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Spring has come and more and more often we think about what flowers will delight us this season. Of course, on any site there are at least several rose bushes, wintering perennial flowers, and when the threat of spring frosts has passed, the time will come for petunias and other annual plants. But the dahlia, which our grandmothers and great-grandmothers lovingly grew, will take its rightful place among the most beautiful flowers. There was a time when we forgot about it a little, but fashion is returning, and hardly any other perennial can boast of such variety and duration of flowering. The dahlia, having released its first buds in mid-summer, delights our eyes until the frosts. Germinating dahlias after winter is one of the most important stages in plant care, and we will talk about it in this article.
What we need to know about dahlias
Dahlia (Dahlia) is a perennial from the Asteraceae family; it came to Europe from Chile, where about 40 natural species grow. Species plants are not used in cultivation; at home we mainly grow varieties and hybrids bred using Dahlia Changeable.Today there are more than 15,000 varieties, very diverse in bush height, size, shape and flower color.
The dahlia flower is an inflorescence - a complex basket consisting of reed and tubular flowers; its diameter can range from 5 cm to 25 cm or more. It has a hollow stem, sometimes reaching more than one and a half meters in height, but there are very miniature dahlias, not even reaching 30 cm. Large plants require mandatory support; under the weight of the flowers and in a strong wind, the stem can easily break and end up on the ground.
The root system of dahlias consists of root cones or root tubers, which are thickened roots, but out of habit we call them tubers. So, dahlia tubers in the ground do not overwinter even in the southern regions; for the winter we dig them up and store them in suitable conditions.
Germinating dahlias before planting
Dahlia is a very heat-loving plant, it is important to plant it in the ground on time, therefore, it is advisable not to miss the time when it is time to pull the root tubers out of the cellar or basement. We will tell you what needs to be done during traditional storage, and in conclusion we will offer you to watch a video about the features of germinating tubers drenched in paraffin.
When to take out the tubers
The question is often asked: when to take dahlias out of place? storage for germination. It is impossible to give a definite answer - our territory is vast, while in some regions everything is already blooming, in others the ground is just beginning to thaw.
If you take them out ahead of time, at high temperatures and in the presence of light the shoots will become excessively elongated and outgrow, the tubers will be difficult to divide and can easily break when planted in the ground. If you pull your dahlias out too late, the sprouts will be too small. Nothing bad will happen, but for every day of delay in the awakening of root tubers, there will be several days of delayed flowering.
If you are going propagate dahlias by cuttings, you need to get them a month earlier, but the technology for germination and processing of tubers will not change.
Preparing dahlia tubers for germination
We think we have answered the question of when to get dahlias. Now let's see what to do next. The ideal storage temperature is 4-8 degrees. Even if it was higher, the difference from the room one will be significant. You can’t take tubers out of the cellar and just bring them into the house. First, place the container with dahlias in a warmer place for 2-3 days, covered with cellophane to prevent moisture loss, and only then bring it into the house.
If you did not wash the tubers of soil in the fall, you need to get them out and do it now. Then carefully inspect, remove rotten and dried root cones of dahlias, cut off all damaged thin roots. Don't worry, it won't hurt them. It is also necessary to cut out all rotten areas to healthy tissue.
Pay special attention to good tubers, but either weakly attached to the root collar or hanging on a thin thread.When you plant dahlias, they will simply rot; all the growth buds are not on the root tubers, but on the old root collar, which cannot be cut off precisely for this reason. Throw away all the beautiful but unnecessary shoots - they won’t be of any use anyway.
Disinfection of dahlia tubers
It must be said that each owner prepares dahlias for germination after they are taken out of the basement in different ways, but the tubers need to be disinfected in any case. Do this immediately after cleaning and pruning are completed. You can soak dahlia root cones for 30 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or a fungicide solution, for example, foundationole. This will kill pathogens that may have remained after winter storage.
Then, if the buds are clearly visible, you can carefully disassemble the dahlias into sections for germination, each of which will have at least one growth point and always a good piece of the root collar with the old stem cut off. They do this with their hands, if they can separate the tubers without breaking them, or with a sharp knife, if they can’t do without it. Experienced gardeners, especially those who plant dahlias for sale, manage to make thin divisions with a piece of last year's stem, which nevertheless take root well.
Dahlias planted with a large nest of tubers with many shoots will be weak and produce few flowers.
After the overwintered dahlia tubers have been washed, disinfected and divided, sprinkle the cut areas with crushed activated carbon, leave for several hours or a day to allow water to drain and callus to form, and only then plant for germination.
Planting dahlias for germination
Prepare a place for germinating dahlias; it should be light, well ventilated and warm, at least 20 degrees. It is very important to plant dahlias for germination so that the root collar is on top; young shoots appear on it, and not on the tuber. If you turn it down, it can lead to the following consequences:
- The shoots will first grow downward, and then, going around the tubers, upward. This will significantly delay flowering.
- When transplanted into the ground, germinated shoots may break off.
- There is a danger of them rotting in the substrate.
Place the substrate at the bottom of the boxes and place the dahlia tubers so that they do not interfere with each other. The following can be used as a substrate for germination:
- any soil;
- sand;
- perlite;
- sawdust;
- coconut fiber.
Here, the quality of the soil for germination does not play a big role - the main thing is that it is loose, water-, breathable and disinfected. You can spill potassium permanganate on the soil and sand in advance, and pour boiling water over perlite, coconut fiber and sawdust, cover with a lid, and let cool.
Do not cover the tubers too much with the substrate; it will be enough if it simply covers them to avoid moisture loss.
If there is any doubt whether there is enough moisture, it is better to refrain from watering. The thick tubers contain enough water and nutrients to survive even short-term droughts. For the same reason, do not feed young shoots.
If you have very few dahlia tubers, and they were perhaps stored in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf, they can be planted for germination in flower pots with drainage, and when planted, simply transferred to the ground.
Maintenance of germinated tubers before planting in the ground
Further care for sprouted tubers will consist of periodic moistening and ventilation. When the first dahlia shoots appear on the surface of the substrate, it is better to move the boxes to a cooler place, with a temperature of about 15-16 degrees.
But what to do if the root tubers were not stored at the ideal temperature of 4-8 degrees, but at a higher temperature and germination had already taken place without our participation? You can let the dahlia shoots color in the light, carefully break them out or cut them out with a piece of tuber, plant them as cuttings, or you can plant them in the ground when the time comes for the whole nest.
When the threat of spring frosts has passed, we carefully remove the dahlias from the substrate and plant them in a permanent place, having previously installed supports for tall varieties.
The video will tell you how to germinate dahlia tubers before storing them treated with paraffin and how to choose good root tubers in a store or garden center:
Conclusion
So, the most important thing: plant the tubers with the root collar up, provide them with a bright, warm place, water very moderately - these are the main components of the success of germination of dahlias. And they will delight you with lush flowering until frost.
