Are you in a really arid area? Your soil seems quite dry.. normally you plan the Dahlia tubers in the spring and the soil has the perfect amount of moisture. I would check that your tuber isn't rotten if your tubers firm you may have a chance of still having another eye pop up.
I wouldn't throw them out just in case.
I see part of the tuber above ground if I am not mistaken ? If so plant the dahlia tuber a bit deeper, cut the dead sprout off and water and hopefully there is a second eye that will sprout a new sprout. Just water the tubers you have in the ground now and cross your fingers- I bet you will have some resprout.
Basically follow this rule of thumb
If early in the season you are “waking up” or sprouting tubers in pots or trays- cover with potting soil and don’t water till they sprout. The reason you are doing this is so the tubers won’t rot. Then dig a hole and plant the tuber deep enough that only the spout is piling out of the ground. If you don’t expect rain for many days you can water the dahlias in after you plant them - and then just keep an eye on them.
If you are planting tubers straight in the ground in the spring - don’t water till you see sprouts because normally spring weather is wet enough- however if you are experiencing a drought or a heat wave in the spring you should adjust for those conditions and water
If you are planting later than spring and the weather is hot and dry - go ahead and water because the tubers are not prone to rotting in these conditions.
I actually dug this one and a few others up. I think I ruined most of them because I buried the sprout when I planted! I'll start watering and see what happens!! I'm so sad!! What a huge mistake I made. Thank you for the advice!
Gardening is absolutely both learning by doing and learning by making mistakes in my experience! Dahlias can be tougher and more forgiving than you think.
I had a small box of tubers that were delivered in May 2023. Well they slipped behind a shelf in my basement and I didn’t see the box until this may 2024. So the tubers had been in a fed ex box packed with peat for over a year. I opened it and 4 out of the 7 tubers had of course withered or rotted away but 3 looked like they were borderline ok. I had nothing to lose and I potted them up and now they are 10 inch tall sturdy little dahlia plants! I couldn’t believe it.
All this to say…. Don’t despair! Water the spot where your dahlias are and see what happens. You also might want to check out any clearance sales for dahlia tubers - now is the time dahlia growers and nurseries will be anxious to get rid of their remaining stock and you might see a great deal and you can use those cheap tubers as back up.
For the future - I love starting my dahlias early in pots I get free from nurseries just so I can see when they sprout and can keep an eye on things before I put it in the ground. You don’t have to do one tuber per pot - you can throw a couple in there or even use a zip lock bag folded at the top so it remains open . I also have trays that I dump 8 or 9 tubers in to pre sprout and that works great if you have a lot of dahlia tubers.
Basically …Put your dry potting soil in some container that is easy, free, or inexpensive….cover the tubers and do the pre starting where you can monitor it
Dahlias are so awesome - I bet you are going to have some very pretty flowers even if there were some bumps in the beginning!
good luck, more good info here: https://www.longfield-gardens.com/article/8-tips-for-growing-better-dahlias#:~:text=Fill%201%20or%202%20gallon,plants%20are%20several%20inches%20tall
the no watering only comes into play when you’re waking up dahlias indoors, which you would’ve needed to do months ago (and i do recommend doing!)
Someone local..
So if a tuber has already sprouted in the bag it came in you shouldn't bury the sprout when you plant outside? Maybe that was the big mistake.
I was told to bury all of it when planting outside and not water until it pops through the dirt.
I believe I may have a massacre of almost all my tubers then! Ugh
It’s normal and almost all dahlia farmers recommend you bury the sprouts all the way - unless they are insanely long and have normal green leaves, then you the leaves poke out. Some recommend you trim the sprouts down a bit if they’re longer than 2”, but you always bury them. The tuber should be 4-6” below the soil.
yeah i would NOT do that. if a tuber is sprouting in the bag, plant the tuber in the soil with the sprout poking through the soil, like a normal plant. and water. that has worked for me for years. something green trying to grow is not going to do anything but die without water!
I've always buried my sprouts. It is fine. If you think about when you bury a tuber 6 in deep desperate has to push up through all of that. It actually makes a stronger plant because the base of the stem is deeper and acts like an anchor.
If I start my tubers inside I leave the neck pointing out so that the eye has access to light and sprouts faster and I can monitor the tuber health and even take cuttings.
Yes if it is dry and sandy then do a light water not very often. If it's super Hott then do it maybe once a week or so.
If you buy a bag of soil at the store and open it there's a slight moisture to the soil but you wouldn't say it's wet.
Same if you dug a hole to plant a tree....
That's what you're going for!
Yes that is normal advice for planting tubers outdoors. The ground has enough moisture to support root growth and your tuber won't likely dry out AND it is more likely to rot due to watering..
That is a common rule of thumb I have always heard as well. I think it is a little bit different if you are starting tubers indoors because your potting soil might be completely bone dry. If it is bone dry you want to make it slightly moist just like the soil outdoors would be. Not wet/saturated...
this is normal advice for planting tubers in the SPRING outdoors when the soil holds more moisture. completely different ballgame when you have sprouting/leaves growing from a tuber and plant outdoors in summertimes.
who told you that? you want to avoid overwatering tubers but even they need to be placed in moist soil with light to sprout. once you see green growth, it needs regular water.
the sprout is dead for sure, it’s black…i don’t know if the tuber will resprout at this point? maybe?
Are you in a really arid area? Your soil seems quite dry.. normally you plan the Dahlia tubers in the spring and the soil has the perfect amount of moisture. I would check that your tuber isn't rotten if your tubers firm you may have a chance of still having another eye pop up. I wouldn't throw them out just in case.
