Hardy Tropicals UK

I've never really had much luck with cuttings, but would love to increase my stock. I know that the best method is to use new shoots from the growth in early spring, but I lack confidence so would like an idiots guide if someone would be so kind.

Here you go Tom
http://www.anglo-dutch-dahlias.co.uk/ho ... ttings.htm

Good link Mark. Dahlias are about the easiest cuttings in the world to root. I'd not use john innes no 1 though (who does!). Half perlite and coir / peat multicompost is ideal. A four inch pot with half a dozen cuttings and a poly bag over the top, bottom watered to avoid rotting, put in propagator and two weeks later you have rooted plants. Seperate these off and pot up in your favourite multicompost and away you go.

As guy said, they're pretty easy to root, as long as you provide some basic needs. Just make sure they're not kept too cold and I think over watering would be another big killer. You'll know if they've rooted within a couple of weeks as roots will come bursting outta the bottom of the pot, and it's start growing fast again Good luck with them

I have a couple of David Howard's i have always meant to try this on.
i may even get brave enough to give it a go this year

Or do what I do with most cuttings, especially Dahlias.

Chuck 'em in a glass of water on a warm windowsill, forget about them for about 2 weeks and hey! loads of rooted cuttings!

The negative side of taking cuttings is that they are then just 1 year plants! Because the will not get a bulb!

SharkOfSweden wrote:The negative side of taking cuttings is that they are then just 1 year plants! Because the will not get a bulb!

But as they flower in their first year it doesn't matter, and they will produce tubers during the season

Sorry for being thick but what is the difference between a bulb and a tuber

Well there are bulbs, tubers, corms, rhizomes etc etc. I true bulb is a structure like an onions where all the parts of the plant can be found. A tuber is like a potato which is mainly a large homogeneous mass with the growth points where the leaves, roots grow from concentrated in small area on the surface. In the case of the potato we call them eyes.

I think the above is correct.

Great stuff Kris,

Wiki on corms with Images http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corm

Dorothy, Just put in Google any word from Kris's list and Wiki will be there somewhere.