Re: dahlia tubers

Well, I'm jealous:-)  I'm just that much too far north to be able to
successfully overwinter Canna or dahlia in the ground...I've tried,
but end up with mush.

Yup, the cuttings will make tubers.  Amazing, but true and flower,
too.  Of course, this is assuming you take them early, like late Feb
or early March and bring them along inside so they're decent size
when you plant them out.

I found, when I grew dahlias, that mine tended to sprout in storage,
so just used those sprouts, but you can encourage sprouting by
potting up a clump of tubers and then taking all the sprouts for
cuttings...or as many as you want.  Rooted nicely in plain damp
coarse sand for me.

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
Editor:  Gardening in Shade
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> From: Marilyn Dube <mygarden@easystreet.com>
> 
> Marge,
>  I'm with you, I've never had good luck trying to get a good piece
of neck
> with a bud on it in the spring.  Lucky for me (since I am
>  lazy and don't like to dig up big clumps of stuff to bring into
the
> basement) I haven't dug my Dahlias in years.  But our soil rarely
> freezes.  I can only think of 2 winters in the 23 years I have
lived here.
> I planted my Dahlias waaayyy down there about 15 years ago and they
come up
> every year.  In fact, one year I decided they took up too much room
in my
> only sunny border, so I dug them all up and gave them away.  Hah! 
I only
> thought I dug them all up!  2 of them are still coming back, but I
didn't
> have the heart to dig them out again - they make such pretty
bouquets,
> either alone or mixed with other flowers.  Of course I'm not
talking about
> those dinner plate flowers Claire, just smaller ones - not more
than 3 or 4"
> across.
> I have taken to planting the dark purple leafed Dahlias (Bishop of
Llandaff,
> Bednall Beauty & Fascination) in large pots mixed with annuals and
placed
> here and there in the garden.  They are much easier to deal with
that way.
> 
> Thanks for the tips on increasing Dahlia stock.  For some reason it
never
> occurred to me to try that.  People ask me for starts of my dark
leafed ones
> all the time.  My question is, will the rooted shoots then form a
tuber over
> the growing season?
> 
> Marilyn Dube'
> Natural Designs Nursery
> Portland, Oregon

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