Hi All,

Do any of you have an opinion or experience in starting tubers in Flats vs individual Pots?

I can't plant in the ground for another month, and have quite a few to get started. (Let's be honest, "a LOT") The majority are showing some growth.

If I use flats, will I damage them when I go to plant them. Is it easy to remove them from the flats and plant? It sure would save me some time and potting medium, but I value their survival and want them to thrive above all else.

I used to start mine in flat trays but it seemed I was constantly misting to keep the soil and tubers from drying out. The only slight "damage" I had was the roots sometimes tangling together. So I placed them head-to-toe in the trays to keep the roots on opposite ends. I now start most of mine in gallon zip locks with potting mix. Most of the mix I buy is already damp enough without having to add any water. Seems to me that being enclosed in the bags creates a bit of humidity that starts growth faster. But I'd encourage being very frugal with water to avoid mold inside the bags. I hope to start putting those with sprouts into planters this coming week.

I forgot to ask ... are the big red flowers in your photo Nick Sr.?

Yes they are ... but I didn't grow them. I took that photo at an open house for a local Dahlia Farm.

Nick Sr. was one of my favorite dahlias. I grew it for several years but lost all the tubers to shriveling one winter. Since then, I have ordered from 3 different suppliers and by some strange coincidence, all three were mislabeled. I bought another one this spring and if it's mislabeled, I give up. Fingers are crossed!

This photo is from 4-5 years ago. I love the way the petals curl over to show the lighter colored underside.

Dan, before giving up, try https://summerdreamsfarm.com/
Get on their mailing list or follow them on FB to find out when they start selling again. They sell out fast so don't hesitate.

That is where I took the photos. They only sell tubers that they have grown themselves and know are truly the variety promised.

I have received my share of mislabeled clumps when buying the packaged ones from Walmart, Home Depot, etc. But the ones I mentioned earlier came from suppliers who grow their own. I guess this can occasionally happen anywhere. The Nick Sr. I bought recently came from Lefari. They are resellers so the clumps might be imported, but they have good reviews. I'll plant it and hope for the best. My vendor's list keeps getting shorter.

I'm pretty sure I was on Summer Dream's mailing list at one time. I never ordered from there so maybe they dropped me from their list. I order a lot of tubers and with S&H charges being so high, I tend to order from the suppliers that have the most of what I want. I'm trying to wean myself from thinking there is a variety or varieties I "have to have" and pay shipping costs for only 1 or 2 tubers. One of my favorite sellers is Clack's Dahlia Patch.

I vote for pots. I plant them when they show growth and weather permits. I keep them huddled on my patio for ease of covering if frost threatens. Also the black pots (gallon size) absorb the Spring heat.

My first...I put it in a pot because I thought I could take care of it better. One sprouted. The other just slow? A friend gave me these from some she purchased. Red and white peppermint colors. (Hopefully)

Update: I went with trays, mainly because I had them and it took less time and potting medium. I put some potting medium in the trays, laid the tubers in them and then covered them up with more potting medium. (I use plastic pot markers to keep the names marked). The trays had no drainage, so I didn't water them, just put them on a rack in our barn until planting time.

When I went to plant them most had roots with some hint of growth to a few inches.

Bottom line, it worked, but I'd sure would have liked to give them more of a head start. Maybe next year I will have some kind of hoop house set up.