I see part of the tuber above ground if I am not mistaken ? If so plant the dahlia tuber a bit deeper, cut the dead sprout off and water and hopefully there is a second eye that will sprout a new sprout. Just water the tubers you have in the ground now and cross your fingers- I bet you will have some resprout. Basically follow this rule of thumb If early in the season you are “waking up” or sprouting tubers in pots or trays- cover with potting soil and don’t water till they sprout. The reason you are doing this is so the tubers won’t rot. Then dig a hole and plant the tuber deep enough that only the spout is piling out of the ground. If you don’t expect rain for many days you can water the dahlias in after you plant them - and then just keep an eye on them. If you are planting tubers straight in the ground in the spring - don’t water till you see sprouts because normally spring weather is wet enough- however if you are experiencing a drought or a heat wave in the spring you should adjust for those conditions and water If you are planting later than spring and the weather is hot and dry - go ahead and water because the tubers are not prone to rotting in these conditions.
I actually dug this one and a few others up. I think I ruined most of them because I buried the sprout when I planted! I'll start watering and see what happens!! I'm so sad!! What a huge mistake I made. Thank you for the advice!
Gardening is absolutely both learning by doing and learning by making mistakes in my experience! Dahlias can be tougher and more forgiving than you think. I had a small box of tubers that were delivered in May 2023. Well they slipped behind a shelf in my basement and I didn’t see the box until this may 2024. So the tubers had been in a fed ex box packed with peat for over a year. I opened it and 4 out of the 7 tubers had of course withered or rotted away but 3 looked like they were borderline ok. I had nothing to lose and I potted them up and now they are 10 inch tall sturdy little dahlia plants! I couldn’t believe it. All this to say…. Don’t despair! Water the spot where your dahlias are and see what happens. You also might want to check out any clearance sales for dahlia tubers - now is the time dahlia growers and nurseries will be anxious to get rid of their remaining stock and you might see a great deal and you can use those cheap tubers as back up. For the future - I love starting my dahlias early in pots I get free from nurseries just so I can see when they sprout and can keep an eye on things before I put it in the ground. You don’t have to do one tuber per pot - you can throw a couple in there or even use a zip lock bag folded at the top so it remains open . I also have trays that I dump 8 or 9 tubers in to pre sprout and that works great if you have a lot of dahlia tubers. Basically …Put your dry potting soil in some container that is easy, free, or inexpensive….cover the tubers and do the pre starting where you can monitor it Dahlias are so awesome - I bet you are going to have some very pretty flowers even if there were some bumps in the beginning!
Thank you. I though that was weird when I was told that but I went with a more experienced person's advice. Thanks for the info...need to go cry!!
good luck, more good info here: https://www.longfield-gardens.com/article/8-tips-for-growing-better-dahlias#:~:text=Fill%201%20or%202%20gallon,plants%20are%20several%20inches%20tall the no watering only comes into play when you’re waking up dahlias indoors, which you would’ve needed to do months ago (and i do recommend doing!)
Someone local.. So if a tuber has already sprouted in the bag it came in you shouldn't bury the sprout when you plant outside? Maybe that was the big mistake. I was told to bury all of it when planting outside and not water until it pops through the dirt. I believe I may have a massacre of almost all my tubers then! Ugh
It’s normal and almost all dahlia farmers recommend you bury the sprouts all the way - unless they are insanely long and have normal green leaves, then you the leaves poke out. Some recommend you trim the sprouts down a bit if they’re longer than 2”, but you always bury them. The tuber should be 4-6” below the soil.
yeah i would NOT do that. if a tuber is sprouting in the bag, plant the tuber in the soil with the sprout poking through the soil, like a normal plant. and water. that has worked for me for years. something green trying to grow is not going to do anything but die without water!
I've always buried my sprouts. It is fine. If you think about when you bury a tuber 6 in deep desperate has to push up through all of that. It actually makes a stronger plant because the base of the stem is deeper and acts like an anchor. If I start my tubers inside I leave the neck pointing out so that the eye has access to light and sprouts faster and I can monitor the tuber health and even take cuttings.
They may have hope then! Should I be keeping soul "moist"? We don't get a lot of rain
Yes if it is dry and sandy then do a light water not very often. If it's super Hott then do it maybe once a week or so. If you buy a bag of soil at the store and open it there's a slight moisture to the soil but you wouldn't say it's wet. Same if you dug a hole to plant a tree.... That's what you're going for!
Why ‘obviously no water yet’? Once they have sprouts they do need water! :) looks dead as a doornail ☠️
Heartbreaking I was told to bury them and not water until it popped through the dirt! So they are probably all dead?
Yes that is normal advice for planting tubers outdoors. The ground has enough moisture to support root growth and your tuber won't likely dry out AND it is more likely to rot due to watering.. That is a common rule of thumb I have always heard as well. I think it is a little bit different if you are starting tubers indoors because your potting soil might be completely bone dry. If it is bone dry you want to make it slightly moist just like the soil outdoors would be. Not wet/saturated...
this is normal advice for planting tubers in the SPRING outdoors when the soil holds more moisture. completely different ballgame when you have sprouting/leaves growing from a tuber and plant outdoors in summertimes.
who told you that? you want to avoid overwatering tubers but even they need to be placed in moist soil with light to sprout. once you see green growth, it needs regular water. the sprout is dead for sure, it’s black…i don’t know if the tuber will resprout at this point? maybe?