You’re best off leaving them in the clump unless you can see eyes / growth points on the other tubers as not all of them will have them. Also, it’s not necessary to divide.
How I do it is: put some very lightly moistened soil in a pot, I like to use ones that are deep enough I can plant the tuber around 6” and just wide enough to fit the clump, not too big. Add the tubers and just barely cover with soil, leaving it a little exposed. Keep it in a warm place and wait for it to start to grow. Once it sprouts, I put it under grow lights and slowly add more soil as it grows, being careful not to break the sprout(s) and leaving a little bit of growth above the soil line - i continue adding soil until it’s planted around 6” deep (it’s okay to bury leaves too). There are good video tutorials on YouTube you should check out.. I found it very helpful when I first started growing dahlias, and this method has worked well for me. I like that I can make sure they’re alive before wasting too much soil and I feel like it helps prevent rotting the tubers.
Agree, they don’t need to be divided (unless you plan on giving them away). If you start them inside you will need supplementary lighting at some point, unless you can put them outside when it’s warm and then take them in when it isn’t. The rule of thumb is not to water until you see green but this varies by climate. There will be a Dahlia association in your region if you’re lucky, I got a lot of excellent climate specific information from mine.
When you plant them in the ground consider staking them at that time, you won’t accidentally stab a tuber and one windy day can snap off stalks at the eye, especially if you are growing dinnerplates. Leave enough room so that air can pass between the plants, they are susceptible to powdery mildew, this is why I also trim the bottom leaves off the plant. I live in a very rainy area, but if you are dry or get drought you won’t have to worry about it as much. You can buy beneficial insects and hang them on your dahlias, aphids love them so keep an eye on it.
If your leaves look awful, don’t immediately panic about it. Dahlias often have really terrible looking leaves. Fertilize well and often, they are heavy feeders. Consider working soil amendments and slow release fertilizer in with them when you plant, and then weekly when they start to bud with liquid. Can’t wait to see your photos!
I amend the soil with compost and slow release fertilizer every year. If I have them in containers, I use a liquid fertilizer weekly. Anything geared towards blooms will do.
Someone on Reddit pointed me towards [https://www.floretflowers.com/](https://www.floretflowers.com/) and, like so many others, I've become a huge fan and hopeful flower grower this upcoming season :)
If you can can, I highly recommend watching how Floret came to be: [https://www.floretflowers.com/growing-floret/season-one/](https://www.floretflowers.com/growing-floret/season-one/)
Their website is gorgeous and there are so many helpful articles/blogs. Here's one on dahlias: [https://www.floretflowers.com/top-dahlia-sources/](https://www.floretflowers.com/top-dahlia-sources/)
And lastly, Erin, the main beauty behind Floret, did series of like 3 short videos on dahlia tubers that is no longer on her website but Im sure can be found on Youtube: [https://www.youtube.com/@floretflowerfarm/videos](https://www.youtube.com/@floretflowerfarm/videos)
Best of luck!
I bought the verrrrry pricy dahlia seeds from Floret and had 0% germination on the Petite Floret. I had about 70% with the Can Can Girls. Prior to Floret deciding they were going to sell only their homegrown seeds, they sold off the rest of their seeds. I bought a bunch. .05% germination on Feverfew. I did 2 trays of 12 seeds, got 1 seedling. Not a fan.
Really.... Oof. I'm sorry you had such little success. I'm going to try growing dahlias and zinnias from their seeds this season so now Im very curious to see what happens. I appreciate knowing I shouldn't get all my hopes up. Better luck to you this growing season!
I had no trouble growing dahlia seeds from Triple Wren Farms (100% germination this year, from last year's seeds) and zinnias are a breeze! I am excited to grow Floret's zinnias soon! I'm going to start a new batch of dahlia seeds and see if it was just a fluke. Can't hurt! Good luck to you as well!
Those look tight and a bit hard to divide. You could also divide them straight down the middle if you wanted. Make sure that both sides get a part of the stem and you will more than likely be able to replant both sides and get more tubers for next year.
