Dahlias for Beginners 2015

ste b just done what you suggested after I misted the soil around the Tubers. What I will also do is keep the curtains closed so it is dark. Will help with controlling the temp. Soil probe at exactly 17 degrees now.

I will have to emulsion the wall behind the tray as soil splash back. Cleaned it but will stain. Hahaha

Setting up the bedding dahlias tonight. Some had a decent tuber so hope they propoagate this was my fav for last year

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I don't know Cat came in an assortment of tubers unnamed. I have named it lilac favorite

Just thought you'd like a peek at my style of starting tubers, which is seen odd by most growers over here in the 
US, but it works well for me...

A mentor taught me the trick of squeezing out a damp cotton ball and putting it into a labeled SEALED ziplock bag with a single tuber.

Once it sprouts AND starts to root, I add soil into the bag, and roll down the sides so it won't close. Once the sprout reaches optimum hight, I make a backup cutting, let the next two sprouts come up and cut the strongest, then allow the remaining one to continue into a plant. I can fit lots into a tray with quart or pint sized bags, and they are easy to remove for planting out. Although others that have tried this method poked holes in the bottom of the plastic bags, I haven't found the need to do that. I just monitor the dampness, and am sure not to overwater.

In the past, i have tried starting tubers loose in a tray with soilless mix, but keeping track of the names proved difficult, and roots intertwined. I tried separate pots and paper bags, but they took up too much space and needed watered more then I liked.

I wanted to add images, but got a message saying this forum has maxed out its space limit.

Good day Cici the method you describe sounds a good way of keeping stock of everything in a controlled manner. Also in a compact way especially growing the number of varieties you do. How many cuttings do you take from a chicken leg ? Before growing on the tuber.

Cici what stage are you up to now? Does your season run similar to ours ie planting out growing and showing?

Ian

Perhaps the image issue is with me? Can anyone else post images directly right now? My internet is crashing everytime I try. I have no problems with posting images in other forums... 

Actually, thinking back and looking at these images, I put two tubers in opposite ends of each bag, if I had extras of the same variety. I found that they were easy to separate during planting time, and took up the same space and care as one tuber per bag. Don't remember how many tuber plants I could squeeze onto a tray, only that it was triple to quadruple the standard four inch pots with single tubers.