Starting dahlia seeds

calico20hill · 2023-03-05T22:07:16+00:00

I am excited to see plants growing form Rock Run Ashley seeds I collected last year. I don't think I have tried seedlings from it before. I started quite...

Bessie

Update: A few days shy of 4 weeks since starting saved seeds from 2023. Here they're pictured outside getting some sun after beening inside during a few days of rain. They'll be covered with floating row cloth. I haven't done a final tally of germination, but will report back in detail. There's approximately 200 seedlings in the photo below, with about 25 not shown, that are in a separate failure to thrive quarantine area. Three seed lots germinated most prolificly; Hollyhill Daydream, Cafe au Lait, and seedling 23029. Bahama Mama and Ferncliff Copper get Honorable mention for having sprouted some seeds. I've been fertilizing with 1/3 strength Miracle Grow for the past two weeks ever since some of the faster growing seedlings showed magnesium deficiency.

Teddahlia

No wonder Luther Burbank moved to that area to breed his plants. We are still expecting many freezing nights here and sprouting seeds is a month away.

Bessie

Teddahlia I have the advantage of using 4 very nice grow lights that my sister no longer used, and gave to me. Also, it helps immensely to be retired and have the time to move them outside when the weather permits.

Bessie

Seedling potting up day (I've been too sick with H1N1 flu to do this when I should have a week or two ago). This Cafe au Lait seedling(germination 1/27/24) wins the prize for stockiness and robustness. It's 8" tall and has whorls of leaves that are increasing in number as they move up the stem. I'd guess maybe there's some genetic doubling or tripling going on. No other seedling comes close to the way this thing is growing. It was grown in a 3 ounce paper cup under lights with all the other seedlings.

Top view

SteveM

Bessie I suspect the same as Ted. If the stems flattens I would guess a fasciation mutation. It will be interesting to see what the bloom looks like (if it blooms).

Bessie

Bessie update on Dahlia seedling showing fasciation...
Two sprouts came up from below the soil line. Both showed similar behavior to the now very thick main sprout. I don't think there's any way a flower will be formed. It might be interesting to see if the plant forms tubers, and if the tubers will also have plants with the fasciation.

Teddahlia

It may have the genetic defect of losing the ability to make stems.

Bessie

Teddahlia I'll keep an eye out for that. I've never heard of losing the ability to make stems.😲

Bessie

2024 seedlings are now potted up. I've vowed to be transparent about seed parents and germination, since this is some of the information that's hard to find.
Total ₂₅₂ seeds sprouted of ~ 3,000 seeds started, which is about 8%. Seed was held around 80-88 degrees F. on moistened paper napkins on Styrofoam trays, covered by plastic wrap. Below is the total germination (root radical emerges) percentage, at the number of days from seed starting:
Day 4 - 8% , Day 5 - 42% , Day 7 - 77% , Day 11 - 94% , Day 18 - 100%

Total plants that thrived to be potted up / Total Seed Sprouted - per Dahlia Variety
29/38 - Cafe au Lait ( strong seedlings)
34/47 - Hollyhill Daydream ( nice seedlings)
14/15 - Bahama Mama
15/18 - Ferncliff Copper ( strong seedlings)
57/70 - Seedling 23029( seed parent was Alloway Candy)
7/7 - Hollyhill Regal (mostly strong seedlings)
5/5 - Hollyhill Serenity ( very weak seedlings and roots)
5/7 - Ginger Snap
6/6 - Hollyhill Creamy ( slow growing seedlings)
4/4 - Hollyhill Black Widow ( weak seedlings, perhaps overwatered)
2/2 - Sweet Nathalie
2/3 - Hollyhill Pinkie
3/3 - Heather Feather
3/4 - Snoho Sonia (very small, weak growing seedlings)
2/3 - Great Silence
1/1 - Alloway Candy
1/1 - Mikayla Miranda
1/1 - Hollyhill Buttermilk
1/1 - Gay Princess
5/11 - NOID ( fell out of pocket or found on floor, seed looked viable)
5/7 - Some seed from assorted 2023 seedlings

Varieties that appeared to produced seed( count was at least ~ 7-15 seeds per variety), but seed was not viable or didn't germinate under conditions given:
Blizzard, Enchantress, Lynn Slight, Hollyhill Pandora, Hollyhill Lilibet, Swan Lake, Crichton Honey, Mount Hood, Parakeet, Kelgai Anne, My Forever, Sandia Joy, Wildwood Marie, Rock Run Ashley, Marionberry Milkshake, Beaucon White, Peaches n' Cream, Pam Howden, Bristol Karma, Hollyhill Black Beauty, Clearview Jonas, eight 2023 seedlings.
I'm happy to answer questions.

