Taking Dahlia Cuttings

blown_dry · 2023-02-04T23:34:14+00:00

Continuing from https://cubits.org/Dahlias/thread/view/92091/#end_of_thread

Krista

Bessie Thank you so much, yes this is the first year I’ll be growing in grow bags and figuring out the difference in fertilization requirements for the new potting soil vs my raised beds - definitely something I’m thinking tons about, this is super helpful. And also taking cuttings and attempting pot tubers is new this year! So much to learn and I’m very grateful for you helping me learn the ropes! Hearing what types of products and methods others are using/doing is really beneficial for helping to formulate ideas for what will work for me. Your two cents are always welcome, thank you!

Teddahlia

No one has a perfect formula for cuttings. I got greedy yesterday and did about 50 "white" cuttings from tubers still in storage. I have done them in year's past with varying levels of success. If they root I will be in "Fat City" with some nice extra plants. If they mostly fail, I took a tuber from most of them and placed it into a pot to take conventional cuttings. As an experiment I washed the very best variety's sprouts in a weak chlorine bleach solution. Will they do better? Probably. Some of the white cuttings already had a small root and if they do not get mold or rot, they are guaranteed to have roots.

Krista

Teddahlia “washed the very best variety's sprouts in a weak chlorine bleach solution.”

Oohh - the cutting was washed, before placing in germination mix to root?

Krista

Ok, my first sprout is 3" tall exactly, good yes? Since this is my first cutting, a teensy bit of extra guidance will be really helpful to make sure I don't do something really silly 😑! I've added arrows to the leafy bits that I am assuming I should remove. Do I leave those largest green leaves or would it be recommended to remove those too? I sterilized my 3.5"x4" pot in a 10% bleach solution, along with my scalpel blade. I plan on dipping my sprout into mycorrhizal and then set to root in Sunshine germination mix.

Teddahlia

Slice it off just blow the second arrow and it should root just fine. No need to remove any leaves or portions of leaves. I never wash cuttings with bleach or any thing else but am experimenting with some white cuttings from a really good one. Theory is the white sprout got contaminated with fungus spores in storage and bleach kills fungus spores. Doubt it will make much difference as the cuttings affected by fungus are probably beyond spores and have grown into a fungus infection that is not cured by bleach.

Krista

Teddahlia Well, the only thing I did right was cut it off right below the second arrow. I ended up peeling the lower red leafy bits off, rinsing in a bleach solution and accidentally knocking off one of the larger green leaves while rolling in mycorrhizal. I’m off to a real rocky start but hoping for the best! It’s potted in a plastic bag under lights and I’ve got every single finger and toe crossed. 🥴

MissyWeitzel

I tried leaf cuttings this year and I was initially excited about the prospect, however they grew very slowly, which I was expecting. What I was not expecting was once they started growing more quickly, they got very leggy despite being under the same lights as all my other non-leggy "regular" cuttings. Note the original leaves were dying back and removed recently. Also the stems feel quite different than other cuttings. They feel a lot more rigid. I'm curious to see how these develop. A fellow DS member thinks maybe they'll get buds faster because they were from nodes higher up on an existing plant and therefore later in the plant's development. 🤷‍♀️ I like experiments so I'm not going to pinch these back and see what happens.
I do think I'll be sticking with cuttings off tubers, tops of plants and laterals, as suggested here moving forward.

SteveM

MissyWeitzel Great job on the leaf cuttings! I never have had much luck (patience?) taking leaf cuttings. If you can do those you can do any type of dahlia cutting.🙂

Krista

SteveM Aw darn, well I took the whole 3" and cut right above the tuber, brushing away the dirt at the surface to do so. And my bleach bath was at 10% dilution and it was a "dunk, one swirl, and lift" situation. So far, it looks like it miiiight make it, even against all odds but time will tell. Aw, it looks so sad with its broken leaf!

Teddahlia I will report on my experience with mycorrhizal!

MissyWeitzel Your leaf cuttings look gorgeous!

Teddahlia

An answer one my questions above: How much light is needed for the pot ubers that are providing the cutting material? I love the old saw "Too much of a good thing is bad thing." I say that all the time because it is so true. I like to sprout the initial sprouts under the bright lights where I root the cuttings. It is warm there and they seem to wake up rather quickly. I take the first cuttings and typically a well grown pot tuber may initially have overly large sprouts that are hard to root. The ideal cutting is a skinny one and the pot tuber will provide skinnier cuttings after the first ones are removed. Light causes the sprouts to grow shorter(and wider). So, after the first cuttings are taken, I move the pot tubers to an area near the lights but not under the lights. The cuttings stretch to "get to the light" and they are taller and skinnier and that is what I like the best.

