Dahlia tubers?

I am new to gardening and have no idea how to plant these things. The instructions I received with the plant weren't very clear. Anyone have tips about the placement of the tuber in the soil, i.e. there is like a pale yellow green shoot coming from it, does this face up, down, or what?

Dahlia tubers?
Here's a video of how to plant them: Dig a hole big enough for the tuber, place in the hole with the shoot facing up. Cover it up %26amp; water. If your Dahlia is a tall variety, you can place stakes in the ground for support while you're planting the tuber. Your flowers should bloom 4 weeks after you plant them.


You can plant them indoors, in a large pot, to give them a head start. Put them in a sunny window, %26amp; take them outdoors for a while on really warm days. Just remember that they don't like the cold.


http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play...





Dahlias should not be planted outdoors until all danger of frost has passed, and the soil temperature reaches 58-60 degrees F. Excessively wet soil may cause the tubers to rot, so if your weather has been wet and stormy, you may want to wait for a drying trend.


Dig and prepare a 12 inch diameter by 12 inch deep planting hole. Mix a shovel full of compost, a handful of bone meal, and a little Dolomite lime to the soil which was removed.


Fill the planting hole with the soil mixture until it is about six inches deep. Then place the tuber horizontally in the bottom of the hole with the eye pointing upward... Tall varieties will need staking, so this is a good time to set an appropriate size stake into the ground next to the tuber (near the eye)... Cover the tuber %26amp; water thoroughly.


A Dahlia in bloom is a heavy feeder, so you may want to consider using a water soluble "bloom type" fertilizer about a month before the plants begin to bloom.


http://www.thegardenhelper.com/dahlia.ht...





Good luck!!! Hope this helps.
Reply:You're welcome! Glad to help :)


I really appreciate knowing it was what you were looking for. The bare root Columbine I've planted indoors in pots recently are starting to get buds. I'm so excited to get a head start on their growing season in my zone 5 area.


Good luck!! Report It

Reply:The shoot faces upright.
Reply:Plant with the new growth facing up. Since it has started you best get it in the soil soon or it may not make it.





Best of luck. Dahlias are beautiful.