Dahlia Tubers

What is a dahlia tuber? A tuber is a root that grows a plant that produces dahlia flowers.

Dahlias produce flowers late summer until frost. Plant the tuber after your last frost, here in Western Oregon, that is sometime in May. Don’t water in your tuber until you see some growth coming up from the ground. If you water too soon, or plant in really wet conditions, your tubers can easily rot! Wait until there is a dry stretch. Plant your tuber 4-6 inches deep in the ground laying horizontal. Dahlias are best staked. When I only grew a small amount, I would put a tomato cage around each one. Now I use metal t-posts with string to corral them.

Dahlias will produce the most flowers in full sun. Once the plant in up and growing steadily, dahlias do like to be water deeply.

Here I live in zone 8b and tubers can be likely overwintered but you are taking a chance! If you are zone 7 or below, you will need to dig up your tubers each fall a week or two after your first killing frost. You can store them in a 40-50 degree room at 70-80% humidity. I recommend checking on them monthly to make sure they don’t dry out or mold. Do not let them freeze or it will ruin them. One bonus of digging, you can divide your tuber up so you can get more tubers for next year!

(A tuber needs to have an eye (growing point) for them to produce a plant next year. If that sounds like too much work, then you can just plan to buy new each year.

Shipping and Care

Dahlia tubers will be shipped in mid April (or when threat of freezing weather is past)

I inspect each dahlia tuber personally multiple times before shipping. If there is a problem with a dahlia tuber once received, you have 5 days after receiving your dahlia tuber to notify me. Please send a picture along with your email.

I am not responsible for your tuber freezing, pest problems, incorrect storage methods or if they rot in the ground if soil conditions are too wet.

Tubers come in all shapes and sizes. A small tuber does not mean it will produce a small plant, the same as a large tuber does not mean, it will produce an extra large plant.

I sell single tubers that have all been grown on my own farm.

I sanitize my snips between each plant to reduce possibility of disease. I also pull any plants that look suspicious to prevent disease spread.

Once you receive your tubers, make sure to keep the bag open to give it some air. If it goes in a spot that will freeze, the tuber will also freeze and be ruined.