Will Dahlia Tubers Multiply?

When growing Dahlias from tubers, one common question that keeps popping up is, will the tubers multiply? Is this how you get more Dahlia plants, or are there more ways? Well, let’s find out!

The tubers will still be attached to the main stem rather than being separate plants, so if you want to grow more than one plant, you need to separate them.

Here is a good image that really illustrates my point.

As you can see, the tubers are both more numerous and larger in the older tuber. But they are all still attached to the plant’s main stem, and as such, they will not grow into individual plants.

So, How Do You Separate The Tubers?

We now know that to multiply our Dahlias through the tubers, we must separate them. But how is this done?

How-To Divide Dahlia Tubers

This quick guide will show you how to divide your Dahlia tubers successfully and get multiple plants out of a single tuber.

Total Time Needed :

15

Minutes

Total Cost:

0

USD

Required Tools:

– Secateurs.

– Bonsai Saw.

Materials

– A large, healthy, Dahlia tuber.

Steps to divide a Dahlia Tuber:

Step 1: Cut The Tuber in Half

I like to use a small bonsai saw as the centre of the tuber can be very woody. We split the tuber in half to make it easier to work with.

Step 2: Cut The Tubers Away From The Main Stem

Now we can start splitting the tuber into individual pieces. Each tuber must have an eye from which to grow from. I will show you how to identify the eye below.

Step 3: Leave The Tubers To Scab Over

Next, we need to allow the tubers time to scab over the wounds we have just created. We want to leave them for a couple of days. This reduces the chances of infection and rot when we plant the tubers.

Step 4: Plant & Grow

Next, we can plant the tubers and allow them to grow. Above is an image of my cutting bed. The tubers are planted in a shallow tray, with the top of the tuber sticking above the soil. This allows you to easily take cuttings from the tubers and multiply your stock even more!

Hopefully, that guide was helpful to you; one thing I mentioned above, which I said I would explain in more detail, is the all-important “eye” on a Dahlia tuber.

Finding and, more importantly, saving the eye on each tuber is crucial to a successful tuber division.

The eye is where the tuber will grow from; without an eye, your plant will never grow.

Identify A Dahlia Tuber Eye

So, you know you must ensure every tuber you cut off from the main stem has an eye. But what does an eye look like?

Here it is easy to see the eyes as the tuber has started to sprout. It will be much harder to spot them when the tuber is dormant.

This neatly brings me to a top tip for dividing dahlias.

You can force the tubers by bringing them inside into a warm spot and exposing them to moisture, warmth and light. As soon as the eyes start to swell, they will be much easier to spot.