If you’ve been following along with us this growing season, you know that I’m planting a lot of new dahlia varieties this year. In that, I’ve invest quite a bit of money and definitely want to make the most of it. Taking cuttings from tubers is an easy way to do this.
Here’s an assortment of four different cuttings that I took this season. You can see that they range quite a bit in terms of length and size. 
Here’s a closer look. You’ll notice those two green bits sticking up from each side of the stem just above where we made the cut. 
Ideally, cuttings should be taken anytime before the stem becomes hollow. Though a hollow stem is not ideal for cutting, I’ve definitely had them take root anyway. 
Here’s a rooted cutting from my garden that was taken about two weeks ago. As you can see, the roots aren’t very big yet. However, we’re well on our way to having a new plant. 
Always make the cut just below a set of leaves, as I’ve done above. Also, be sure to clean your snips between each plant – just in case one of them is virused.
I usually don’t get around to taking cuttings until my plants are rather large. I’ve always had good results this way, but sooner is often better than later. 
After taking the cutting and removing the bottom leaves carefully, all I have to do is push the stem into a tray filled with moist potting mix. If the leaves are large, you can cut them in half so that the plant does not lose as much water. Cuttings can be placed in an old milk jug used as a greenhouse, an unheated low tunnel, or a warm spot with high humidity.
Thanks for showing how to do this!