Hey there!

If you've scanned the card from your box, welcome. I'm so glad these green babies have made it safely to your garden.

Growing dahlias from cuttings is one of the most rewarding things you can do. While a traditional tuber comes with its own "lunchbox" of stored energy, a rooted cutting is a fresh slate. They are typically faster than tuber-grown plants, they bloom their heads off, and leave you with a beautiful clump of brand-new tubers to dig up and multiply next winter.

Let's get you from your cuttings to an absolute explosion of blooms.

Phase 1: Unboxing & Acclimatising
Good news: your cuttings have already been hardened off! This means they are already tough enough to handle the outdoor sun and wind straight away. However, because they have been travelling in a dark box, they will be a little stressed and jetlagged.

The Rest Stop: Give them 2 days to acclimatise to your local microclimate before planting them out. Keep them in a bright, sheltered spot outdoors.

If you aren't planting straight away: Make sure they don't dry out! Cuttings have a small root ball and need regular water to stay happy until they get into the ground. We want the soil damp, never sitting wet.

Phase 2: Planting Out
Get your cuttings into the ground as soon as your soil has warmed up in spring and the threat of frost is completely gone.

1. Spot and Soil Selection
Dahlias are total sun worshippers and heavy feeders. To get the best out of your plant, give it the right home:

Sunlight: Choose a position that gets at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight every day.

The Soil: They need rich, fluffy soil that drains beautifully. Mix in a generous amount of compost or aged manure before planting. If your soil holds too much water, the roots will struggle.

2. The Deep Planting Trick (Your Secret to Future Tubers)  & Support
To give your plant the absolute best start, you want to plant it deeper than it was sitting in its original cell.

Gently strip off the lowest set or two of leaves on the stem.

Dig a hole deep enough so you can bury the cutting right up to that newly stripped area.

Gently slide the cutting out of its pot, pop it in the hole, and firm the soil gently around the base so the plant is secure.

If your cutting looks root bound, gently tease the roots to give it a better chance to branch out and root into surrounding soil.

Staking: Put a sturdy stake in the ground right next to your cutting at planting time. It is much easier to provide support now as doing it later might damage the roots or anyn developing tubers!

Why this works: This extra depth helps anchor the young plant against the wind and encourages roots to shoot from the buried stem, which gives you a much better haul of tubers at the end of the season!

3. The First Drink
Water them in immediately: Cuttings don't have built-in water storage yet, so they need a good soak right away to settle their roots into the surrounding soil.

Phase 3: Ongoing Care & Getting Maximum Blooms
Feeding for Flowers
Start your young plants off with a regular, balanced fertiliser to help them build strong stems and lush green growth. Once you see the plant starting to form its very first flower buds, switch over to a fertiliser that is lower in Nitrogen and higher in Potassium/Potash (like flower food) for stunning, vibrant blooms. Too much nitrogen gives you a massive green plant but very few flowers.

The Secret to More Flowers (Pinching)
When your plant reaches about 30cm high, snip or pinch off the very central growing tip. It feels a bit brutal, but this forces the plant to branch out, giving you a sturdy, bushy plant with double the amount of flowers.

Harvesting & Deadheading
Always use clean, sharp snips to prevent spreading any plant diseases. When picking your flowers or deadheading old blooms, do not be afraid to cut deep into the plant. Cutting right down to a strong set of leaf nodes forces the plant to branch out even further, rewarding you with long, strong stems and way more blooms.

The End of Season Bonus
While your cutting starts as just a simple stem, it will spend the summer quietly growing a brand-new clump of tubers underground. By the time autumn rolls around and the frost puts the plants to sleep, magic has happened. You'll have a full, beautiful clump to dig up, divide, and save for the following year!

If you run into any trouble or just want to show off your first blooms, come find me on Instagram over at islandbloomery

Happy gardening!

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