Dahlia Care for cuttings

🌱 Caring for Your Dahlia Cuttings

Thank you for supporting Makayla’s Meadow! To help your cuttings thrive and eventually produce strong, healthy tubers, please follow these care steps:

1. 📦 Upon Arrival

Your cuttings arrive in root riot, grown under grow lights in a controlled environment. They are not yet acclimated to direct sunlight.

  • Inspect the foliage for any yellowing or browning. If you notice discoloration, please take a photo and email it to makaylasford@gmail.com along with your order number.

Plant in a 4 inch pot with potting soil and water shortly after it arrives.

2. 💧 Watering & Fertilizing

  • Water as usual. Since these cuttings don’t have tubers yet, rot is not a concern—just keep the soil moist but not soggy. 

3. ❄️ Cold Tolerance & Outdoor Planting

  • Dahlias can tolerate a light frost, but not a hard freeze.
    • Foliage will be damaged below 4°C (39°F).
    • At this stage, your cuttings do not have tubers, but hard freezes below 0°C (32°F) can still harm the plant.
  • If planting early—before soil temperatures consistently reach 10°C (50°F)—please cover your cuttings overnight just in case temperatures dip below 4°C.

4. 🌤️ Hardening Off

Before planting outdoors, harden off your cuttings by placing them outside for a few hours each day over the course of a week. This helps them adjust to natural light and temperature fluctuations.

5. 🌿 Planting Tips

  • Remove lower leaves and plant deeply, burying a few leaf nodes. These nodes will encourage root and tuber development.
  • Add a handful of bonemeal to the planting hole to support strong root growth.

6. 🌸 After Planting

  • Water in well and continue to water regularly.
  • Use a balanced or low-nitrogen fertilizer, like 5-10-10 or 10-20-20, 2 to 3 weeks after planting and again every 3 to 4 weeks to encourage strong roots and bushy growth without excessive foliage.
  • While not essential, light shade during extreme heat can help reduce transplant stress.

🧡 A Note on Tuber Production

Cuttings often produce smaller, fewer, or oddly shaped tubers compared to those grown from mature tubers. That said, I’ve never had a cutting fail to produce tubers when given enough time.

For example, I’ve planted cuttings in June and harvested pencil-thin tubers by October. Dahlias need long, dark nights to trigger tuber formation—so make sure your plants have time to develop during those months. In Victoria, BC, nights begin to lengthen in September, which helps.

If you have questions, feel free to email me. Response times may be slower during busy months, but I’ll always get back to you.

🌸 Dahlia TLC: Tips for Healthier, Happier Plants

Whether you're growing from tubers or cuttings, these simple practices will help your dahlias flourish all season long:

✂️ Pinching for Bushier Plants

  • When: Once your plant has 3–4 sets of leaves.
  • How: Snip the top growth just above a leaf node.
  • Why: This encourages branching, leading to more stems, more blooms, and a fuller plant.

🌼 Disbudding for Bigger Blooms

  • When: As flower buds begin to form.
  • How: Remove the smaller side buds near the main bud.
  • Why: This channels energy into the central bloom, resulting in larger, stronger flowers—especially helpful for show blooms or bouquets.

🍃 Leaf Removal for Airflow

  • When: As plants grow tall and bushy.
  • How: Gently remove lower leaves that touch the soil or crowd the center.
  • Why: Improves air circulation and helps prevent powdery mildew, especially in humid or rainy conditions.

🐛 Aphid Control

  • When: At the first sign of tiny green, black, or white bugs on new growth.
  • How: Spray them off with a strong blast of water from a hose—no chemicals needed!
  • Why: Aphids are soft-bodied and easily dislodged. Regular rinsing keeps populations low and plants stress-free.

Happy gardening, and thank you for growing with Makayla’s Meadow!