This is my fourth year growing Dahlias, and I have wanted to share a post on growing Dahlias from both tuber and seed in Zone 7a Maryland based on my experience. Each growing zone is different, so please note this is for Zone 7a. There are thousands of varieties of Dahlias, making growing them so fun and exciting to give, sell, share, and trade. The tubers are an up-front expense, but if grown and saved properly, they will give back double to triple the number of tubers at the end of the growing season. You can also propagate a dahlia for more blooms with cuttings and seed saving. This post will focus on tubers. 

If you have not bought any tubers visit our shop or order from well-known companies such as Dutch Grown,  Triple Wren, Dahlia House, Twig & Vine, and Flower Hat to make sure your tubers are not diseased and you receive healthy and good quality tubers. 

The Following Pictures are from the 2022 Garden Season. I will post updates on the current dahlias for 2023 as they grow soon!

Let’s Begin!

Propagating from a Tuber

What is a Tuber?

A tuber is where these beautiful Dahlias flowers come from. It is hard to believe this potato-looking thing will turn into a beautiful flower. You can buy Dahlia tubers anywhere, but I highly recommend researching before buying. Tubers should be purchased from well-known sources to avoid buying a diseased tuber that could infect your soil.

Three Parts to a Tuber

A viable tuber will have three parts. The eyes, neck, and body. Without these three parts, the tuber will not grow or reproduce into anything. It is best to compost tubers missing any of these parts. If the neck is broken, this still will not produce anything but will rot.

Eyes

Like a potato, a tuber also has “eyes” that are sometimes very hard to find, and some are pretty obvious. These eyes are essential; the tuber must have at least one good eye that will eventually sprout into your plant. Dahlia’s eyes can be teeny tiny, almost like a little bump or wart. It takes some practice to find a bright light that can help with this. Eyes are usually found around the collar of the tuber.

Potting up and Pre-sprouting Dahlia Tubers

This is not a have-to, but I pre-sprout my dahlias before planting. I do this to get a good root system going and reduce the risk of having my dahlias rot in the ground in case of a late frost. Also, this will allow me to get a head start on blooms. For my pots, I use a simple pot from Dollar Tree, or for larger dahlias, I picked up these pots on sale at Target, and they were perfect.

Pre-Sprouting Dahlias

To begin pre-sprouting dahlias, I make sure I have plenty of plant labels to label each dahlia in its pot. The photo is a picture of a Sharpie; I have started using a garden marker that I recommend for tags that will be out in the weather. These markers are waterproof and contain ultraviolet filters for maximum fade resistance. By the end of the growing season, the Sharpie ink faded to the point it was near impossible to read. 

First, clean your pots with bleach water well before starting. I fill the pot with a few inches of organic potting soil with no fertilizer. Lay the tuber horizontally with the eyes facing up.

Afterward, cover the tuber with more soil, at least five inches. Do not water until green sprouts start to appear. Pre-sprouting tubers will also help you to notice any sign of disease like leafy gall before going into your soil. 

Planting the Dahlia

Dahlias love loosened, well-draining soil. They do not like clay soil or soil that holds water. You can add  bone meal or blood meal to add some nutrients for your Dahlia. In the photo below, I am planting a dahlia for the Growing Kindness Project while adding some bone meal from the Growing Kindness Ambassador Kit.

Dahlias love water, so deep water dahlias once a week when plants start to emerge. In the Summertime, we do this two to three times a week, depending on how dry our soil is and the weather.

Pinching Your Dahlia

Pinching your dahlias is essential for more blooms. Dahlia stems can grow tall and with one single stem the size of a broomstick if not pinched. This makes water harder to go up through the stem to the bloom. This will encourage better stem length for vase life and bouquets.

To pinch your Dahlia, buy a nice pair of snips and sanitize them before pinching. Snips can be properly sanitized with mixed at a ratio of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water.

Before pinching, make sure your plant has a set of 2-4 fully developed leaf sets and is between 8 and 12 inches is the best time to pinch. I cannot encourage this enough.

Support

One thing I need to improve on this year is physical plant support. Dahlias need strong support because they are heavy flowers. They can get tall and full of heavy, lush blooms. This is so important. I lost two well-established Dahlia plants after a wind storm due to this. So make sure to prepare for this. T-posts and rebar have worked well for us.

I will be sharing another post soon on how I save tubers and overwinter them. So check back again soon! Thank you for stopping by!

I hope this post brought some inspiration from my garden to yours. Please share your blooms with us if you found this article helpful or grown dahlias using this guide. Please tag us with #hopeandwildflowers

Keep Going, and Keep Growing

Happy Gardening!

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