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pieheart

too late to divide?

pieheart
14 years ago

I am a total newbie to dahlias. Last year I was given several tubers, I planted them according to the info I got from my friend, they grew into beautiful "bushes", I dug up the tubers and put them in a paper bag filled with wood chips for the winter and stored them in the garage. So far, so good? This past weekend I looked in the bag, the tubers were slightly shriveled but not mushy and were starting to sprout. I figured I did something right without really knowing what I was doing--- except I forgot to divide them before storing. I don't know what to do now. Should I divide them or plant them as is? Or is it too late?

After reading this forum this week I learned that I should have done some pruning of the plant as it grew last year. Is it necessary to do this, or is it only for aesthetic reasons?

Thanks for any advice!

Comments (3)

  • Poochella
    14 years ago

    Congratulations on what sounds like successful storage. So far, so good! You'll get the best result from 1-2 tubers or a small clump division from last year's large clump. My advice is to divide sooner rather than later. It is very easy to break off shoots that are more than a couple inches tall. Not a disaster, they'll regrow, but you set back plant growth and flowers a bit if they do break.

    See if you can pick off a few easily severed tubers that show an emerging eye or actual shoot and cut enough collar tissue behind it to give the shoot some support. After that, sky's the limit. A machete may come in handy. Or you can plant the whole clump again.

    I dug up some clumps that overwintered at a bed I keep in a warmer area in town, but they were already well-sprouted and very hard to divide. Even though it's cold and damp, I prefer winter dividing for sake of ease.

    Good luck. Remember they are tough and the drive to survive is pretty great.

  • pieheart
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks, I feel better now. I tend to get overwhelmed in the fall with life in general (kids starting school, new schedules, plus all the fall cleanup) that I get lazy with some gardening chores. I won't let that happen again this year, though, those dahlias are gorgeous! I don't know why it took me so many years to appreciate their beauty.

    I think at this point I will plant the clumps as they are. I'm afraid to try to divide them since they have new growth. Our growing season is short enough without setting the plants back because of a mistake. We seem to be in a little arctic microclimate at our house. Flowers that have faded in some parts of town have barely begun to bud at my house.

    And just for fun, I think we'll label the tubers this year. My husband dug them all up and stored them as I said above, but didn't think about labeling at least for color. Like I said, too much to do, too little time to do it well!

    If anyone has any links that are especially good for a newbie regarding dahlias, especially dividing, or even links to threads here, I'd appreciate it. I do searches but get so many hits I don't know where to look first. Thanks!

  • plantlady2008
    14 years ago

    One of the best places to learn about dahlia care & culture is the Colorado Dahlia Society site. It's full of great info for all stages of dahlia life.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Colorado Dahlia Society

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