3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
teddahlia: Hi,
My aim is not to get as many shoots (offspring) as possible, but to see if sprouts attached to a variable amount of tuber are more successful than on their own. I have a few pot-grown tubers that are quite congested, making division difficult, and I'm interested to see if I can cut off the tops of the sprouted tubers and root them. I've read that some folk will cut off the bottom of a tuber so that it will fit into a pot for growing on. So it's a case of how much part-tuber (or how little) a sprout needs to carry on growing with a minimum of failures.
What is "on their own" ? Crowded, contorted, tuber clumps can easily be divided and as long as there is an eye, will grow. Tubers can be cut in half or even more and will grow just fine. When I divide tuber clumps that have small tubers, I leave lots of the stalk with the tubers so that they will have more tuber mass to draw from. I have trimmed many tubers and tuber clumps to fit into pots and it is my belief that as long as you have about as much material as a small chicken egg, they do fine. Rooting cuttings makes more sense to me as you are multiplying the number of plants from the tuber material. It is easy to get over 10 cuttings from a small tuber clump. You apparently are just ripping off some of the sprouts with a small amount of tuber material. That is really no different than rooting a cutting and I have done that accidentally many times and the plant material takes the same amount of time to root as the other cuttings I take. But there is no more eye to send up more cuttings.
i am english but now live in australia my husband grows dalihas and takes new cuttings every year as the tubers swell for the new season he cuts the shoot off at tuber level and pots them up until good size and growing well then repots until ready to plant
i am english but now live in australia my husband grows dalihas and takes new cuttings every year as the tubers swell for the new season he cuts the shoot off at tuber level and pots them up until good size and growing well then repots until ready to plant
Sometimes tubers start to sprout when they detect moisture, and they decide it must be spring. Definitely make sure to dry it out if it seems at all damp before storing again.
I've heard arguments both ways for snapping the new sprouts off and for leaving them on... Honestly, I've done both, and if the tuber was healthy and sprouted because of too much moisture and warmth, they do just fine either way.
Sometimes they sprout during dormancy and perfect storage conditions because there is rot inside the tuber, and sprouting is the last-ditch effort to save itself. I've been able to rescue many varieties for my garden by taking cuttings from rotting tubers and growing them on into plants. But it's a bit too early for that... The resulting plant would have a hard time of it surviving for months at end before you could plant it out.
I would check the firmness of every centimeter of the sprouting tuber, and if it gives under your finger at the end, slice the end off with a knife. If its white and beautiful, let it dry for 4-7 days and re-store. If it is brown, gooey or has a ring inside, slice until you have only the crisp white tuber left. Sometimes, you end up with only the neck and sprouts, sometimes you are fortunate and have caught internal rot early enough to save the tuber.
It may be a bit early to be requesting spares, as they have to be overwintered successively before anything else.
The best time to be asking is in May, when the grower knows how many he/she will be planting, and has a good idea how many extra sprouting tubers can be sold, traded or gifted.
Though this may sound harsh, I say this through experience and to assist... Growers who are offered a similar-valued plant/root in trade are much more likely to send dahlia tubers either for postage or for trade to those folk then random requests for freebies from folks they don't know.
I have not been back to this post for awhile so I cannot respond to the interest. I have alot of Blue Wish that I can give now. It is getting a bit too cold to be sending them but if you live in the south, I am happy to send them to anyone for postage NOW. Please email me directly via GW if anyone is interested in Blue Wish dahlias. I may not have any next spring because I do not store bulbs well. And I cannot guarantee that they will not be frozen while in transit.
Hi there
I got the mc Laren book as a parting gift when changing jobs some years ago, so good it even made it across to Europe....
It is written very no-nonsens and acurat,
covers some history, the classes, basics on growing, storing, pests diseases
And has a large section of Dahlia portraits.
Now, after abot 8 years opening it every now and then, the only draw back is that those Dahlia cultivars tend to be out dated or are hard to get after some years.
And the Dahlia pics are all the same sized small square, regardless whether dinnerplates or mini dekorative.
But then it is very wise to take a peek at actual Dahlias in showgardens.
The author draws from decades of Dahlia growing, and even if it is not the cheapest thing to buy, it is such a beautiful book
Well, have a nice time researching,
Bye, Lin
Here is a link that might be useful: McLaren Dahlia book
Computer ate my rather lengthy response...
