
I bought these from Home Depot and all of the tubers had visible sprouts inside the plastic bag. I figured this was a sign the tubers were all viable. I took them out of the plastic bags they came in the other day because they were all getting so long and stuffed. They were in my cool dark basement but kept growing inside their bags they came in. I just set them barely covered in soil in a sunny room about 5 days ago. I haven’t fully watered them, just misted the soil a couple times because it got bone dry. The long sprouts were previously white (from lack of light) and quickly turned into a healthy color. But I’m worried about how long and leggy they are.
Should I properly plant the tuber in separate pots, like 6 inches deep and start watering? Do I cut off some of these long stems? Do I leave them alone? I can’t plant outdoors for another few weeks, in zone 6B so maybe around May 10th I’ll plant them outdoors.
Any advice would be helpful as this is my first time growing anything and I really want these to flourish! Thank you so much!
by Kmctattoo

4 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 don’t have to repot but you should start watering and get them in the sun ASAP! even if not planted, just out for a little field trip each day until you get them in the ground- that way they won’t get leggy. once the leaves fill out some more then pinch!
I would take off the top few inches of each sprout. Some people would break them off entirely. Then regrow somewhere with light and water
It depends on your zone and your cultivation goals. The longer your growing period is – the more risk you can take by hard pinching, which sets you back a few weeks.
What is your goal with this batch? Are you looking to plant them directly without propagating the cuttings? Then go ahead and transplant into individual pots, then pinch 1/3 of the plant to promote lateral growth.
If you want to collect cuttings to expand your stock – then remove leggy growth, improve sun exposure and wait for better quality sprouts to emerge.