A month has passed since tuber shooting stared and what an odd month of weather it has been. 3 weeks ago we had -2 degrees with frost, then last weekend day a day of a rather warm 38 degrees.
The last two weeks has seen days of consistently warmer temperatures which has resulted in a burst of growth in the dahlia beds. At this time of year it is important to watch moisture levels, and the hardest part…..being patient waiting for them all to shoot above the soil! While it might be tempting to keep digging down and pulling out the tubers that are not shooting yet to see what they are doing, dahlias prefer not to have their roots disturbed, which can slow their initial growth phase.
Tubers don’t usually require watering until they are approximately 15cm tall, unless your soil is extremely dry. You want the soil to be slightly damp, not wet, while the tubers are starting off.
If you are concerned any tubers might be too wet and at risk of rot, carefully dig from the side until you reach the tuber, this avoids breaking off any shoots that are emerging from the tuber (if you do accidentally break one off don’t worry…the tuber will send out another shoot) and also avoids unnecessarily disturbing the roots. Gently prod or pinch the tuber checking for any soft spots that might indicate rot. If firm, leave it be and be patient. If soft, consider lifting the tuber and planting into drier potted soil to monitor its recovery.
Some tubers are just much slower to shoot that others. Our varieties generally have a 4-6 week difference in growth commencement. Different varieties also grow at different rates. At this time of year, approximately 75% of our tubers have sent shoots above the soil, the remaining are all showing healthy eyes and tiny shoots, but just need some more time.
