Dahlia tuber, only one shoot?

Jake'sGran

I bought a good quality Dahlia tuber and placed it on soil, spread out and with a light covering of soil. I was disappointed to get only one 'bud' but it has grown well and looks strong.

Can anyone tell me if it can go out now and how to plant it for the best display?.

I assume that after drying it over the winter it will only ever have this one large bud even though the tuber is in many sections....hope you know what I mean. In the past when I have bought tubers they have always provided 3-4 buds and I have split it accordingly.

serena

Dahlia are not frost hardy, so depending on where you live, it may be a little early to go out - there's a frost forecast here in Kent.

It will need hardening off before it is planted out - pop it out somewhere sheltered during the day at first, returning it undercover overnight for a couple of weeks, then it should be okay to leave out overnight.

Protect from slugs and snails!

When the main shoot is about six-twelve inches, pinch out the growing tip of the main shoot, to just above the next pair of leaves. It will then make side shoots, and a much bushier plant.

I haven't grown dahlias and split them, although I know you can divide them. Some varieties do not make very big tubers, andyoung plants can also be smaller. Maybe your plant will do well this season, and give you a big enough plant to split next year.

Or, and this is very much easier, when you take out the tip, take it a little further down, and then you can root this piece in a pot of gritty compost. Tarah - two plants!

Dahlias like fairly good soil, so prepare the site well, and they also prefer full sun. If it is a tall variety, then provide a good stake, and tie in the main stem a couple of times.

Jake'sGran

I did harden off all the plants I grew from seed last year and had a good show. It's just so long since I grew a dahlia from a corm. Thank you for the tip about the growing tip. I'll do that today. I love this time of year and the garden is looking good already. You sound like my kind of gardener:)

I am going to try and grow more veg this year. There are seedlings of celeriac coming up but where I planted the mangetout seeds nothing much seems to be happening - just one thin shoot. Hope they don't let me down! Sorry, tend to ramble re seeds etc:o