SteveM

Krista Well, the only thing I did right was cut it off right below the second arrow

Which is the "second" arrow, the top or bottom arrow? To my eyes it looks like there is a node at both arrows? If so, cutting about 1/4" below either node will produce a cutting that will roof easily. If you cut below the top arrow the new growth from the mother plant will likely come from the axils of the remaining leaf pair. If you cut below the bottom arrow the new mother growth will be at tuber level, in most cases from new eyes.
I would never dip my cuttings in bleach unless I was just experimenting. Undiluted bleach can be used as a weedkiller so I imagine the amount of dilution and time exposed would be critical if used to "clean" a cutting.

Teddahlia

mycorrhizal is something that I have observed in some of our plants and it came in via some planting mix that had some in it. The roots certainly do get larger and are very tangled. I am not yet a believer but am open to reports from others who use it.

PegMc

SteveM I've experimented as well. Poor success rate with ovate type leaves, but good success with leaves such as like Polka, for example. I take a pair of lower/larger leaves which are obviously separated when they come off of the 'stalk', put them back together, dip in rooting powder, then tuck them in. A plant will start in the middle and when it's large enough, I carefully cut off the larger leaves as they show signs of fading. I've done 4 or 5 this way.

SteveM

Krista Aw darn, well I took the whole 3" and cut right above the tuber, brushing away the dirt at the surface to do so. And my bleach bath was at 10% dilution and it was a "dunk, one swirl, and lift" situation. So far, it looks like it miiiight make it, even against all odds but time will tell. Aw, it looks so sad with its broken leaf!

Looks/sounds perfect, they root faster when you give them some "tough love". 🙂

MissyWeitzel

Krista put a humidity dome on if it looks sad. A clear plastic cup or something will work if it isn't going in a tray with a dome. Once you cut it from the tuber the only way for it to take up moisture is through the little cut in the bottom of the stem or the leaves. So, if it is looking wilty it likely just needs moisture. Mist the leaves with water and get a dome on! It should look markedly better in 6 hours. 😊

Krista

SteveM I am super happy to hear this - I will definitely keep this thread posted on how this turns out. And I'll discontinue bleach baths until further notice. 😆 It's great to know that cutting between those leaf nodes would have worked just fine - would you suggest cutting sprouts when they are smaller, or before they create this many nodes? And/or, had I cut just the top section, would the new growth coming from the axils of the remaining leaf pair have regenerated more quickly and would this ever be a method one would put into practice to collect cuttings faster?

Krista

MissyWeitzel Oh thank you! I will make sure to keep this little one misted and domed! I have a plastic bag pulled up around it and sealed tightly right now, but I will keep a close eye on it knowing now these are the only ways it can get water. Thank you!! ❤

SteveM

MissyWeitzel put a humidity dome on

This is an interesting variable and it depends on the humidity of your cutting room. I do all of my cuttings outside where the humidity averages 30-50% and I never use domes or plastic bags. My father rooted cuttings inside in Montana where the humidity was very low. He had to use a dome or plastic bags to raise the humidity. It is another of those variable that you will have to experiment with.

Krista

MissyWeitzel I’m so glad you sent this note, my cutting started looking pretty sad last night but after a couple of leaf-drinks it perked back up and is looking happy again this morning! Thank you for sharing the wilty-leaf antidote ahead of time so I knew exactly what to do to save it in the moment!

SteveM

Krista would you suggest cutting sprouts when they are smaller, or before they create this many nodes

The cutting you took is the exact height I prefer to use (3-4"). Girth-wise they are a good size and can even go skinnier with great results.

Krista And/or, had I cut just the top section, would the new growth coming from the axils of the remaining leaf pair have regenerated more quickly and would this ever be a method one would put into practice to collect cuttings faster?

. I used to think they might regenerate faster but now I think there is probably not much difference. Maybe if it is a variety that has strong laterals (i.e. HH Black Magic). It might also be handy for tubers that make huge, wide, shoots. The laterals growing from the lower leaves will probably be skinnier than the secondary eye-shoots coming off the tuber an so easier to root. Just a guess.

Krista

SteveM Ah yes, Ithis totally makes sense! I was on a one-track, tuber-sprout mindset which won’t work all the time! Thank you, I’m taking notes, this will be a great optionto have in my wheelhouse when I get a fatty, un-rootable cutting!

MissyWeitzel

SteveM you're so right about that! I'm guessing in a greenhouse you wouldn't need a dome either. Unfortunately my grow setup is in the basement where we have to run a dehumidifier so I'm fighting against that thing. I've seen many wilted new cuttings because I forgot the dome! Usually they'll bounce right back. I've had them get so wilted the leaves were sticking to the top edges of the pot and I had to cut most of them off but after putting a dome on the plant still revived. Their resiliency is the secret to my success with cuttings. 😉

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