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Wierd hairy dahlia shoots

CarolineOCarolineO Posts: 5
in Problem solving

Hi

I am very new to growing dahlias from tubers and when my order came last week it said to pot them up, which I duly did in 3l pots.  None of them have really done much, which is what I was expecting, apart from one which has lots of white, hairy shoots, which keep making me think of aliens but that is by the by.  I have had a search on line but couldn't find a picture of anything similar so I wondered if anyone here had a clue what they were.  I'm really hoping they are not the shoots and will expose my utter lack of knowledge....I was kind of expecting something green....!  Thanksimage

Posts

  • pitter-patterpitter-patter Posts: 2,429

    Hi. I think those are roots rather.

  • CloggieCloggie Posts: 1,457

    I was wondering that.  Wonder if you planted them upside down?  I'd take it back out and see if there's a green shoot the other end.

  • pitter-patterpitter-patter Posts: 2,429

    I know for sure that I've planted them right side up and I still got those white rooty things. Curious to see if anyone has a different idea.

  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039

    I have grown Dahlias for many years and those are not Dahlia shoots, sorry.

    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    I think roots would go down even if planted upside down. Could it be some kind of fungal growth?



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • Bright starBright star Posts: 1,153

    Could it be from the potting soil/compost?

    Life's tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late.

  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190

    When you buy a dahlia tuber it usually has a little bit of stalk left on it, I can't see it in the pot. They aren't dahlia roots. 

    I suppose it's not a Begonia tuber? They have roots quite like that sometimes.

    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • pitter-patterpitter-patter Posts: 2,429

    I've just checked mine. I removed the compost around the white thing and it's clearly attached to the tuber, so it must be a young root of some sort. Mine is dahlia 'Crazy Love'. I don't think it's anything to worry about.

  • CarolineOCarolineO Posts: 5

    Thank you very much everyone.  I too wondered if they were roots as they are so fine and hairy but the tuber is definitely planted the right way up (the stalk is just very level with the compost level!).   

    It's reassuring that yours have these too pitter-patter.  I guess I'll just leave it and see what happens!  This is on dahlia 'Dark Butterfly'.  Always something to learn with gardening!!

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