I heard on the BBC Gardens slot yesterday that if you want to propogate Dahlia's we can put them in damp compost half covered and once the shoots have sprouted then we can cut and grow on - anyone tried this method before or any tips before I plunge my Bishop of Llandoff into the compost this week-end :-\
Can't offer any help with Dahlias, but will be cheeck & piggy back on your post pls.
I caught a prog that said overwinter in a fost free dark place. I picked up some dahlias in a sale at the end of last season in pots and have stashed them in my shed. It's frost free, but has windows. Will it make any real difference?
Never grown dahlias, am indulging OH's taste.
I've only done it once (last year), but 100% success rate with six cuttings, so it can't be that hard.
You put the tuber in a large pot, or wooden tray or something. Cover it in moist peat/compost, leaving just the crown showing and leave it somewhere with a little warmth, (Eg cool room of house) so shoots start appearing (takes about 3 weeks).
Then, when the shoots are about 4 inches high, cut them away with a sharp, clean knife. The cut is a little above the base where they join the crown, so you don't cut the crown itself. Then treat the cutting in the normal way - trim off to below a node, remove lower leaves, apply hormone rooting powder and into a pot of seed compost, which you then place in a propagator. In a humid atmosphere, with no direct sunlight, takes a couple of weeks to root. The only special tip I have is not to bother with hollow shoots - they don't root.
On the radio yesterday it was somebodies popular tip, I did not really take a lot of notice , but I am sure a heated propogator was mentioned.
Not very good with flowers here, but have done this, although not so carefully as advised by Ceratonia, who obviously knows what he's doing !
I put my very large clump of tubers in a shoe box, lined with a bit of plastic on the bottom, filled with moist compost, left top poking out. When shoots started, took a sharp knife and cut downwards, dividing the whole thing into 4 quarters, leaving the bulgy roots intact, all with the same amount of shoots and roots top and bottom. It worked.
Just remember to leave some shoots on the mother plant.
I find you can divide them quite easly by teasing the clump apart and safer. Dont forget they grow very easy from seed. I collect seed end of year and sow in March had a lovely show on lottie from the dwarf ones. I love free plants ha ha.
My one and only dahlia was bought in a pot last summer and is now in a
cardboard box in the garage. It did really well and it is now too big to fit back in a pot again, so do I need to divide it up? All the tubers seem to be coming from one central point so how do you know where to divide it? :-\
Hi Vee,
When you see the new shoots comming I leave the stalks on about 6-8 inches so I can get my hands on them and wriggle them to tease apart. Otherwise plant it in the ground or a lot bigger pot and try to divide next year.
Thanks for all the hints and advice. I must admit though it is hard to believe that these dry old 'fingers' will ever produce beautiful flowers. I have potted up my Bishop of Llandaff (for the butterflies), Shooting Star and Purple Gem (for me) dahlia's this afternoon and they are sitting snugly on my kitchen windowsill. I will keep you posted if you like on what is happening.
One thing I am not to sure about - I know that the compost must be damp - but when I water is it OK for the water to fall on the actual 'fingers' or must I keep them dry?? The last thing I want is my tubers rotting from being too wet.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
I always grow my dalihas each year from seed. I find them quite easy to grow from seed. It also produces a much bushier plant.
The_Snail
Hi Snail,
I bought some Bishop's Children dahlia seeds for this year because I liked Bishop of Llandaff so much.
I saw the results of the seed trial of dahlias on Gardeners World and thought I would try them.
Do you have any tips for when to sow etc and aftercare as I have never grown dahlias before but I must say the bishop has converted me ;D I know I can look at the seed packet but someone elses experience is always more useful!
I have solved my heat propagating problem - I went out and bought a heated propagator from B&Q today. DH blanched when I stumbled into the house with it declaring - where in .... name are you going to put THAT! :o and its not even a big one! -only three seed trays and 5 flower pots. Sigh :-[ Well after some strategic moving of the coffee station - Voila!! my heated propagator now has pride of place under the kitchen window. I have now placed all my dahlia tubers in there - all snug and warm and wait impatiently for some shoots to appear to that I can make more dahlia babies!! Now they must just hurry up to that I can put more stuff in it ::)
the Bishop of Llandaff is a beautiful one I collected the seeds off mine last year just have to find them now to sow.
I sow them just like I would for Tomatoes in a propergater, I start 1st March ( being Welsh) dont sow all the seeds together , sow a few one week and some the next and space them out in flat trays or individual pot seed trays.
Easy to grow and when you get two sets of true leaves pinch out the growing tip to bush pot on and watch them go.
Thanks Teresa, that sounds easy peasy. Fingers crossed! :)
By the way, do I need to sow on St George's day for it to work for me? ;)
Don't ask !! hubby shows dahlias and i do about 400 cuttings a year :o
Put tubers into damp compost, when shoots are about 3-4" cut them off and put into a pot of compost, i get 5 in a 5" pot then water lightly and put bag over, they are quick enough to root so don't need heat if you don't have it, takes about 3 weeks and you should see some growth they are then ready to pot on individually.
Warning they can be addictive, don't say you wheren't warned ;D
Oh Vee I dont even know when St. Georges day is and living in England whoops. Try being Welsh for the day ha ha.
400 cuttings thats serious gardening have you any photos?
they are great plants fast growing and flowers are heavenly right up till hard frosts.
1st March !
Hi there
I wonder if anyone can please assist me - I put my dahlias into the heated propagator a couple of weeks ago - I still have no new shoots popping through but last night I notice small bits of white 'fluff' on some of them - is this good or bad? If bad, what must I do. It is in dampish compost only half way up the tubers.
Any advice would be appreciated because its on my Bishop of Llandoff? :'(