|
| I was out of the country and left my tubers with a friend last December, to "babysit" them. She kept them in her kitchen instead of outside, and when I picked them up yesterday, I see that most of them have begun to sprout. The sprouts are anywhere from 2 - 8" long.
We don't usually put dahlias out here in Portland OR til the end of May............would appreciate your advice. I can either leave them outside between now and the end of May......do I cut off the current sprouts or leave on? Pot up and leave outside, where they will probably just sit around. Or leave in peat moss as they are now? I also have access to a greenhouse, that is minimally heated (to 43 degrees). I could pot them up and take them over there, if that would be a better options. Maybe then I could keep the sprouts on and they would get a head start? OR??
|
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| I would just move them to cooler storage area and not remove sprouts until planting time. I have planted dahlias with long sprouts and they do not seem to sprout out of the ground very much earlier than the short sprouts. I believe it is the formation of the feeder roots on the other end of the tubers that gets them going and that only happens in the warm, moist soil. |
|
| I leave my dahlia tubers in the ground and mulch heavy for the winter and have had good luck with this method. However this year one has put up a shoot through the leaf mulch. This was a new tuber last year but I've never seen a dahlia break dormancy this early. It has been a mild winter but not that mild. Has anyone ever seen this--I've been growing dahlias for 30+ years and this is a first. I think I'll just wait and see what it does. |
|
| I would pot those babies up in gallon pots and let them start making roots. And I would probably keep them in the greenhouse. Just don't overwater. I pot mine up about now and keep them fairly warm, but barely moist. Make sure they do not freeze or drown. If they grow too tall before planting time just pinch them back. I do this with all new dahlias and get blooms about a month earlier then usual. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Dahlia Forum
Information about Posting
- You must be logged in to post a message. Once you are logged in, a posting window will appear at the bottom of the messages. If you are not a member, please register for an account.
- Please review our Rules of Play before posting.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review your post, make changes and upload photos.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- Before posting copyrighted material, please read about Copyright and Fair Use.
- We have a strict no-advertising policy!
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.
Learn more about in-text links on this page here
