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Dahlia tubers

SunnySnowdropSunnySnowdrop Posts: 4
in Problem solving
I've recently been gifted 10 dahlia tubers that arrived by post. Should I plant them out or should I store them until next Spring and if so, how best? Many thanks 😊 
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  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    Plant them now. If they have been in cold storage they will grow away like crazy.  Otherwise you may just have a load of dead tubers.  By next Spring they will be dead if you do nothing with them now.
    Where did they come from? I'm surprised anyone is sending out tubers now. They are usually sold over winter and potted up by March.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    They'll be ones that are left over from last season. If they are still plump and firm, not soft and rotten or dried up and wrinkly, they should grow if you plant them now but they might not flower this year.

    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • SunnySnowdropSunnySnowdrop Posts: 4
    fidgetbones said:
    Plant them now. If they have been in cold storage they will grow away like crazy.  Otherwise you may just have a load of dead tubers.  By next Spring they will be dead if you do nothing with them now.
    Where did they come from? I'm surprised anyone is sending out tubers now. They are usually sold over winter and potted up by March.
    Gardening Express online. My husband bought me them after I had been admiring some nearby. We will get them in and see how we get on. Thanks 😊 
  • SunnySnowdropSunnySnowdrop Posts: 4
    Thanks for the advice. We will give them a go 👍
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    I was going to put, you didn't get them from Gardeneing Express did you?  Then I thought, naah,  even they wouldn't send out dahlia tubers when they should be flowering.  I hope they were cheap.  Very cheap.
  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    It's a new low for them...good luck, hope they're still viable. 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • Dirty HarryDirty Harry Posts: 1,048
    Surely if they're still viable these will be sprouting like mad now?

    Any time I see the last of the tubers for sale in garden centres they're sprouting significantly by that point.
  • plant pauperplant pauper Posts: 6,904
    Oh dear @sarahjaneleatherp2wugiFD everyone seems to have icked on your wow! 😒 They don't really mean to sound so negative I'm sure but Gardening Express has a terrible reputation. Type it into the search bar to see previous comments.
    It's a lovely thoughtful gift and your poor husband wasn't to know that he was dealing with ne'er-do-wells.
    Hopefully if you follow the advice above something good will come of them and next year you can get some cuttings which go from strength to strength. 
    Good luck and, oh yes, welcome to the forum. 😳

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    There's a whole thread about Gardening Express - a poster recently complained and was given lots of support about it, and guided to other sites. 
    They have a terrible reputation @sarahjaneleatherp2wugiFD, so perhaps if your OH wants to get you plants in future - guide him this way to the forum and we'll try and help avoid mistakes! Dahlia tubers wouldn't be sent out at this time of year by a reputable supplier. 
    As others have said - tubers which are healthy would be sprouting and growing by now, and would rarely be sold beyond about May. At that point, a healthy tuber would have growth on it. All you can do is plant them and see what happens.   :)

    Here's a link to the thread I mentioned
    https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1075286/warning-about-buying-plants-online/p1
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • SunnySnowdropSunnySnowdrop Posts: 4
    Thank you all! I'm a novice so advice is welcome.  I've loved gardening for many years but I've always put plants in from a garden centre and not ventured much into planting bulbs and taking cuttings so I'm not just starting out with that.  Online buying is also something new and we won't be going to Gardening Express again.  There are a few very wilted shoots on some of the tubers but they don't look great and they are quite soft.  We will plant them this morning and see what occurs! You never know! Any suggestions for reputable online shops would be welcome.  We do have a garden centre close by but their stock is quite limited.  Happy Saturday!

    New to the forum so have now figured out how to change my screen name too :-)
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