How deep should dahlia tubers be planted indoors. There are no green shoots yet. Eventually be transplanted outside in a couple months. Mid may.
Should I premoisten the potting mix like I would for tomato seedlings.
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Christian1971
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skiingjeff
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You'll want to plant the tubers in a large pot approximately 12 inches deep so the tuber is in an environment similar to if it was planted outdoors in the ground.
I would pre-moisten the potting mix since you are using a large pot and then bottom water thereafter.
You'll also need to provide supplemental lighting for the plant once it breaks the top of the soil similar to any indoor started plant.
Good Luck
I would pre-moisten the potting mix since you are using a large pot and then bottom water thereafter.
You'll also need to provide supplemental lighting for the plant once it breaks the top of the soil similar to any indoor started plant.
Good Luck
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Jai_Ganesha
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I honestly have never had very good results doing that, and I start all kinds of stuff indoors that you really aren't "supposed" to (like glads).
Dahlias need very LIGHT moisture to sprout (less than you'd think), and even warmth. Both of these are important. If it's too cold, or if it's too wet, this impedes them and they can rot. I've also found that the indoor-planted dahlia tubers don't fare as well here in the central Kentucky winds because they're harder to "harden off" than new seedlings or bulbs put directly in the ground.
That said, I keep doing it every year (lol) and your best bet is to plant them in a very big pot because the bigger the pot, the more evenly it is kept moist and warm, with a heat mat. And--maybe I'm imagining this--the ones I start indoors 2-3 weeks beforehand seem to bloom at the same time as the ones I planted 1-2 months before.
I'm no help with "how deep," because I play it by ear and haven't actually measured.
Dahlias are one of those plants that you can "only do so much" with indoors. You can do some things, but my advice (especially as far north as you are) is to aim small. The plants will catch up before you know it and all that growing will have been done outdoors, where it is more stable (unless you have a professional temp-controlled greenhouse, in which case totally ignore me).
Dahlias need very LIGHT moisture to sprout (less than you'd think), and even warmth. Both of these are important. If it's too cold, or if it's too wet, this impedes them and they can rot. I've also found that the indoor-planted dahlia tubers don't fare as well here in the central Kentucky winds because they're harder to "harden off" than new seedlings or bulbs put directly in the ground.
That said, I keep doing it every year (lol) and your best bet is to plant them in a very big pot because the bigger the pot, the more evenly it is kept moist and warm, with a heat mat. And--maybe I'm imagining this--the ones I start indoors 2-3 weeks beforehand seem to bloom at the same time as the ones I planted 1-2 months before.
I'm no help with "how deep," because I play it by ear and haven't actually measured.
Dahlias are one of those plants that you can "only do so much" with indoors. You can do some things, but my advice (especially as far north as you are) is to aim small. The plants will catch up before you know it and all that growing will have been done outdoors, where it is more stable (unless you have a professional temp-controlled greenhouse, in which case totally ignore me).