What should I do with Dahlias that are Sprouting Now?

[so lucky]

I bought some bagged dahlia starts about 2 weeks ago and now I see they are starting to grow pretty vigorously in the bag. It will be about a month yet before they will be safe planted outside, so I was wondering if I should pot them up and keep them inside under lights? Or stick the bag in the fridge? Any ideas?

 

[digitS']

Limited ideas.

They cannot freeze. This American Dahlia Society article says storage temperatures up to 50°f and seem to suggest between 40° and 45° as ideal. Is your fridge that warm?

It helps to have buds developing by planting time so that viable roots can be recognized. I haven't had real experience with the buds having grown very much.

You might think that by now I'd have grown some in pots but I haven't. Some gardeners do. Some will even dig a big hole and bury the entire pot so that the top of the pot is below ground, so as to both not disturb growing roots and to make care easier through the summer.

Steve

 

[so lucky]

Can I assume that if I break off the growing stem, others will take its place?
I'm afraid that if I leave them in the bag, they will die. I am thinking about planting them each in about a 5" pot and treating them like a potted plant, under lights, till I can put them out.
I just checked my downstairs fridge and it is cold, 33 to 35 degrees.

 

[digitS']

I treat those buds as precious.

There are always roots that otherwise look okay but never develop a bud. If they are planted, there is no growth.

Where is that @RustyDHart with the thousands of dahlias who used to frequent TEG? He must have driven his Blackface Sheep to other pastures.

So Lucky, Rusty said that he would start a few roots for some customers in pots about 6 or 8 weeks early for later transplanting to the garden. In that thread or another, someone suggested 1 gallon pots for smaller, 2 gallon for larger plants, 5 gallon if they are left all season to grow and bloom. (@catjac1975 knows dahlias.)

I've not done it. I had the idea that Rusty was starting them in a greenhouse. He also did his winter storage in a basement under a vacant house. Remember? He had the door blow open one winter and lost a bunch of roots. He used heatlamps to try to keep it 45°f and panicked when it dropped to mid-30's.

My storage room went to 35° once during prolonged sub-zero outdoors. I was just down so often during those days with the door open to the basement room with the furnace and water heater that it warmed up because of my fretting .

Steve

 

[so lucky]

I remember RustyDHart! Wonder what happened to him?
OK, I guess I will pot them up, not break off the buds, and put them under lights so they don't get all spindly. Darn it, I now realize they are tall dahlias. I didn't read the package carefully. Impulse buy.
I am not a fan of tall flowers. I had some marigolds a couple years ago that must have gotten 7 feet tall.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

Irish Acres

www.ramshornstudio.com

Rusty Hart

Rusty Hart is on Facebook. Join Facebook to connect with Rusty Hart and others you may know. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected.

www.facebook.com

 

[YourRabbitGirl]

I bought some bagged dahlia starts about 2 weeks ago and now I see they are starting to grow pretty vigorously in the bag. It will be about a month yet before they will be safe planted outside, so I was wondering if I should pot them up and keep them inside under lights? Or stick the bag in the fridge? Any ideas?

I always see them growing everywhere. I usually just leave them alone since they pose no threat. Yeah. I just leave them be.