Taking Dahlia Cuttings

blown_dry · 2023-02-04T23:34:14+00:00

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

MIDahlias

If a cutting has roots, but only one leaf growing, will a tuber form?

Teddahlia

MIDahlias The way you stated the question implies the plant has but one leaf and never grows another. When you take leaf cuttings and split the node into two parts , you get a normal plant that has leaves and the ability to make tubers although we have noticed that they usually make fewer or smaller tubers. I have noticed that tuber cuttings seem to make more tubers than leaf cuttings. People who take cuttings seem to be overly concerned with tuber yield from the cuttings. You are growing the cutting to get a nice plant with nice flowers. Yes, they make fewer tubers or smaller tubers and in some cases no tubers. But you have a very nice plant and if you did not take cuttings you would have only one plant from your tuber. It seems to me that "you want to eat your cake and have it too". In other words you want a cutting to make as many tubers as a tuber grown plant. Me too but it ain't going to happen.
Gregors Mad was one name for this one. Also called Gregor Mikkel. Gregersdahl from Denmark was the breeder.

MIDahlias

Teddahlia Ted, im just experimenting. I haven't had much luck with indoor cuttings. This started as a leaf node cutting, it was growing great and then the soil medium dried out. It had two leaf sets and the center. So I tried again with what was green. I was amazed to see a tiny tuber when I took it apart. (And now that I write this, I bet the armpit nodes dried out)

I thought all the cuttings I took the second time had nodes, but obviously not because two had leaves that just kept getting bigger. I looked today and there are a lot of roots. I am wondering of I should toss or will there be a tint tuber to start in the spring if I let it go. One of the other cuttings from the first plant is looking good. I'll probably, cut it up soon for more practice.

Teddahlia

Taking cuttings this time of the year is not my thing. I do about 1,000 in the spring and the goal is to get plants from a cutting to plants in the ground. Cuttings now are like little orphans with no place to go.

Krista

KitCMC Does this one work?

KitCMC

Krista yes! Thank you 😁

Teddahlia

Cuttings were an obscure part of the dahlia world until recently. Now just about everybody is taking cuttings. I will be starting in March.

Krista

I’ve been curious about everyone’s timelines for taking cuttings. I guess it largely depends on the individual’s end goal for them but it’s nice to hear when you’re planning to begin, Teddahlia. My partner is not looking forward to the moment I string up the grow lights in the dining room. With the limited space I’m working with, the dining room becomes my indoor grow area each spring.

KitCMC

I’m curious what people’s experience with oasis cubes is like. Do you like them? Do they decompose once they’ve been planted?

blown_dry

KitCMC It looks like they may require special conditions to "biodegrade" like a "biologically active landfill".

Krista

KitCMC I received cuttings last season that were planted in oasis cubes. The foam was still present at dig-time in the fall and it was impossible to remove from between the very squeezied-together tubers. I wasn’t thrilled about it.

I recently read a Facebook post that surfaced the suggestion to remove the foam as soon as cuttings rooted successfully? That’s just regurgitated secondhand info though, this isn’t something I have experience with.

Flowernut

KitCMC I grew cuttings in the oasis foam quite a few years ago. I would remove as much of the foam as possible once the cuttings rooted and then pot up in 4" pots to continue growing before planting out.

KitCMC

blown_dry hmmm . . . sounds like, “not actually biodegradable.”

Krista that’s what I’d like to avoid - for a number of reasons.

calico20hill are you able to remove the foam without breaking off the roots?

calico20hill

Krista, I have done that and it worked out fine. I've been buying rooted cuttings since Corralitos Gardens used to do it, then Cowlitz RIver Dahlias . THey come as rooted cuttings So I carefully pickthe foam off before planting them into 4" pots and growing them on in my greenhouse until they have recovered from their deliivery and the weather is suitable. THey have all done well...I don't think I have ever lost a cutting doing it that way.

blown_dry

KitCMC I also pick the foam off. I don't try to get it all, mostly the stuff around the crown/top half. I tend to leave the bottom half alone because I figure it might have hair roots. Then I plant in a 4 inch pot so I can keep a closer eye. Sometimes I am able to clean out more when I divide the clump many months later.

bloomhjelm

I've been thinking about the rooting cube persistence problem. Could you score the cubes with a scalpel or something prior to inserting the cutting to make them easier to pick apart, or something? Or would it not matter because roots will be roots? 🙁

Arobin673

I'm subleasing a commercial sized greenhouse right now, I don't have any heat on yet, and temperatures inside the greenhouse are around 75 during the day, and 40 at night. (30s-50s outside) I'm worried that's too much of a fluctuation for cuttings. Does anyone have any experience or advice on what the temperature range should be? Right now I'm rooting cuttings in my basement, but hope to move everything to the greenhouse soon.

Bessie

Arobin673 the first thing I thought of is introducing bottom heat, such as a heating mat. Several years ago I used a big massage table heating blanket/pad with heating controls under my plants growing in the garage under lights. The blanket covered a large area and worked well for bottom heat growing my vegetable and flower seedlings (in similar temperatures as you have in the greenhouse). I think cuttings benefit from bottom heat. There are sophisticated heat mat solutions available, I think.

drewtheflorist

When using bottom heat, a thermostat is a must, or you risk cooking the cuttings. A covering of somekind - a "greenhouse within a greenhouse" might help with moderating the temperature shift.

ksc

Root the cuttings in the basement, then grow them along with the mother plants in the greenhouse. hopefully you can turn on the heat if needed (freezing temps).

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