Rooted Dahlia Cuttings.

Good evening all. Tonight I’m going to show you my first Dahlia cuttings to root this year. There were seven in the pot and all but two have rooted. Below is how I root the cuttings in sealed plastic bags.



Below is how this particular pot came out of their bag. Still looking green and pretty fresh. I've heard it said not to let the leaves tounch the sides of the bag as they will rot but I can't say I ever have much trouble in that respect.

The best way to tell if your cuttings have rooted is to look under the pot and if you can see roots through the holes in the bottom then it’s safe to tip them out. You can of course tip them out anyway but you run the risk of the whole lot dropping on the floor and I find if you can’t see any roots through the holes in the bottom of the pot then even if they have started making roots they won’t be taking any harm. Below you will see one root coming out of the pot but even so it wouldn't have hurt to leave them another week.
Here below are the five cuttings with roots. When potting these on in to three inch pots you have to be very careful not to break off the roots as they are very delicate at this stage.
As the two cuttings that hadn't rooted weren't showing any signs of rotting I repotted them in the hope that they too will make some roots.
Bob.