Dahlia propagation taking cuttings
Taken at @hallsofheddon on the 17th February 2023 this short video shows how we set about taking cuttings from our Dahlias. We often hear of basal cuttings being recommended as a means of taking cuttings. Whilst there is nothing wrong with this method it can limit the amount if cuttings you can get from a tuber. For most situations that isn't a problem but where a high number of cuttings are needed then taking cuttings as we do can help yield many more.
It is very important to only propagate from healthy stock that is true to type so regular inspection throughout the growing season is very important, especially at flowering time. Correct labelling is vital throughout the process. I would also emphasise that checks should be made at all stages of propagation with any suspicious tubers being destroyed.
Each year we take in the region of 80-90,000 cuttings from the 6500 or so tubers that we lift. These are, if necessary, supplemented by pot tuber stock.
Some might question the amount of cuttings we take off our stock tubers over a 3-4 month period but the quality of the stock flowering in our fields in September shows this has no negative impact.
I hope this helps give you some understanding as to what we do and the work involved behind the scenes in not just the growing but also the planning of production to match supply of plants as best we can with the demand.
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Good video David, will be very helpful to many new growers.
Really helpful, thank you so much
Thanks very informative.
Thank you, this is very informative and right on time! What is the composition of the medium you put the cuttings in? And is it easier than rooting in inert sand? I was planning to use sand to root the cuttings and than pot on to regular potting soil, but the sand is very very heavy….
@hallsofheddon6164
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We just use a proprietary multipurpose compost adding in 20% perlite. We also have good success using @Sylvagrow peat free multipurpose compost which is naturally more free draining so wd have to be extra careful with the watering regime.
Thanks David, good video. Did you see the cut flower guy on BBC Gardeners World who said that dahlias grown from cuttings produce stronger coloured blooms than plants grown directly from a tuber? If so, do you agree with him? I haven’t got any heat in my greenhouse so I can’t get cuttings going until early April at the earliest. I’ve found that they flower too late, so I stick to dividing tubers which produce plants that flower much earlier.
@hallsofheddon6164
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I was asked that by a colleague when that programme first aired. Although Dahlias will tend to flower earlier from tubers, the plants from cuttings will tend to be stronger, colour will be better and you will have more control over how the plant grows. We don't take cuttings for our planting stock until the end of April for planting out mid June. It means we don't have much flower until end August onwards but when they do start flowering they are full of vigour and the colours are very vibrant.