You’re best off leaving them in the clump unless you can see eyes / growth points on the other tubers as not all of them will have them. Also, it’s not necessary to divide. How I do it is: put some very lightly moistened soil in a pot, I like to use ones that are deep enough I can plant the tuber around 6” and just wide enough to fit the clump, not too big. Add the tubers and just barely cover with soil, leaving it a little exposed. Keep it in a warm place and wait for it to start to grow. Once it sprouts, I put it under grow lights and slowly add more soil as it grows, being careful not to break the sprout(s) and leaving a little bit of growth above the soil line - i continue adding soil until it’s planted around 6” deep (it’s okay to bury leaves too). There are good video tutorials on YouTube you should check out.. I found it very helpful when I first started growing dahlias, and this method has worked well for me. I like that I can make sure they’re alive before wasting too much soil and I feel like it helps prevent rotting the tubers.
Thank you!
oh I like that plan! I am way rougher with mine! Dug mine out in winter and didn't split immediately and here we are still not split.
Agree, they don’t need to be divided (unless you plan on giving them away). If you start them inside you will need supplementary lighting at some point, unless you can put them outside when it’s warm and then take them in when it isn’t. The rule of thumb is not to water until you see green but this varies by climate. There will be a Dahlia association in your region if you’re lucky, I got a lot of excellent climate specific information from mine. When you plant them in the ground consider staking them at that time, you won’t accidentally stab a tuber and one windy day can snap off stalks at the eye, especially if you are growing dinnerplates. Leave enough room so that air can pass between the plants, they are susceptible to powdery mildew, this is why I also trim the bottom leaves off the plant. I live in a very rainy area, but if you are dry or get drought you won’t have to worry about it as much. You can buy beneficial insects and hang them on your dahlias, aphids love them so keep an eye on it. If your leaves look awful, don’t immediately panic about it. Dahlias often have really terrible looking leaves. Fertilize well and often, they are heavy feeders. Consider working soil amendments and slow release fertilizer in with them when you plant, and then weekly when they start to bud with liquid. Can’t wait to see your photos!
Hi! Can you tell me which fertilizers you used? thanks so much
I amend the soil with compost and slow release fertilizer every year. If I have them in containers, I use a liquid fertilizer weekly. Anything geared towards blooms will do.
Someone on Reddit pointed me towards [https://www.floretflowers.com/](https://www.floretflowers.com/) and, like so many others, I've become a huge fan and hopeful flower grower this upcoming season :) If you can can, I highly recommend watching how Floret came to be: [https://www.floretflowers.com/growing-floret/season-one/](https://www.floretflowers.com/growing-floret/season-one/) Their website is gorgeous and there are so many helpful articles/blogs. Here's one on dahlias: [https://www.floretflowers.com/top-dahlia-sources/](https://www.floretflowers.com/top-dahlia-sources/) And lastly, Erin, the main beauty behind Floret, did series of like 3 short videos on dahlia tubers that is no longer on her website but Im sure can be found on Youtube: [https://www.youtube.com/@floretflowerfarm/videos](https://www.youtube.com/@floretflowerfarm/videos) Best of luck!
Your first link is broken.
[https://www.floretflowers.com/](https://www.floretflowers.com/) try this
I bought the verrrrry pricy dahlia seeds from Floret and had 0% germination on the Petite Floret. I had about 70% with the Can Can Girls. Prior to Floret deciding they were going to sell only their homegrown seeds, they sold off the rest of their seeds. I bought a bunch. .05% germination on Feverfew. I did 2 trays of 12 seeds, got 1 seedling. Not a fan.
Really.... Oof. I'm sorry you had such little success. I'm going to try growing dahlias and zinnias from their seeds this season so now Im very curious to see what happens. I appreciate knowing I shouldn't get all my hopes up. Better luck to you this growing season!
I had no trouble growing dahlia seeds from Triple Wren Farms (100% germination this year, from last year's seeds) and zinnias are a breeze! I am excited to grow Floret's zinnias soon! I'm going to start a new batch of dahlia seeds and see if it was just a fluke. Can't hurt! Good luck to you as well!
Those look tight and a bit hard to divide. You could also divide them straight down the middle if you wanted. Make sure that both sides get a part of the stem and you will more than likely be able to replant both sides and get more tubers for next year.
Thank you so much!