The dahlia captures everyone's imagination. Where these flowers used to have very loud and bright colors, there are now hundreds of beautiful varieties. From white to pink and from small to large: there is something for everyone. In this guide, we tell everything about the dahlia tasks in the spring. How do you split such a tuber? And is it really necessary, the forcing of a dahlia's?
History of the dahlia
You will never spot dahlias in the wild in our climate. The plant indeed needs a very warm climate, as it originally comes from Mexico. The tuber was eaten like a kind of potato and was even used as a medicine. The first mentions in the history books date from 1615, written down by Francisco Hernandes.After traveling many kilometers with explorers, she arrived in Europe in the 18th century. Here she was first described by a Swedish botanist, Anders Dahl. His surname, by the way, served as inspiration for the name of the beautiful plant we know today.
Tubers in winter storage
If you have already grown dahlias in the past, there is a good chance that you have now saved some tubers. Either you let the tubers overwinter in the ground, or you dug them up in the fall and stored them in winter storage. Both options are possible, but depending on the type of soil, one option may be better than the other.
If you have heavy and wet clay soil, there is a high chance that the tubers will rot in the ground. They absolutely cannot tolerate wet feet and also freeze much faster at colder temperatures. So, it's better to dig up the tubers in the fall if you have clay soil.
If you have light sandy soil, the tuber has a better chance of surviving if you let it overwinter in the ground. The moisture is better drained in this type of soil, which means they rot less quickly. In sandy soil, dahlias can possibly overwinter in the ground. The fun of picking starts here! From a small city garden to a picking garden, greenhouse or vegetable garden: Angelo Dorny can make your garden dreams come true. Come join us in the garden!
Splitting of dahlia tubers
You can divide dahlias both in the fall and in the spring split.If you split the tubers in the fall, you can immediately make a first selection. You can also quickly detect sick tubers, which are, for example, infected with gall. However, splitting in the spring also has many advantages. The tubers always dry out a bit during winter storage, making it easier to find the eyes now. During winter storage, the tubers that have not yet been split also dry out less quickly. By splitting dahlias, you can easily get many more plants. One large tuber can sometimes yield up to six new plants. These can be distributed in your own garden, or can be traded or given away. But what do you need to split dahlia tubers?
- A large dahlia tuber with multiple part tubers.
- A clean and sharp knife or pruning shears. Make sure it's clean, so you can't transfer diseases to other tubers or plants.
- Labels or a permanent marker.
How do you start splitting such a large tuber? First and foremost, choose a large dahlia tuber that can be divided into multiple parts. Look at the neck, this is where the tubers are attached. On the neck or stem, you can find the eyes of the tuber. New shoots will grow from these eyes within a few weeks. The number of pieces you will split the tuber into depends on the number of eyes. Each split tuber needs at least one eye. The advantage of splitting in the spring is that the eyes often start to sprout. The eyes thicken, so you can see them faster.
When you hold the large dahlia tuber, you can sometimes wiggle some tubers loose.A knife or sharp pruning shears can also come in handy here. Just make sure you definitely detach a tuber with an eye. There will always be tubers without dormant eyes, these are the nutrient tubers. They provide extra nutrition to the plant, but no shoots can grow from this tuber. Unfortunately, you can't propagate or plant these. If you notice rotten tubers when splitting the dahlias, it's best to remove the rotten parts. This way, the rest of the tuber won't get infected. Finally, don't forget to label the split tubers, so you know exactly which type you've split.
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In this video, Angelo shows how to split dahlias.
Forcing dahlia tubers
Growing dahlias can be done in two ways. You can force them in pots, or you can plant them directly in the garden after Ice Saints.Pulling the tubers has several advantages:
The plant is better resistant to slugs. The young shoots are very much liked by slugs, but by letting them grow inside in a protected environment, you outsmart the slimy creatures.
You get flowers just a bit faster, as the plant starts growing faster. Although this is quite negligible according to experience.
By pre-growing dahlias, you can also take cuttings. This way, you can make multiple plants from one tuber.
Pre-growing dahlias is very simple. Pre-growing a dahlia is nothing more than planting the tuber indoors in pots. This brings the dahlia out of its winter dormancy, causing it to sprout earlier. But what do you need to grow these beautiful plants?
- Dahlia tubers
- A warm, sunny spot
- Potting soil
- Pots
- Water
Choose a pot that the tuber just fits into. Fill it with potting soil and leave a small part of the stem above the ground. If necessary, you can also grow multiple tubers in one tray or large pot, but don't forget to label them. Water and place in a warm and light location. If the soil has dried out, you can give extra water. However, do not give too much water, as the tuber is very sensitive to rot. You can start growing dahlias from mid-March to mid-April.
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