Dahlia cuttings - how they can help you have a better garden next summer!

Dahlia cuttings.  Have you ever considered growing dahlias from cuttings or only from tubers?  Or is this something new for you that you never heard of before as an option?

In 2024, we grew over 400 dahlias directly from cuttings.  We have been growing dahlias for 5 years from tubers and this year was our biggest investment in time and energy in growing dahlias from cuttings.  And, while we might not be experts, we definitely learned a lot.  We want to share what we learned with you so you can better understand the benefits of growing dahlias from cuttings so you can make the best decisions for your gardens in 2025!

Why grow dahlias from cuttings?

 Growing dahlias from tubers or tuber clumps is the traditional way many gardeners grow dahlias.  Growing dahlias from cuttings is becoming more common in the United States over the last handful of years.  And there are some advantages and disadvantages that one should consider.  

Dahlia tubers can be quite expensive and if you aren’t afraid of a little hard work and are willing to learn taking cuttings can be a good way to increase your stock very cost effectively.  

 Another great reason to grow from cuttings is your plants will flower 3-4 weeks earlier.  If you plant a tuber and a cutting at the same time it takes the tuber approximately 3 weeks to sprout while the cutting is a small plant right when it is planted.  In Colorado our earliest dahlias grown from tubers usually begin flowering in early August and his year our earliest blooms were from plants that started as cuttings and they bloomed in early July.  And, isn’t this one of the main reasons we grow dahlias?  To get more blooms and if we can get them even earlier we can enjoy the blooms for a longer period of time.

                        KA’s™ Crème Brulee a 2025 release.  A Santa Cruz dahlias photo

Another advantage is purchasing dahlia cuttings is the easiest way to purchase many of the best new releases.  You can only grow so many tubers every year.  So, a brand new release is supply constrained and it can be near impossible to get a tuber during the first couple of years unless you are an expert at the dahlia wars!  And, if it is one that you really want - a cutting is often an easier path to get your hands on that new variety.

One of the most common complaints you hear about growing dahlias from cuttings is around tuber production.  Generally, the tubers are smaller and fewer in number from plants grown from cuttings.  In addition, there is variation from variety to variety and even within variety.  The picture above shows 3 plants grown from dahlia cuttings of KA’s™ Guava.  All were grown in the same vicinity and under the same conditions.  The middle plant wasn’t as vigorous as the other two and you can see there are actually no tubers on this plant.  While, all is not lost as you can trim the roots back and put it in a pot with some dirt and put it under some lights and it will grow a plant.  But, if tuber production is important to you, you need to recognize there is reduced tuber production from plants grown from cuttings.

Here is a picture of the tubers grown from a plant that started as a cutting.  This one below is KA’s™ Cinder Rose and you can see it produces more tubers than KA’s™ Guava from the photo above.

Since we grew 400 dahlias from cuttings this year, we have a good data set to share on the different tuber production from the varieties we grew from cuttings.  If tuber production is important to you this data maybe helpful for you when you make decisions on the varieties you purchase as cuttings.

You often hear that you should plant your cuttings deep as additional tubers will grow at each  leaf node.  So, if you remove those leaves and plant the cuttings deeper you will get additional tubers to grow at those nodes.  See the picture below that shows that clearly does happen.

There is one challenge with planting the cuttings deeper.  Many cuttings are only 4-6 inches tall when you receive them.  I really think you should plant the cutting deep enough for multiple leaf nodes to be buried.  I’m thinking 3 or 4.  That means you likely need a cutting around 9 inches tall!  So, we will be testing this out next summer for sure!

We really value the advantages of growing dahlias from cuttings!  Yes, we have some more to learn for sure and that is what gardening and growing is all about!  And, as I always say, if I can do it, you can do it too!