How to divide dahlias | Quick tip

[@HowsItGrowing]

When it’s time to watch you do your dahlia thing, I get very excited. Yeah, I’m a weirdo. 😂

[@robb2biago]

I just received my shipments of dahlias and I so wanted to plant with it being 80. Yeah, it’s going to snow next week. Welcome to spring in Wisconsin! I love to divide with my hori hori blade.

[@barbarabennett519]

Can't wait to see your beautiful gardens again this year! I got 'impatient' 😉& potted my dahlias up early this year on March 4th (zone 5b). I have 50+ clumps but 8 of them looked very shriveled up & was going to throw them out. So instead I experimented by soaking them in water for 30 mins & then planting in moist vermiculite. To my complete shock they ALL rehydrated and are now sprouting !! Worth a try anyway. So far It's a good year for dahlias as my dahlia seedlings are growing fast and have the cutest little baby tubers !😆

[@JuneSutton-kt3zz]

U r such a smart, strong & beautiful woman. I am sorry for the loss of your sister. In the midst of your personal grief, you take the time to encourage us. I have been trying to deal with multiple family challenges & have struggled with planting, watering, etc. Your words of encouragement are much appreciated. Perspective & remembering what is most important. Thank you! You & your family are in my thoughts.

[@laurawentz2154]

You are the reason I have so many dahlias. 😊 They are wonderful and much easier to grow than I ever thought they would be. Thanks for the video, I was planning to do this this weekend.

[@laurelsayer7557]

Here in UK we had a very wet Autumn and severe Winter frosts, so most of mine rotted off in storage. Still, it have me a chance to buy new varieties. 😁

[@FoxieRachelb]

Thank you for posting this - next year I will for sure hold off on dividing in the fall. I ended up with 136 plants so far pre-sprouting and I’m just your average home gardener 😂.

[@theresaodwyer2026]

I’ve planted my first Dalias! Thanks for the inspiration and advice!

[@lindaallen3852]

At first it looked like you were grilling Dahlias. Gave me a chuckle, thanks for the share🏵

[@TheImpatientGardener]

Well they are edible! 🤣

[@deeaustin379]

Thanks. Perfect timing. I'm trying this today!

[@JG-vn5fe]

For next Fall ~ Have you seen the new American Dahlia Society recommendation, for storing Dahlia tubers in plastic wrap? I tried it this Winter and had 100% success! It was SO easy ~ takes up almost no storage space, no messy storage medium & you don't need to keep checking them, because they can't dry out & they never touch each other. This method is a life changer for sure!!

[@TheImpatientGardener]

Yes I’ve used this method before (many years ago now) and it was very successful. I moved away from it for a lot of reasons, including that it was very time consuming, required dividing in fall and generated so much plastic waste. It’s as close I’ve come to a fail safe method though. If I had a really precious variety I’d probably use it but I don’t prefer it, even though it definitely works.

[@JG-vn5fe]

@@TheImpatientGardener I didn't waste the plastic, because I saved it ~ I used 1 sheet for each variety ~ As I unwound it, at planting time this Spring, I wrapped it on an empty cardboard tube and I will reuse it ~ Every other storage method I have tried, in the past, has failed

[@TheImpatientGardener]

@@JG-vn5fe That’s great that you found a method you love. I think that’s the thing with storing dahlias: one size doesn’t fit all and sometimes you have to experiment a bit until you find the right one for you.

[@JG-vn5fe]

@@TheImpatientGardener Losing tubers in storage can get very expensive, so yes, I did love this method ~ As far as time consuming, I guess that depends on whether you want to spend the time dividing, in the Fall or dividing them now, in the Spring ~ The time spent dividing, is probably the same either way ~ I'm much busier in my Spring garden, so it's nice to have the work done and have them all ready to go now, to just plop in a pot :o)

[@juliepuhr9806]

Can you tel me how to find the link. ? Mine dried out too much in animal shavings so i am not doing that again

[@coloradotulips]

Thanks for another great video!

[@privateperson5769]

I had a huge old dahlia clump to divide ..I could not see any eyes - just did it early Autumn down Under - I just cut the beast up like into quarters and got a few extra bits with necks ...fingers crossed it will be okay - it is a Heirloom dahlia called Preference - I think you may actually like it - its the most gorgeous colour and the colour gets even better when u cut it and have it indoors for a while. Semi cactus. Blooms like crazy too early .

[@rickyt3961]

thank you! great tips

[@joycejames4879]

Really helpful, although I’m new to dahlias so don’t know what an eye looks like. Appreciate it’s probably difficult to film but some things were off camera or I couldn’t see where you were cutting due to camera angle and position of tuber. Thank you for all of your tips!

[@thebestduofr1210]

Go back & watch her other videos where she explain things more, really helpful 😊

[@neirishsmiles8005]

Great tips ! What type of tag are you using to identify the plant? Can u put a link?

[@tinah8065]

Dahlia first timer here so I have some random questions as I await my order arrival: Do you supplement water for your dahlias in your flower beds? Or is our rainfall here in this area enough? I am going use one quadrant of my garden that I had usually planted tomatoes in, do I need to amend the soil at all for dahlias? And how close can I plant them to each other? Would a tomato cage be decent support? Or does the main shoot need to be lashed more securely to a single stake?

