It is a very exciting time of the year! Our Dahlia tubers are starting to wake up from their winter slumber.
Dahlia tubers sprout similar to the way a potato does.
Tubers contain ‘eyes’ which are the points from which the new sprouts emerge. Unlike a potato which may sprout from any part of the tuber, Dahlia eyes are located on the neck of the tuber.
On a dormant tuber, eyes may be clearly visible, on others almost impossible to see. As the tuber starts to come out of dormancy, the eye starts to swell and slowly the new shoots start to emerge. Shoots can range in colour, but are usually pale whitish green, or purple.
This photo shows a purple eye bud which will develop into a purple stemmed plant.
As the shoots develops they are very fragile, so handle with care when transplanting tubers. Don’t worry if a shoot breaks off, the tuber will produce another shoot (or often multiple shoots) from the same point, as long as the eye is not damaged.
This is the point where cuttings are often taken, once the shoot reaches approximately 10-15cm tall. This is a great way to increase the number of plants you have. Healthy cutting produce viable tubers after approximately 120 days (3 months) which gives you a tuber for replanting next year! Check out out tips for taking Dahlia cuttings.
Stay tunes as we venture into the new growing season. Dahlias grow quite fast once they get going. Once we start seeing the masses of healthy green leaves, the excitement waiting for blooms kicks in.