im going to pot up my dahlias soon indoors to get a jump on my very short summers.

I also have a very small garden and very big plant hoarding problem, lol so my dahlias go on top of my tulips after their foliage dies back, they have to be started indoors.

I just took them out of the unheated attic. should I leave them in their storage container (dark, no soil) until eyes develop, or should I pot them now? in previous years I've lost dahlias to drying out. im pretty happy with results this year, but until they're actually in soil I worry that could still happen.

i've noticed many people start them in pots that are only partially full, with the whole crown exposed until they start growing. how do you do it?

final question, how big is too big? in other words, when is it beneficial (beneficial meaning resulting in more flowers on a single plant) to split. i don't necessarily want more plants.. more plants = more pots, more potting soil, and more holes to dig.. frankly I already have more than I can fit and will be giving away a bunch.

Hi Paula, I first read your name as Tubersauras.

It's probably a bit early to pot up your tubers now unless you have a very sunny location to grow them. It doesn't sound like you want to take cuttings (the reason some people expose the crown in the pot), so 6 weeks before planting time is more than adequate.

We used to store in clumps, then in the spring (about March 15) just cut the clumps so they would fit in a 1 gal pot. We'd sprout them in the dining room, then move them to the sunroom/greenhouse as they emerged. Last year I took a chance and planted some out April 15, about a month before you're "supposed to" in zone 6 based on the extended weather outlook. I got lucky last year but have had losses in the past. Our first blooms were in June so it's worth the risk if you have too many.

thank you. good information! The best past is you're relatively near me, so your dates are very relevant. Im still a little confused, when you say some went out in mid-april, and you had blooms in June, was there a difference that you can recall between the ones that went out early (and I assume we're subject to cooler temps) and those that stayed protected longer ? Im just wondering if once they get going they're off to the races (and we did have a very mild spring last year with early warm temps) or if cool soils will slow growth when compared to greenhouse warmth.


Im kinda doing the same thing as you.
1 gallon pots starting on racks in my home office, then out to enclosed porch/greenhouse Im about to build to more light after they sprout, then into the ground as the soil warms up.

when planting warm weather tubers into the yard, I usually wait for the spring perennials to tell me when it's time,
ie Tulip greenery has died back, primrose, peonies, oriental poppies are finishing up, iris and delphinium are sending up stalks... I understand dahlias like warm feet and I think soil temps have as much to do with timing as day length.

I try to get everything out in order. that being said, i have a box full of tarps, old bedsheets and other assorted protective gear because I get so impatient. it's not uncommon to see my whole yard full of boo ghosts draped in various upside down pots, the dog's baby pool and old sheets, lol.

Tuber: I'm in the land of freeze your budinski off. I start potting up my tubers in 1 gal pots and set in front of my patio door (cool but sunlight). They all send up their first shoots at different times and even different times each year. Once I move them under the lights they really get going and by the time my nighttime temps stay above freezing I've moved mine into my covered shelf greenhouse and plant out and in the ground around Mother's Day to Memorial Day. I don't know if that helps you, but on a good day by the time I'm planting in the ground my plants are generally 8-14" tall, I pinch though, so that slows things here. My first blooms are July 4, but only on those marked early or mid bloomers, my late ones bloom of course the few days before frost because they can