Dahlia Cuttings

nikki 7

Hi Everyone

I have a good sized, healthy dahlia plant just given to me.  It is from this years propogation, so I don't think it has corms yet.  Could I take cuttings from it now?  Or do I have to wait until it has developed corms before taking cuttings next year?

Many thanks

Perki

No cutting from a new plant it need to grow its tuber first, can be used for cutting for next year . You may get a cutting when / if you take the top out to help it bush out . If the stem hollow its no good. 

Bilje

Mmm not sure about this. Normally you’d take a cutting from the tuber, so I assume that yours is a single stem cutting rooted earlier this year. I suppose if it’s a single stem with several sets of leaves and you cut of the top couple of inches below the leaf node you may have a viable cutting, and that would help the original bush out. A point to note is that if the shoot is well developed it may have already turned hollow and that won’t root. 

Leigh Greenslade

Let it put it's energy into forming a tuber this year.

Loxley

What does 'good size healthy plant' mean? 

You may want to remove stems or nip them back to promote bushiness; which would be an opportunity to take a cutting or two. Dahlias come easily from stem cuttings as long as they are not hollow - so young stems, or close to a (non flowering) growing tip.

Glenjjones

I’ve taken cuttings from a newly rooted cutting using side shoots as my cutting material with nearly 100% success, so it is possible.

I cover the pot of cuttings with a clear plastic bag supported with a few sticks to keep it off the foliage and secured around the pot with an elastic band, then as others have said put it somewhere sheltered and out of direct sun and aside from making sure it doesn’t dry out, you can just leave it for a few weeks. Once you see a lot of roots at the bottom of the pot you can pot them on.

chances are they will only make small tubers this year but it’s a start and it’s still free plants. 👍🏻

Fire

I'm trying stem cuttings this year, as well as tuber cuttings, and it will be interesting to see what happens.

nikki 7

Hi
Many thanks for your replies Perki & Bilje.  I guess it would be better to wait until next year, when I have some tubers on the plant to work from.

nikki 7

Hello again folks

I have now taken three stem cuttings from my dahlia, which(so far), are looking very promising.  Looks like it may be a success!!

Fire

Mark from the American Dahlia Society doesn't take cuttings with a piece of tuber.

nikki 7

That,s good to know.  I took mine from a side shoot with a small nick of the main stem attached.  Still looking okay!