.
Reddscarlette, in the fall, I dig up the plant and cut off the foliage about an inch above the tubers, watching out for eyes. Then I let these dry for about a day or a half day. Then I dust them with a bulb dust ( fungicide), and wrap them in recycled plastic grocery bags. These are labelled, and wrapped fairly tightly around the tubers. The bags are then put into a cardboard box about the size that Cats39 uses, and then stored in the cold cellar where it does not freeze, but remains cool all winter long. As I mentioned, I have taken them out this month, laid them on moist growing medium, and started to pot them once they have sprouted. It is surprising how many will sprout within a day, let alone a few hours. Surprising and exciting.
You really needed to dig them up & divide them- they get lazy when they have that great big ball of tubers to feed them. When they only have one tuber with a shoot they work harder to put out blooms & the plants are generally healthier.
Can you see where the tuber is attached to the old stem? There is a swollen area, kinda resembling a turtleneck. That is where the eyes will develop. If your inactive tubers don't have at least a piece of this tissue, they won't grow eyes. If that's the case, compost them. Sometimes they might even put out roots, but that is just to give you false hope.
Some kinds of dahlias just take longer to eye up. This year I'm trying a method for getting them to eye up using a plastic baggie, and it is working quite well. I'm starting some early so that I can make cuttings and have lots of new plants.
Those "long starts" are sprouts. If it is too early to plant outside in your area, carefully pinch the sprout off just above the eye area (don't damage the eye) and it will regrow a sprout.
It may be a bit too early to plant your tubers outside in a zone 5. When you do plant them, dig a hole about 6" deep, place your tuber in the bottom, eye/sprout side up, set your stake next to it in the hole and cover it with a couple inches of soil. As the plant grows taller, put more soil on it until it's level with the rest of your garden bed. Most dahlias require staking as their flowers are heavy. Rain and wind will topple them. Better to stake them at planting time so as not to damage the tuber at a later time.
Space between the tubers should be at least 2 feet or more. This is to give your plant some growing space and any closer than that, it is just too difficult to harvest in the fall without damaging the adjacent tubers.
BTW-the darker leathery tuber is the mother, sometimes it will grow and produce again and sometimes not.
Hope this helps.
Here is a link that might be useful: 
Yes, maam. We purchase new Karma dahlia plugs/cuttings every year. The Karma are grown in a 20 x 96 hightunnel (1,104 plants). They produce for us up until the time the dahlias in the field start producing. You may wonder why we don't just use our own dahlias in the hightunnel. Yes? Karma dahlias don't get as bushy. The plants get very tall in the hightunnel. We can consistently depend on at least 12 stems per plant. They produce, produce, produce. Then they're done. The dahlias are removed from the hightunnel; and, we replant a fall crop. Our Karma dahlia production is nowhere near that of large commercial growers who grow 10,000+ plants. Our main dahlia production is field grown on 5 acres.
I'm thinking it must be a very smart virus to only affect the tuber and not the whole plant. Or perhaps a benign virus about which the average grower wouldn't care much. Research into these dahlias is ongoing. I have to say that the cuttings this year look better than last year. Healthy, healthy plants.
The article written by Melanie DeVault was written in 2004. I read the article when it was written two years ago. Did you Google that for me?
Just your "average" grower..........................
Flower Farmer
No, I googled it to see what might be out there about viruses affecting Karma dahlias. It's too bad there isn't more research going on for dahlias diseases in general. I was just curious as to what the virus might do to other dahlias, or if it's Karma specific. Right now I don't have time to delve into it further.
WOuld love to see those Karmas in bloom in your hoop house!
just wanted to let you know about my order. It arrived last week and all the tubers look great. They even sent 3 bonus tubers. I'll be ordering from them again. Hope your order works out.
I just got my order a few minutes ago. The tubers all look solid and healthy....I can see the eyes on most without looking to hard. They are all labeled.
They sent extras plus a dahlia marking pencil.
Now if they all grow, I will be a happy gardener.
Sierra