[@coloradotulips]

I’m new to dahlias too. What I’ve learned from this channel and others so far about fertilizing is that you must use low-nitrogen fertilizers or you’ll get only loads of leaves and few flowers. You can amend the soil first and dig and water it in, using 5-10-10, 10-20-20, or even 0-0-10.

[@lukemollison4613]

I just got mine out from my crawl space and they’ve exploded with growth?! Must have been too warm down there. How would you manage those??

[@deannewilliams3321]

What do you do with the leftovers? I usually bury the leftovers from divisions hoping something grows lol.

[@RevAcres01]

Erin, have you spoken to anyone who grows dahlias in Florida 10a. I winter in this zone and would like to continue to grow them once I leave Minnesota 4a taking tubers with me.

[@61katharine]

Possibly a dumb question, if you have a larger clump will you get more shoots? I'm thinking yes.

[@donbirkholz6842]

Last year my Dahlias all had deformed blooms for a while and then all of a sudden they had beautiful healthy blooms. Any ideas?

[@TheImpatientGardener]

A lot of time that can be a bug issue. Thrips can definitely cause that but there are others too.

[@margaretgarrard1382]

How do you store the bulbs

[@loisseiler1129]

I started my love of dahlias after watching your videos. Do you ever have problems with dahlia buds getting black and crispy before they even open? Is this an insect problem? Zone 5

[@TheImpatientGardener]

Thrips can cause this, but so can underwatering. If you’re pretty sure it’s not the latter, it’s probably the former.

[@jillenecasey3233]

Do you pot them up right after dividing? Or wait for the “wound” from the cut to heal first?

[@TheImpatientGardener]

Usually right after. This year I did it about a week or two (I split it up over a few weekends) before just because I had time then.

[@Tracymw99]

Helpful bc couldn’t find any eyes

[@stetrick612]

Do you pop these into your pop up greenhouse or grow them indoors for a while first? I've got mine under lights in my basement because my attempt to grow them directly from the long field gardens bag from Costco last year resulted in zero flowers and pretty small plants. Just trying to get a head start this time! Zone 4

[@TheImpatientGardener]

I keep them inside (just want, no light) until they sprout in their pots and then I move them out to the pop-up greenhouse. I time the start time when I have a pretty good ability to get them outside as soon as they sprout, so I don’t have to worry about providing enough light or having to harden them off.

[@stetrick612]

@@TheImpatientGardener thank you! I will definitely pop them outside when I start seeing sprouts. When I saw Aldi had a greenhouse last year I jumped on it after seeing what you do with yours. It has been such a great little place for hardening things off and I really want to use it more this year 😊

[@Russ4704]

Just came in from the garage where I was inspecting my dahlia tubers and was confused how I was going to start them in a 2 gal pot, because some are too big for even a 2 gal container watched your video and now know what to do. Eyes? I don’t see them.

[@TheImpatientGardener]

I can’t see the eyes either. They’re there. Just follow the video and make sure to keep neck area attached to tubers.

[@carollochridge1898]

On March 24th I potted up some dahlias that I ordered. 6 of them came up but three have not and I’m starting to wonder if they ever will. This is my first time to pot up dahlias ahead of the season instead of planting them in the ground. I don’t know what to expect as far as time for them to come up. I have them in the house at 69° and I watered them but not too heavily when I potted of them up. Does anyone have any thoughts?

[@TheImpatientGardener]

It’s still certainly within the window of when they might come up. You could very carefully and very gently unpot one to see if there is any action on the tuber. Technically you’re not supposed to do that but I certainly have. (I am the impatient gardener, after all. 😀)

[@carollochridge1898]

@@TheImpatientGardener well I have to admit that I did that very thing and there were some little roots but nothing coming out such as growth. The tubers seemed in good condition. I have them a tiny bit more water. Thanks Erin.

[@carollochridge1898]

@@TheImpatientGardener maybe I should be more patient. ☮️

[@TheImpatientGardener]

I wouldn’t give them any more water at this stage. They don’t really need it until they start growing and those tubers get finicky if they feel like they are too wet.

[@anitahadley2871]

@@carollochridge1898 I divided and presprouted a few weeks ago. Some are definitely ahead of others. I think they all sprout at different times. Now my caladiums, they drive me nuts on how slow they are to emerge. Only 3 out of like 12 pots have popped up. I even have them on a heat mat.

[@carlas872]

Oh my! How could something so ugly produce such beautiful flowers!

[@TheImpatientGardener]

They are heinous!

[@nancid5265]

Close ups would have been nice

[@Gloriusblooms]

Why divide it instead of using a leaf cutting? 🤔

[@TheImpatientGardener]

Stem cuttings are a great way to increase your dahlia stock, however that is a process that requires more time as as well as specific growing conditions (heat and light). Tuber divisions are an easier way to get more dahlias and can be potted up early like I do or planted directly in the ground when the soil is warm enough with no extra steps like stems cuttings require. Both are fine methods.

[@Gloriusblooms]

@@TheImpatientGardener I can see the benefits. Thanks for the great info and happy gardening day!