Dahlias grown from cuttings can be planted out in May and will flower this summer
PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE; JASON INGRAM
Dahlia cuttings
Why not try your hand at taking cuttings from the new shoots that sprout from stored dahlia tubers? It’s easy to do and is a technique used by serious dahlia growers to get a head start and produce prize blooms for showing. Dahlia tubers left in the ground over winter won’t be shooting for a few weeks yet, but those potted up indoors may already be sprouting. The new plants you produce can be planted out this summer, alongside the tubers they’ve come from.
Dahlia cuttings are very vulnerable to drying out, so spray them with water and put them straight into a polythene bag, then prepare and plant them as soon as possible. Once the cuttings are inserted into the compost, put them somewhere warm to root. If you take several from one plant, insert them around the edge of the same pot and they should root uniformly. Check them regularly for grey mould on the leaves and snip off any affected material if you see it. The cuttings should be well rooted in four or five weeks and ready for potting on individually.
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