Taking Dahlia Cuttings

blown_dry · 2023-02-04T23:34:14+00:00

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

KitCMC

ksc thank you, this is reassuring AND a great tip. I’m just going to go for it!

LoveLanguageDahlias

I've taken almost 300 cuttings this year, and lost two (so far). Both of the same variety, Verrone's Sandra J. One rotted off in the cell tray and the other in a 4" pot. They were the only two; she was stingy with her sprouts too. I assume that some varieties are more susceptible to rot than others, has anyone else found this to be the case. I'll look it up again, but I listened to an episode of The Quince Flower Podcast from Australia where they interviewed a grower who said that when he started taking cuttings some varieties were "more enthusiastic" than others, but as he kept taking cuttings from the same variety year after year, they were better and better for cuttings. (It was an episode I listened to while potting up cuttings so didn't take notes! 😂

Teddahlia

"I assume that some varieties are more susceptible to rot than others." The same varieties that have a propensity to rot in storage may well have a higher incidence of rot when taking cuttings. I take lots of cuttings every year and have my sanitizing protocol that is chlorine household bleach to sanitize the pots an flats used for propagation. The ancient garbage can I used to soak the material sprung a leak and I substituted a smaller container and then got lazy and did not add the bleach for the last batches. Water is not good enough. I lost 14% of a batch to "black leg" as the Brits call it. Generally, besides being varieties that rot in storage the smaller cuttings were the victims. I have noticed there is an ideal size for cuttings as judged by rooting quickly and well. 4 to 8 inches is my ideal. I take lots of 2-3 inch cuttings as I am impatient and they do root but more slowly and with a higher failure rate. They were the ones that rotted in that batch.
By the way, my overall average for success is about 95-96% and losses are generally the smaller cuttings and white cuttings and seldom the 4-6 inch cuttings. I take a few leaf cuttings but they take way too long to mature.And I do not use any rooting chemicals.

LoveLanguageDahlias

Teddahlia Thank you, Ted, for so much helpful information!! I'm also experimenting with some white cuttings, more light green, really...I'll see how they do, but I got some late season sale tubers and many had sprouts too nice to compost.
Cuttings taken 4/10...

MissyWeitzel

I take loads of dahlia cuttings indoors each winter, but find it way more difficult to root cuttings off plants growing outside. My failure rate is embarrassing. A couple growers suggested I try rooting in wet course vermiculite and keeping them outside in the shade rather than bringing back inside under grow lights. I'm curious to know if any of you have other methods that work well for you for those? I want to try a few ways but not cubes. I've already had a few painful losses this season and I want to make backups for my backups on some if possible!

SteveM

MissyWeitzel On outside plants I have the best luck taking the cutting material from the skinny laterals growing low on the plant rather than the thicker (sometimes hollow) laterals on the upper part of the plant.

Also, I find it extremely difficult to root cuttings from outside plants late in the Fall when day-lengths are short. The cuttings callus over and try to make small tubers instead of roots, even when rooted under long-day lighting. My best results from field grown plants are from mid-season cuttings rooted under long-day lighting (16+ hours). I can't think of any reason to change rooting mediums if you have one that works well for you in the winter

MissyWeitzel

SteveM I will try some of the skinny laterals. Thank you!

MissyWeitzel

There is a new Facebook group called 'Dahlia Propagation' and a specific post in it on September 29th from Joey Van den Bosch that, along with comments below, is super informative. Joey is a commercial dahlia farmer in the Netherlands and totally lays out step by step their processes with pictures and videos. I feel like I have gotten a few breadcrumbs of information here and there and different opinions and methods without always a clear 'why' and this guy, in a very friendly and nonchalant manner, described their methods to get the best tuber production from them. Everything about the way his business is run is totally different than mine, but I absolutely can implement some of that information to improve my strategy moving forward. Wow. Sharing here because probably everyone could learn at least one new thing from this one post!

