Hi, when I posted this I had this potted dahlia that wasn’t doing very well. It’s completely died off so I have dug up the tuber. I planted it last spring when I bought it new and it had 4 tubers. It now has around 30 and is over 30cm across.
How many roughly should I divide this into before storing? I don’t particularly need any more so I was going to store it as it is until I read that if they get too large they may not necessarily flower all that well. It’s also very large to store as it is! Thanks for any advice offered.
I would store the whole tuber, as is, in old compost. Some people use newspaper or sawdust. Different people have different approaches. Put the tuber tightish pot in March or so. A shopping bag or bucket or box will do fine too. Don't water it or you might risk the tuber rotting. Keep it somewhere frost free. Some others do it in a dark cupboard until the shoots show.
When you see some shoots you will easily be able to see where the growth eyes are on the tubers. That is one good time to do splitting. All that is needed it one growth point per chunk. It's a pretty reliable way of creating new plants. Keep the plants frost free until temps outside are reliably clear of at least 6oC at night.
I personally find that larger tubers make for more blooms; At least for the taller varieties, like the Bishops. Larger, juicy tubers also have a larger reservoir of moisture and nutrient, from the get go. Professionals (with space to do it) split the tubers so they get as many new plants as they can. I only grow up to ten plants, so I'd rather go for bulky plants covered in blooms and split every four years.
There are loads of different ways of doing dahlia splitting and propagation. Professionals often do it differently, but if it's your first time, I would recommend the above way. I have never lost a plant that way. I keep my tubers in dry-ish earth and have never lost a plant that way either.
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Tuber is shooting from the eyes, April. Divided into five
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May
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Usually flowering by July, though some, like Mexican Star start blooming in May.
Just remember that there are many ways of doing things with dahlias. Try out various methods and see which work best for you. There are lots of good dahlia vids on Youtube. Look for the professional nurseries.
Most dahlias are lost in the spring to over-early watering or leaving pots where slugs and snails can reach. Keep a close eye then.
My dahlias have been all over the place this year. They have been thick with earwigs. Very slow to get going and slow to develop. The ones in the garden, left in from last year, have been flowering for a couple of weeks whilst the ones in large pots, left in since last year, have only just started flowering. I put it down to the unseasonal temperatures and topsy turvy weather we have had. The ones in pots had an occasional feed but the plants in the garden were left to their own devices, only the occasional watering. I am hoping to lift and store them all this year.
My dahlias have been all over the place this year. They have been thick with earwigs. Very slow to get going and slow to develop. The ones in the garden, left in from last year, have been flowering for a couple of weeks whilst the ones in large pots, left in since last year, have only just started flowering. I put it down to the unseasonal temperatures and topsy turvy weather we have had. The ones in pots had an occasional feed but the plants in the garden were left to their own devices, only the occasional watering. I am hoping to lift and store them all this year.
Yes I too had some mixed results - some good and some not so good. I put it down to weather too. My Spartacus dinner plate didn’t even produce one bud into the temperature dropped middle of September.
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How many roughly should I divide this into before storing? I don’t particularly need any more so I was going to store it as it is until I read that if they get too large they may not necessarily flower all that well. It’s also very large to store as it is! Thanks for any advice offered.
I am hoping to lift and store them all this year.