@dibdobdeb - good decision to postpone cuttings until the spring. I once tried with cuttings in September and jettisoned them at the end of November. Dahlias are really sensitive to watering and light levels/temperature especially. Apparently, they do everything best at 78 degrees F and my house certainly is not ‘T-shirt warm’ in the colder months.
I noticed up-thread that you mentioned about taking a bit of the tuber with your cutting. If you take your cutting about 1/16 inch above the surface of the tuber instead, cuttings take equally well and moreover, you should get two more ‘sprouts’ from your tuber at that point. If you take a slice of the tuber with your cutting, you have taken the growing point off your tuber and nothing more will then grow from that point. In the first way, you will be able to increase the number of cuttings you can take off the one tuber.
When I was pinching out the plants in late spring/early summer I used some of the tips as cuttings. I just stuck them into the container with the parent plant, outdoors, and surprisingly they rooted and grew just fine. Worth trying since you'd otherwise just throw this material away anyway.
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour".
@dibdobdeb - good decision to postpone cuttings until the spring. I once tried with cuttings in September and jettisoned them at the end of November. Dahlias are really sensitive to watering and light levels/temperature especially. Apparently, they do everything best at 78 degrees F and my house certainly is not ‘T-shirt warm’ in the colder months.
I noticed up-thread that you mentioned about taking a bit of the tuber with your cutting. If you take your cutting about 1/16 inch above the surface of the tuber instead, cuttings take equally well and moreover, you should get two more ‘sprouts’ from your tuber at that point. If you take a slice of the tuber with your cutting, you have taken the growing point off your tuber and nothing more will then grow from that point. In the first way, you will be able to increase the number of cuttings you can take off the one tuber.
Thank you for that info @2point4. In new money that's about 25C but the highest we ever turn our heating thermostat up to is 20C - our mantra is 'put another jumper on'. I'm already looking forward to spring and following your useful tips - who doesn't love plants for free.
When I was pinching out the plants in late spring/early summer I used some of the tips as cuttings. I just stuck them into the container with the parent plant, outdoors, and surprisingly they rooted and grew just fine. Worth trying since you'd otherwise just throw this material away anyway.
That's interesting @WillDB and something else I will try next year.
Any beginner trying to propagate dahlias should check out George on The Small Garden Channel on YouTube. Four videos and everything you need to know is covered. Worked for me.
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I noticed up-thread that you mentioned about taking a bit of the tuber with your cutting. If you take your cutting about 1/16 inch above the surface of the tuber instead, cuttings take equally well and moreover, you should get two more ‘sprouts’ from your tuber at that point. If you take a slice of the tuber with your cutting, you have taken the growing point off your tuber and nothing more will then grow from that point. In the first way, you will be able to increase the number of cuttings you can take off the one tuber.
Four videos and everything you need to know is covered. Worked for me.