Taking Dahlia Cuttings

blown_dry · 2023-02-04T23:34:14+00:00

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

Teddahlia

I have reached the time when I no longer take cuttings from numerous varieties and move those pot tubers out of our work area. Lots of others are still producing and some late arrivals have not yielded the first cutting. Rooting has been normal this year with about 25 out of 36 having roots after 12 days. Usually at least one shrivels up and dies and the others that do not yet have roots are moved to the root cutting "hospital" where they will get more time to root. There are always some of those overly thick cuttings that never root and I let them try for over month before tossing them. Reasons for not rooting:
Operator error: plant not inserted into pot properly(snugly), plant had broken stem from overly vigorous removal, placing plant on the end of the flat where sometimes there is some condensation, cutting is from a very expensive tuber and you are unlucky, not all leaf cuttings root.
Not operator error: unknown(bad luck), black leg, rotten stems and the poor storing varieties have many more rooting issues.
Some flats have 100% success each year, where all are rooted and none rotted. One came close this year.

Only two cuttings of this one so far and that is disappointing.

AndreaB

Teddahlia Simply gorgeous.

Krista

Teddahlia Since you’re rooting in pots, what is the easiest/gentlest way to confirm whether a cutting has rooted? I’m thinking a little cutting could last quite a while looking perky, without roots as long as they’re receiving enough water via the cut-end and humidity is high enough. Also, who’s this beauty pictured, what a babe!

Teddahlia

My 2.5x2.125x2.5 inch pots have 4 weep holes at the corners . Rooted cuttings will have white roots coming out of the weep holes. If the plant looks rooted, you can water it(helps when taking it out of the pot) and pop it out and most of the time you can see the white roots. If you still do not see roots, you remove the soil from the cutting and look at it and most times it has .25 inch long roots that will root just fine. Finally, no roots at all and you may have a dud. I only go through this process if I have exceptional curiosity. Patience may well be a virtue.

Krista

Teddahlia Oh ok this is great, I used 3.5x4” pots so I’ll just assume they’re doing their thing if they look good after 14 days in the bag and find out what happens. By nature I’m, unfortunately, exceptionally curious but I’ll try to practice patience and just trust the process. Since you’re starting yours in 2.5x2.125x2.5 inch pots, do you just up-pot when you begin to see roots coming out of the weep holes?

Teddahlia

The magic in rooting in these small pots is that they are never transplanted to another pot and they just go into the ground when they are large enough plants. . With most all the other rooting procedures there is at least one move to another pot. They do get a bit root bound and grow bit tall but it has worked rather well for us over the last 20 years or so. If a cutting is being saved as pot tuber it is transplanted to a 4, or 5 or 6 or 7 inch pot. Mostly 4 inch pots for pot tubers. Halls of Heddon in the UK grow their pot tubers in 3 inch pots and I tried them without success. I have a couple hundred 3 inch pots I will never use that I need to give away. Halls of Heddon grow their pot tubers in the green house with automated watering and fertilizer and probably shade cloth when required. My outdoor growing area does not work with 3 inch pots although HH Black Beauty made some nice little pot tubers.

PegMc

Teddahlia <<My outdoor growing area does not work with 3 inch pots >> Ted, more info please... What does it take to make a perfect growing area for 3" pot tubers?

Krista

Teddahlia Oh wow, how beautifully simple to skip the up potting step! What is it about the small-sized pots that cause them to grow taller? Or is this happening when/because they’re all crammed so close together in a tray together? Do the tubers eventually break out of the pot during the grow season, underground?

Teddahlia

Krista Do the tubers eventually break out of the pot during the grow season, underground? We remove the pot to plant. What is it about the small-sized pots that cause them to grow taller? Just the crowding.

PegMc

Is it common for cuttings that have been rooted and moved to a 4" pot to have the bottom leaves dry up? If not, what should be done to prevent this?

Krista

Teddahlia Ohhh I see - so what is the benefit of a sink-pot, ease of lifting & storing?

Teddahlia

"...bottom leaves dry up." Bottom leaves are the oldest on the plant and often die. Many show gardeners always remove them. I do not, too much work and it causes the plants to grow taller and our plants are tall enough. At a trial garden they removed the bottom leaves from one of our entries and then again. and maybe third time.(fungus?) The plants were 11 feet tall and could not be judged as the flowers were too high on the plants.

