Dahlia

Advantages of Growing Dahlias from Seed

Dahlias are commonly propagated from tubers. The tubers are planted in spring, and because dahlias are frost-sensitive; they must be dug in the fall to ensure viability for the next growing season. The dug tubers are dried and then stored for the winter in a cool, dark location before being re-planted the following spring.

Growing from seed instead of tubers offers several advantages, particularly for the home gardener or anyone without adequate space to store tubers for the winter. These include:

• More affordable option than tubers: seeds are significantly cheaper than buying tubers each year.
• Easy to grow: under normal to optimal conditions, seeds germinate readily, and plants grow quickly.
• Less labor intensive: there is no need to dig, cure, and store tubers.

Growing Dahlias From Seed

Refer to our Dahlia Key Growing Information for the essentials of growing dahlias from seed including: germination, timing, plant spacing, and harvest. We recommend that you start your dahlia seeds indoors and transplant out. However, direct seeding is also an option.

Harvest Window

At our Zone 5 Research Farm, plants bloom continuously from mid-July until the first hard frost.

Bloom Quality

Double blooms in varieties produced from seed are generally not as fully double as those of named varieties maintained and propagated by tubers, which have been specially selected for numerous and dense petals, among other desirable traits. However, we are never disappointed with the radiant mix of colors and the single, semidouble, and fully double blooms of our ‘Giant Hybrid Mix’ Dahlia seed.

Saving Tubers

Plants propagated from seeds will produce tubers that can be saved, stored, and planted out the following spring. For more information, refer to our Dahlia Key Growing Information.