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Dahlias

watlinggwatlingg Posts: 20
in Plants
Last year I planted lots of daily tubers which gave me a fantastic display of flowers right through until end of October. Because of our milder climate in Norfolk (albeit the Beast from the East), I have left them all in the ground after cutting back and heavily mulched them with leaf mould. I have just removed some of the mulch in the hopes I will see some sprouting in due course but as this is my first time at growing dahlias outside after overwintering, my question is: when should I see some sprouting, so at least I know they have survived the winter? Many thanks

Posts

  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    Far too early to tell yet, I think you need to wait until at least early May to be sure.
    You could always start a few more in pots somewhere warm, to act as insurance.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • ladygardener2ladygardener2 Posts: 371
    I agree, it's likely to be May before you see shoots. If you want them earlier than that then you'd need to dig them up and start them off inside somewhere. Do watch out when they start to grow because slugs and snails love those tender young shoots.
  • Emma915Emma915 Posts: 95
    I second the slug lookout.  I would recommend surrounding the dahlia area with wool pellets or some sort of slug repellant to give the shoots a chance.  One year my dahlias were hardly noticed because the slugs kept eating them before I had a chance to see them
  • Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,713
    I have my dahlia tubers in a cold greenhouse and they have not shown any new greenery yet this year, so I think you are far too early to be expecting growth yet watlingg - perhaps wait another few weeks before anything shows through.
  • BluebaronBluebaron Posts: 226
    I dug up one early last month and started it off in my utility room. After i got  few sprouts i made cuttings and then when it got to big moved to a heated greenhouse (frost protection only). 

    The plant is now around 18" and the cuttings have rooted but still a bit weedy!

    I also have another tuber i brought in the garden centre which i started off and is now 8"tall.

     
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