Juliarugula

Teddahlia At a trial garden they removed the bottom leaves from one of our entries and then again. and maybe third time.(fungus?) The plants were 11 feet tall and could not be judged as the flowers were too high on the plants.

You were asking last season why there seemed to be so many comments about HH Dungeness growing into a ten foot tall plant (presumably yours aren’t as tall). Perhaps this is why - I definitely remove leaves up to about 18” off the ground once the plant is large enough. (And my Dungeness was one of the 10 footers).

JessieC

I have a question about fertilizing cuttings. @Teddahlia has mentioned using a diluted mix of Jack's 20/20/20, which I found at my local place. Is this for the cuttings after they have roots? I seem to recall you suggested also giving it to the tubers that are providing the cuttings. Is that correct? I wonder if I was too stingy with water on those tubers.
Mine seem kind of slow--it's taking me a lot longer than I'd read to get sprouts and roots and growth. Though now they do seem to be picking up speed. Oddly, it's the most stubborn plant from last season that is giving me the best material. Orange Globe was fussy in storage, except for one beautiful tuber that I've been babying in hopes that I can try this one again. The blooms were gorgeous, but she was slow and short. It was practically impossible to purchase this year, so I really want to succeed with the cuttings.
Thanks in advance!

Teddahlia

Krista (1) GOPHER RESISTANT
(2) EASY DIGGING AND STORAGE IN THE POT(3)NEGATIVE-NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO TO DIVIDE THE CLUMP.
WHO DID NOT NOTICE CAPS LOCK WAS ON?

Teddahlia

Half strength greenhouse fertilizer(Miracle Gro is 90% as good) is good for watering pot roots and the rooted cuttings after they root. Watering is an art and too little is better than too much but just right is best. If you can decipher that, you will know how to water.

Krista

Teddahlia Thank you for so deftly anticipating my questions - would “half strength” be 10-10-10? I guess I’m not familiar enough with greenhouse fertilizers to know whether they even make this at 10-10-10 strength. Your advice to go half strength is starting to make more sense 🤣 And I will work to hone my pot-root watering skills asap! I feel like learning how to successfully water everything is a constant learning process for me, unfortunately. Hearing that erring on less vs more (if we’re choosing “one of two evils”) is very helpful!

Teddahlia

Krista Half strength is half as much fertilizer powder per gallon of water. I use a teaspoon per gallon for most things indoors.

PegMc

The process I've been using -- spray bottle, nozzle pointed directly at edges of the pot and fairly close. Three water bursts to each side, so that the water drips down (well, for the most part...) the inside edge of the pot. Theory being that we want the roots to stretch out. I don't remove each pot from the tray, I just change the position of the tray so that I can do the next side. Good in theory and practice? What say you (all you more experienced growers...) 😌

Another question I have -- is it a wise procedure to finish off the newly potted up tuber with Vermiculite which would help keep the soil moist longer? I've just started doing this, but I want to make sure this is a wise move. My pots do seem to dry out rather quickly (I'm using 2 different types of LED - white and the dastardly 'full spectrum' which I hate). If this is a wise move, how deep would the Vermiculite need to be to be most effective? Just a splattering to cover the surface or an inch or more?! Thanks, all....

Teddahlia

The mixing ratio for Peters Professional 20-20-20 General Purpose Fertilizer is 1 tsp per gallon of water. Half strength is 1/2 teaspoon per gallon. Jack's and Plant Marvel all come in 20-20-20 versions . I am trying Plantex Solutions 14-4-14 Cal P Mag Water Soluble Fertilizer that is used by our local 10 acre flower greenhouse company. They water everything with it.

PegMc

What say y' all - would it be good to start a list of cultivars that don't seem to root well by cuttings? That way we could determine if we have poor stock because someone else meets with great success for that cultivar, or that selection just doesn't make good cuttings, because 99% of us meet with failures.

Teddahlia

PegMc I_ have only had problems with giants and the few dahlias that have fat sprouts and if you are patient,
the later sprouts root just fine.

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