"So hot..." I'm sitting here in a t shirt, sweatshirt and heavy fleece vest LOL! Talk about opposite ends of the country. Your dahlias are lucky to be there.

What size container is it in? Maybe it can stay there for the season? I'd guess a minimum of a foot wide, foot deep would do if you got the typical little field-grown clump. Nothing wrong with those. You might want to put in a stake, depending on the expected size.

You mention 'a' tuber, but it sounds like it had 3 eyes that have sent up 3 shoots to date. I don't think you have to divide anything at all at this point. You'll just have a nice bushy plant full of flowers.

I hope Huey, Steve W or someone else chimes in on growing in the hot southern climates. Morning sun, keep well watered (which may rule out growing in a pot because they dry out so much faster.) I do know that I have easily transplanted dahlias from my pots into the ground as recently as last week- no problem. Just get as many roots as you can and support the plant well on its way into the new prepared hole.
Good luck.

Hi poochella, thanks or answering.

What I'd give to trade places with you. I HATE this heat. I've been here all my life and I'm sick of it. I'd love to move to someplace cool!

Anyhow, back to the Dahlias. They are called Mystery Day. I don't know if that's anything special or not. Unfortunately, the container they are in is 8" tall and 8" wide. I've been staking them ever since they started to flop around. I've had to change the stakes about 4 times as they grew. The package says they should get 4 feet tall. So obviously they won't be able to stay in the container they're in now.

But if I have to transplant them, I think it would be better to do it into the ground. And yes, what I bought was one long tuber with several (more than three) others hanging off of it. So it's okay to leave them together then?

Maybe I'll plant them in my garden tomorrow in a shady spot. The package says sun. But since it's so hot here, I think shade would be better. Maybe with a tiny bit of sun.

Thanks for your response. I really appreciate the help!

Dee

Oh Mystery Day is a dramatic purple and white beauty- you'll love it. Yes, just fine to leave your clump as is; you can divide it next fall or Spring of 08.

Steve W grew dahlias in Florida. As I recall he advised to go for morning sun, afternoon shade. You'll need some sun, or you'll get a spindly, unhappy plant with so-so blooms. He advised to amend your sandy soil to help retain water in the hole/bed, mulch heavily (with what, I don't know) and to keep watered especially in high temps.

Don't be me and transplant your Mystery Day in the heat of the day, do it in the evening when it can rest overnight and recoup a bit. You can do it and your plant will thank you. It might be grumpy and frumpy for a few days, but I bet it will spring back just fine. I encourage you to get a 4 ft stake in place immediately when planting so you can support the plant right away.

Steve W or Huey where are you with some sunny southern advice? Anyone else? See if there's anything helpful to you in the newsletters at the link: another good dahlia website, especially for the southern growers.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dahlia Society of GA newsletters

Thanks again poochella! I'm so glad you know the variety I have! I'll take your advice and plant them where they get early sun and afternoon shade. They're definitely getting too big for the container they're in, so I guess it's time to plant them outdoors, maybe tonight.

I appreciate all your help :)

Dee

Oh, and one more question. Can all three of the shoots be staked together? I've been staking them separately, but it's getting hard to find separate stakes as they grow.

Thanks,
Dee