MissyWeitzel

Bessie thanks so much for sharing! I'm excited to see your seedling pics this year.

I just started the rest of mine on damp paper towel last night. Probably half of the seeds I saved are too immature, so I'm not going to save germination info this year. Thankfully I saved a lot, so I'm hoping to still get the number I want to plant out. I need to work on patience this fall!

JessieC

Bessie That is helpful information. Thank you for compiling and sharing!
I’m trying out seeds this year, at a much different scale—last year wasn’t great for seeds, I hear. I tried, but only managed to collect a couple dozen. Between weather and tiny worms, there wasn’t a lot to choose from. Nonetheless, I stored them and laid them out on damp paper towels. Yesterday I realized I’d better make homes for the sprouts! So at dusk I was outside filling up a seed tray for SEVEN whole seeds 😂
I left room for a dozen, and hope I’ll have at least five more sprouted seeds. It’s actually perfect to start like this. I can learn from mistakes and see how the process works.
This year, I’ll make sure to start tagging blooms early for seed saving. Last year I tried Orange Globe, which gave me nice long fat seeds, along with Snoho Doris, PnC, and HH Miss White. It’s exciting to try it out and I’m grateful for all the generous guidance in this group 😊

calico20hill

Bessie I do have seedlings from Wildwood Marie and they are doing well. So what ever pollinated those seedlings, it worked. I did not collect seeds last year due to the weather, so mine must have come from 2022 , a season in which I got a lot of seeds. Mine were bee pollinated so we shall see what they come out like. They were in a section that was all Waterlilies but the bees could have visited any other flowers in the garden.I also had some Yvonne seeds. It is going to be fun watching them bloom this year!

Teddahlia

This nice miniature seedling was a flash in the pan. It died of lack of vigor . Pretty flower and one of our first wins at a show.
Margaret ordering flower and vegetable seeds . Need a suggestion for new tomato to try.

MissyWeitzel

Teddahlia not new or uncommon, but we love Green Zebra tomatoes here. My husband likes them sliced on sandwiches and I really like using them for fresh salsa.

Teddahlia

Seed germination in a week or so. Meanwhile, putting prior year seedlings into pots to take cuttings.
I posted this picture to Facebook and have posted it here previously. Will be taking some cuttings from it but as I said elsewhere Margaret has pointed out that it is not a waterlily.

Krista

Teddahlia Well it may not be a WL but it is a brilliant color. What a beauty!

Krista

Teddahlia And does it have dark stems? I love dark stems.

SteveM

Teddahlia Great form and color. What size, I'm guessing Min Ball?

Laia

Does anyone use anything to prevent mold growth on seeds?

I read a random thing about soaking seeds in Hydrogen peroxide for 4 hours before germinating, and tried it with some of my seeds this year. Paper towel method. I still got mold growth on some (certain varieties more than others.) Germination rates were low, except for the singles and collarettes, but there are plenty of reasons that might be, considering this is my first year collecting & growing my own seed from fully double forms.

I recently found a weak solution of elemental sulfur in water in a spray bottle has been effective against powdery mildew, and have contemplated testing that with some seeds.

Anyone have any experience they’d like to share? Do you just figure some of them molding is par for the course, and just remove the seeds that mold?

Bessie

Laia cinnamon sprinkled on the seeds germinating on paper towels or napkins helped keep mold down, but did not completely eradicate it. I don't know if it's my imagination, but cheap paper napkins seemed to grow less mold than paper towels.
After some research and experimenting, I don't think hydrogen peroxide is valuable for enhancing germination of Dahlia seeds. I've used a 5% hydrogen peroxide solution soak ( with a bit of table sugar) on Alstroemeria seeds, with incredible success.

calico20hill

Laia I do not sprout on paper towels. I sprout directly in soil in small pots. If I get a lot I transplant the extras to other pots of soil. I do not get mold on my seedlings or other problems "paper towel starters" report. If a seedling looks wonky I pull it. They generally end up 4 to a pot and I transplant into the soil from there. Very large seedlings might end up 2 to a pot and be split into singles when planted.

Teddahlia

We have been germinating dahlia seeds for 30 years and always have had trouble with some mold. We are the wrong people to ask.

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