Taking Dahlia Cuttings
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It’s mid-January, the snow is on the ground, and the temperatures are barely creeping above freezing. So, don’t laugh when I say… it’s dahlia time.
WHAT?
Yep, you heard me right. It’s dahlia time. Well, okay, not exactly time yet, but hear me out.
Have you ever seen pictures of vast dahlia fields, bursting with gorgeous blooms? Does your heart skip a beat, and does your January dreamer brain think, “Oooh, that would be amazing”?
So you head online, and what do you find? ALL the farms are doing their famous dahlia sales NOW! That's right—they're selling tubers now to ship out in the spring. Why? Because those farmers are waking up their dahlias, splitting tubers, and selling off the extra stock. Then, they keep the best tubers, plan their fields, and propagate them.
Naturally, you dream big. You pop all those stunning tubers into your cart, and boom—you’ve just amassed hundreds of dollars in tubers. Your eyes bulge, your compulsive side takes a deep breath, and you quickly close your cart, trying to talk yourself off the metaphorical dahlia ledge. If you're like me, you probably exit the cart before finding the next big sale and doing it again only to:
A. Actually purchase a few.
B. Talking yourself out of it completely
C. Going over and over lists of the "must-have" dahlias.And suddenly, the sales are over.
Rest assured, my fellow flower lover! I’ve got you covered. You may not get the whole field of blooming dahlias, but I can show you how to take the stock you already have and build on it with little to no cost or effort. If you repeat this technique year after year, you just might find yourself with an entire field of dahlias instead of a lawn!
So what’s this miracle cloning technique, you ask?
Cuttings – The process of waking up your tuber and allowing it to sprout. Once it does, you can cut that sprout, dip it in rooting hormone, and sit back while Mother Nature works her magic, creating a clone of the parent plant with all the same desirable traits.
Sounds too good to be true?
It might, but trust me—it’s actually pretty simple.
Lets break it down:
Pull your dahlias out of storage.
Put them in some dirt, soil, and potting mix.
Put them in a sunny location.
Mist them with water.
They do not want to be wet, but they do need some moisture in order to start to sprout. You can even soak them first if they are looking really dehydrated (I found I didn’t need to do this).
Be patient!
Once the dahlias have sprouted, you will want to wait until the sprout is 4 - 6 inches tall. I have found waiting until they are a little taller is best. Make sure there are at least two sets of leaves.
Cut the sprout at the base.
Dip the end in rooting hormone. You can easily find rooting hormone at a hardware store, Walmart, or Amazon. I use Dip and Gro, but I think you can use whatever you feel comfortable with. Read the instructions (usually you dip for 3 - 5 seconds).
Place your sprout in potting soil in a sunny spot.
Here is the important part - cuttings like humidity. I place a clear dome on my cuttings to help prevent them from drying out. Cuttings are prone to drying out because they don’t have a root system established yet. Humidity on the leaves prevents drying out, reducing evaporation out of the leaf.
Quick nerdy science teacher aside: Plants have tiny pores on their leaves called stomata. These are where plants take in CO2 and release O2. But here's the thing—during this process, water can also evaporate out. So, make sure to squirt some water on those babies and keep them hydrated!
Check your cuttings after a few weeks. Gently tug at the cutting—if it comes out with no roots, place it back in the soil and give it more time. If you see roots forming, you're on the right track!
Once the roots are well-established, transplant the cutting into a larger pot. The key is to keep the soil just right—not too wet, not too dry. If the soil feels dry to the touch, water it. Wait until it feels dry again before watering once more.
The real magic? You can take multiple cuttings from each tuber! Last January, I took 3–6 cuttings from each tuber, and still planted the tubers out in spring—resulting in healthy, vibrant plants.
Next step: Enjoy all your beautiful new dahlias!