It's my first year growing dahlias and I'm afraid I started these tubers indoors in soil that is too shallow. I'm planning on hardening them off this week before transplanting them outside.
Should I snip off the bottom sets of leaves so that I can plant the tuber 4 to 6 inches deep or just plant them at the soil level they are at now? I shouldn't plant it 6 inches deep with the leaves still attached and burried in soil, correct?
Or should I cut off the whole stem (seems kind of drastic)? I'd be thankful for any answers!
by Western-Activity1912
3 Comments
This is an automatic reminder regarding r/dahlias Rule 3:
When reasonable*, posters should make a good-faith effort to identify which variety/varieties are shown in their photo(s). If you don’t know for certain, please say so. Someone will usually know!
*Common-sense exceptions to this rule will be honored, such as if the photo does not contain a blossom, or if your photo contains large volumes (such as in wide field shots).
If you’ve already done this, thank you! No further action required.
If not, please add a reply to this comment and confirm if you know the name of your dahlia variety/varieties shown in the photo(s). Alternately, if you’re uncertain of the variety name(s), it’s ok to say that, too.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/dahlias) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You can snap off 1-2 sets of leaves at the bottom and plant to the base of the first set remaining. A couple inches of stalk below the soil won’t hurt at all.
Only reason to snap off leaves would be so the plant doesn’t waste energy trying to keep them alive while they’re below soil level.
You’ve already shaped a nice bush – you can plant at the soil level if you want, there’s some good lateral growth happening.
It entirely depends on your planting site and soil health. When planting in clay soil – I don’t bury too deep because I’ve had plants choke and die before. If soil is lush, airy and friable – go ahead and remove bottom leaves with side shoots and plant a bit deeper.
As long as you lightly water the plant before transplanting – you’ll be okay.