Growing Dahlias from Seed

Growing Dahlias from Seed

This method was suggested by Marie Uren

1. Collect pointed pods from your garden in autumn

2. Place in a vase with no water and allow to dry indoors until September.

3. In September, your pods will be dried out, break them apart and find your seeds.

4. Purchase some old-fashioned blotting paper.

5. Cut a piece off about A4 size and moisten it with warm water.

6. Drain it off and then sprinkle some seeds on half of it.

7. Fold the other half over to cover the seeds.

8. Now roll up and tie each end of the roll with a rubber band.

9. Place roll in preserving jar.

10. Place a plastic bag over the mouth of the jar and put a rubber band around that.

11. Leave in a warm place but not in direct sunlight for four days.

12. Now start checking for your little two-leaf seedlings.

13. You will need to carefully unwrap the roll and gently prick out each germinated seed into a tray of potting mix. Each seed will have two tiny leaves and a long tap root that sometimes burrows into the blotting paper. When you remove them, be careful to keep the leaves and roots intact. If you break off the tap root, it will die. 

14. Keep doing this process each day for the next ten days and by then you should have a lovely lot of tiny plants. 

15. Place a tray of seedlings in a warm situation and plant them out into their new home when they get to about 5 or 6 inches high and the weather is warm enough for them.