Dahlias are so Cool!

Dahlias are fascinating! They can be grown from seed, or they can be grown from the tubers they create over the course of the growth season. If you grow dahlias from tubers, you will get a genetic match of the flower that grew the previous year. So, if you have a dahlia that you love and want to ensure that you can get the same one year after year, be sure to dig up tubers just before the first hard frost. Once they are dug up, I like to divide the tubers before storage. Here’s a great video about how to divide tubers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3kBK7xe6eI

Nest, it’s time to store them. See this link for the best storage tips: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_5327lY0YWy5GdSN1q-O_mtn5GJzL4_gcEDs77b7waw/edit?usp=sharing

I grow some dahlias from seed and others from tubers. Growing from seed is more work, but it is so fun to see how plants change as they are pollinated during the growing season. I can harvest seed and tubers from the same plant, and the seeds will produce plants that are similar, but not the same as the original plant, while the tubers produce a genetic match. So cool!!

If you want to grow dahlias from seed, here’s a fantastic video from my favorite people at Floret: https://www.floretflowers.com/how-to-grow-dahlias-from-seed/