Here it is in a nutshell...
All the serious growers in that region that I know ALWAYS dig in the fall to avoid rot. One has excellent drainage in raised beds, and still digs annually.
It doesn't look like you have space for many plants... Perhaps just buying new ones every year might be the way to go. Just because you CAN save the tubers doesn't mean you HAVE to. That will allow you to try many different varieties, and not stress on if they come back or not. If they do, GREAT! If not, time to try new ones!
Check out the images at this local Vancouver Island dahlia vendor on Facebook... She has detailed instructions on digging and storing, and is a very accomplished grower.
Sorry, American folk! She only sells to Canadians.
Here is a link that might be useful: Connie's Dahlias
Thank you. I appreciate another perspective.
There is far more room on the other side of the fence although you cannot tell from the pic but I will take another look at what's there and reassess for spring.
You may have a point about starting anew each year. I was raised to never waste but it's also a lot of work! (this garden is only a small fraction of total beds).
I have decided to use this as a learning opportunity. Leave some in-ground and store some. See what happens. If I have to buy new ones I can pick put my favorites. If I am successful and end up with too many tubers well, gifts for everyone. I figure I can learn just as much from failure as I can from success.
Checking out the website next. Nice to have a more local input.
Cheers.
Same clump pulled apart. Didn't need to use pruners on this clump, though often the stem or tubers are attached to two pieces and must be sacrificed.
I tried to do this to another clump today, and the dratted stems popped right out of the clump, leaving the same tight ball of intertwined tubers. I grabbed half with each hand, and sharply twisted the parts away from each other, with the same effect as the image here.
Granted, this is with one year clumps. I have not had the dubious pleasure of trying to divide a five year clump!
I've heard of a couple of growers using it in divided tubers with no troubles. Peat moss often causes too much moisture loss, but haven't heard that with perlite.
One oldtimer said he used perlite for a storage medium one year, but there was too much dust for him to continue. I remember thinking that the same could be said for peat or vermiculite...Don't remember what he uses now.
Did you fully split the tubers or store and re-plant a large clump? Clumpy dahlia that aren't fully split can produce weaker, less supportive stems. It's the one disadvantage to my dahlia as I never fully split the things.
I'm not directly familiar with Oo La La, it may be that this cultivar requires staking or a tomato fence most of the time. I'm sure somebody who is familiar will be along.
It might have gotten less fertilizer, sun, space or water this year. I'd grow it again if you like the bloom, being sure to provide as much of those four as possible. If it was great last year and not so good this year, it can still come around to be great next year, since it doesn't sound virused.
Incidentally, many growers that are serious about showing dahlias put absurd amounts of fertilizer on their plants by using low levels every day. The leaves and blooms show the difference, and it is amazing how fertilizer can transform a variety you've grown for years into a work of art you don't recognize! Many have complicated recipes that they only grudgingly share, which have been tweaked over many years in their show gardens.
Watering daily during bud formation can increase size of the blooms, and I bet it would help stem strength a bit, too.
Dear Snarg, Thank you so very much!!!!!! I really appreciate your time and your photo! I will report back. If I can save any of them, I would love to send you some. I think they are called Bodacious or Flamethrower. Thank you so much Snarg! I really appreciate your time and your help!
That is normal, as the skin cures and toughens. A week seems to be about perfect for most growers... Longer then that, and too much moisture starts to evaporate. Less then that, and you risk the washed tubers getting moldy in storage.
Take your packing material of choice (vermiculite is my preferred medium, but use what works for you) and put them away soon. Make sure whatever you use to pack them will let out access moisture, keep mice out and keep some moisture in.
Cheers!
CC
The most complete list of dahlia vendors are on The Big List at the Colorado Dahlia Society website. Has great 'how to' articles, as well!
Here is a link that might be useful: The Big List
Seed and plant catalogs full of pictures is an old marketing method that has been done for over a hundred years. They are sent out in the Winter when little gardening occurs and the recipient dreams of a nice garden. Websites have taken the place of many catalogs. However, when they said computers would cause fewer things to be printed, they were wrong. Computers enable the sellers to print more catalogs than ever and we have received at least 10 in the last several weeks. I believe that Swan Island is the last of the printed dahlia catalogs. If you enjoy collecting things, old dahlia catalogs are very interesting.