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New dahlia tubers

Jed7Jed7 Posts: 11
in Plants
I’m wanting to add more colour to my garden this year so I’m starting to buy new plants, including dahlia tubers. Can I keep them in the bags they came in until I plant in the garden in the spring or should I plant them in pots and keep them in the greenhouse until later? Dahlias aren’t something I’ve really grown before so I want to get it right. 

I’ve also bought some crocosmia bulbs. Does the same apply to these?

Thanks. 

Posts

  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    They  tend to sweat in the plastic bags, which could induce rot, so I pot them into multipurpose compost as soon as possible, but don't water them yet. If you start to see shoots growing, water them.
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    Crocosmia want a grittier free draining compost.  I pot up most new stuff to start with to check that it grows, and the slugs haven't eaten them away in the garden. Bigger  growing plants tend to do better when they are planted out.
  • Jed7Jed7 Posts: 11
    If putting into pots, do the tubers have to be at the depth of final planting or as it’s a temporary measure, does that matter and should they be in individual pots?
  • Daniel RutherfordDaniel Rutherford Posts: 263
    Whenever i buy new dahlias I tend to just keep the tuber in the bag until March when I plant them although I put the bag in a cold dry place like a shed wheir I store my existing tubers.
  • Dirty HarryDirty Harry Posts: 1,048
    Open the bag to allow it to air?
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    I start off with them so that all the tuber is buried in the smallest pot I can get them in (six inch unless the growers have been generous). When they start growing I move them up a size and eventually into florists bucket size. ( I get them cheap from morrisons and drill holes in them myself) By the time they fill the bucket they are about 2 ft high and ready to go out.
  • Jed7Jed7 Posts: 11
    Thank you for everyone’s advice. I’ll see how I go with them. 
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