The Poultry Keeper

sasha.p · Joined: 04 Sep 2005 Posts: 499 Location: gwent

can i take a cutting and get them to grow from a cutting?and also is it too late in the year to do this now?we have a gorgeous dahlia plant and this year its as tall as me and I'm 5ft 7 thing is we are hoping to move and i told the people who are buying our house it would be staying as i have never lifted it out for winter and its grown back three years running bigger and brighter but now i wish i Had not told them its staying as its got so big and everyone has commented on how nice it is i don't know how to deal with tubers as i noticed some one Else's post said they rotted ,please any advice would be really appreciated dontknow

George · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 5661 Location: London

Hi Sasha,

You can lift Dahlia's after they have finished flowering (usually best after the first frost)

Clean off all the soil and you will see it is usually made up of lots of tubers,
Given that you haven't lifted it in 3 years you will probably find there are several different plants there now anyway. If not you can carefully break it into 2 or 3 plants.

Allow the tuber to dry off first and then they can be stored somewhere cool over winter, you can pack them in sawdust or similar, but I prefer to let the air get around mine as they are much less likely to rot.

Hope this helps
George

mojo · Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2005 9:22 pm Post subject: hi

do just as george states but also after drying store one tuber in a flowerpot of dry sand as a back up.................return one tuber to the ground for the new folks.........mojo Laughing

sasha.p · Joined: 04 Sep 2005 Posts: 499 Location: gwent

thank you ever so much for the advice i will do exactly that then i do hope theres enough for a few plants there that would be a nice surprise but the dahlia looks as though it has only sprouted from one point so will wait till the frosts get the better of it then will dig it up to take a look.

George · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 5661 Location: London

You'll be surprised at them, we dug up a load earlier in the year, we still had enough to send Steph some tubers even though we'd split them last year and planted loads at Pat's house,his garden has a brilliant display this year.

It only takes a small tuber to make a new plant, as they quickly grow Very Happy

stephen · Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2005 3:54 pm Post subject:

And beautiful they are, too! Smile

Bendix01 · Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2005 8:54 am Post subject:

sasha.p · Joined: 04 Sep 2005 Posts: 499 Location: gwent

wow what a shock i couldn't remember how big it was when i planted it but it finished flowering this week and was pretty cold last night not frosty though anyway i cut the stems back like i have done for years dug it up and there was loads of bulging roots coming off it!about the size of 2-3footballs worth i carefully broke some off and gave them to next door but told him to plant them back in as i have never had to dig them up here but i said to put them in a little deeper as its supposed to be a cold one this year but i have put mine in a pot and am hoping they will be OK as we are not sure when we are going to be moving as our buyers are messing us around i was going to leave the plant and just take some tubers but I'm taking the whole thing now. I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION THOUGH - WILL IT BE OK IN A POT IF I PROTECT IT FROM FROST JUST UNTIL I CAN GET IT PLANTED IN THE SPRING ?I HAVE PUT SOIL AROUND IT AND PLANTED IT JUST THE SAME AS IT WAS IN THE GROUND? Very Happy

George · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 5661 Location: London

hi,

If you are leaving it in a pot, I would put it into the garden shed, or somewhere else where it isn't likely to get frost at it

summayah · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 4289 Location: luton

you could also wrap the pot round with bubble wrap as well.

Bendix01 · Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2005 11:09 am Post subject:

Cold will effect wet soil far more thyan dry (ish) soil. I have a problem with root rot in my Hostas for the very same reason. If you lay the pot on its side over winter then the soil stays damp but not water logged and will not ice up in a hard frost.