Split a tuber down the middle?

10 years ago

Hi all. I just received my mail order dahlia tubers.

One of the tubers (Cafe Au Lait) is a little odd shaped. It's one big tuber, like a potato, with the old stem growing right out the top of it.

The stem has a couple of eyes on opposite sides and I'd like to split it to get 2 plants. Normally I would pot it up and take stem cuttings but I think it's a little late in the season for that. (I started all of my stored tuber 3 weeks ago and most are still just starting to sprout.)

2 questions:
Would they survive if I sliced the big tuber down the middle or would the tuber rot on the cut sides? I know that splitting the stem is no problem but I'm not sure about the tuber.

And, does anybody know if this is just an odd tuber or does Cafe Au Lait grow that way?

Thanks.
Doug

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Comments (4)

mandolls
10 years ago
I have never seen a tuber sprouting from opposite ends!

I regularly cut off large chunks of my tubers to fit them in the 4" pots I start them in, So I would think it would be fine to split the tuber. I received couple of Cafe Au Lait tubers in trade this year, but they look pretty normal.

Dusting the cut ends with cinnamon as an anti fungal is supposed to help guard against rot - I usually don't bother.

You might want to take a cutting as "insurance " before you do it.
digdougdig
Original Author
10 years ago
Sorry, I guess I didn't explain that too well. The old stem has two eyes on it. So I'm thinking of splitting the stem and the tuber down the middle.

There's not enough growth on it yet to take a cutting.

I've never heard of using cinnamon as an anti-fungal. I don't usually bother either.

Thanks for the input.
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mandolls
10 years ago
That makes more sense - I think I didn't read your first post correctly. If it was my only tuber, I don't think I would split it down the middle. Thats an experiment you might want to try with something you have multiples of. It seems like it should work, but Ã¢ÂÂ¦Ã¢ÂÂ¦Ã¢ÂÂ¦Ã¢ÂÂ¦..

Do you regularly take successful stem cuttings from your dahlias? I have heard that they develop into full grown plants faster than tuber-grown (by a week or two) I would think in zone 6 you would still have time to take a cutting. If you pot it up and both eyes develop into stalks, you are probably going to snip one of them off anyway.
digdougdig
Original Author
10 years ago
That's what I decided to do. I potted it up whole and I'll give it some time and then take cuttings. I may even get more eyes sprouting while I'm at it.

I divide my dahlias before I store them, then start all of them inside and take stem cuttings. I don't know if it's any faster; I only do it to get more plants. That way, I can give some away to friends who don't bother digging and saving.