SteveM

MissyWeitzel Thanks, that was interesting to see how they do cuttings. I have never heard of "pulling" cuttings (to include part of the heel). I take almost all of my cuttings from mother plants but I will try his system the next time I take cuttings from tubers.

Teddahlia

"Dahlia Propagation" Face book post on Dutch "tuber" production:
Swan Island has been mowing their dahlias after they get to about 18 inches or so, for many, many years. They said it was to get shorter plants that do not have to be staked. It appears that tuber production is also enhanced. The Dutch historically have been prevented by law from selling American style individual tubers. Their sales product is a small whole tuber clump. That is why they plant the them so close together as the clumps are very small. I believe they grow larger clumps for their cutting production(picture shows this?).
So how does this information apply to USA growers that produce tubers and harvest cut flowers? There is little overlap. This Dutch farm grows16 acres of dahlias and 825,000- plants(51, 500 plants per acre) . Swan Island grows 450 ,000 plants on 45 acres.](10,000- plants per acre)

So, is there much here that applies to our itsy, bitsy sized gardens?

blown_dry

Teddahlia So, is there much here that applies to our itsy, bitsy sized gardens?

We should all read it and find out. 🙂

MissyWeitzel

Teddahlia the way in which they take the cuttings, focus on root growth, etc could definitely be applied to our small gardens.

GalenaB

MissyWeitzel Thanks for posting about that, I went and read the whole thread and find it fascinating! I would be very curious to actually read a scientific analysis of their soil makeup: he mentioned it was sandy, but I don't know if I agree that actually is the greatest. My previous property had VERY sandy soil, and my new property has more of a loam. I get better tuber clumps at my new property so far. It was way faster to wash them at my last property though: I miss that part.

Teddahlia

One of the pictures said they space the plants 6.29 inches apart in the rows. They apparently root them in sand.

MissyWeitzel

For the past 2 seasons I have lost a significant number of plants from cuttings after they were planted out because we had much hotter than normal June temperatures. I even really focused on root growth this year. I know shade cloth needs to be my number 1 change next season. This post with the sprouts grown in a dark room and rooting them in sand for a focus on roots and not leaf growth yet just got the wheels turning in my head. I wonder if I can improve the health and vigor of my cuttings by implementing some portions of their process. Years ago I remember seeing a video of a long time dahlia grower with his tuber sprouting closet. Trays and trays of tubers laying on potting soil kept in the dark. He took cuttings from the long leafless white sprouts too. I just never heard any explanation for it or why one might do it that way rather than leafed out sprouts like I usually do. I have rooted long sprouts from stored tubers or orders coming in the mail and they usually work great but I never paid attention to whether or not the resulting plants were any different.

I also only took a little piece of the mother tuber on cuttings the first couple of years I did them. My cuttings did better once planted out those two years, but also the weather was "normal" after planting then. These days I strictly pull/pop off the sprouts so I'm not using tools at all and hopefully reducing any virus spread. Maybe I need to reconsider that.

Anyway, it all just got me thinking that there may be some changes I can make to improve my systems and outcomes.

Teddahlia

" I have never heard of "pulling" cuttings (to include part of the heel). "
Dahlia people here in the USA have been doing this for decades. The word "pulling" just means you are removing the sprout from the tuber without the use of a knife or scissors. They do it because it is very quick. It does not remove "part of the heel" . That is an old process where the eye is removed with the cutting believing that it makes rooting easier. It does not and the eye is damaged and does not generally sprout again. "Pulling'" the sprout does include more of the primordial leaf nodes that do produce sprouts and tubers. I find them easier to root unless the sprout is hollow.

SteveM

Teddahlia It does not remove "part of the heel" . That is an old process where the eye...

Yes, that is the method the Dutch grower uses on (white) sprouts from tubers eyed out in the dark He makes a point of saying it is a delicate procedure that can remove the crown if not done carefully. My assistant is not nimble enough, patient enough, or smart enough, to manage delicate procedures. Especially on unicorn tubers that cost him $40-$50 each.🙂

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