Dahlias

[Doris_Pinks]

Have been rather rash and bought some dahlia tubers, on the packet it says plant in March, on various websites it says you can start them now, and in a Geoff Hamilton book it says start in May! Having never really grown them before I am a little bemused. I always thought they could be started now in damp compost, am I right?
Thanks DP

[Doris_Pinks]

[Palustris]

All three pieces of advice are correct. In May one would plant them straight out in to the garden for late Summer /early Autumn flowering. In April one would start them off in a greenhouse in posts for planting out in May and yes you can start them off now. They need to be started in damp compost on a heated mat or propagator.  In a few weeks you can take the new shoots which appear as cuttings to be grown on for this years flowers.
Don't forget that the new growth comes from the base of the last years stem, not from the tubers themselves, they have no growing points on them.
Ours are still warmly wrapped up and will not be started until April,as our soil does not really warm up enough to make an earlier start.

[Doris_Pinks]

Thank you for coming to my rescue Eric! :)
I will probably leave them a little longer and start them in my unheated greenhouse!  DP

[kenkew]

I dug up lots of tubers last year, cleaned and dried them but couldn't find flowers of sulphur over here. Everyone of them has rotted!
Bought new ones last week, £1 for 6. Not bad.