What to do with non-flowering and small dahlias?

[quince2figs]

I have lots of new dahlias grown in pots this year. Despite being potted early on, and thriving, there have been very few flowers. Plants still v healthy and large, and some buds forming - reluctantly!
Can I expect more flowers at this point?
I’ll grow in the ground next year as suspect despite efforts they needed more food/water/space.

Also, took cuttings from all the plants (again early on), which were v slow to get going, but eventually thrived. Are now healthy (leaves only, never any buds) and approx 8-10 inches in height in small pots. Good root system and tiny tubers. Clearly it’s the wrong time in the year for them - can they be trimmed of shoots in a few weeks and over-wintered? Worried that without a decent tuber they won’t survive. Are they destined for the compost heap??

Apparently it’s best to wait until the first frost before cutting down and storing the tubers (another dahlia novice here) . So that is what I am going to do, I was actually pleased with one of my plants -until I saw the shoulder high ones Monty Don had- but the other , yea I only had two , was a disappointment,. Like you I think I underestimated their need for space and water, though I did feed them. Next year I will do better. I am going to overwinter mine in my shed in a rather nice Jo Malone candle box with some newspaper. Though I am not sure if I need to put holes in the box or not.....

Thanks! Also saw Monty’s shoulder-height dahlias with dismay...!
Have overwintered before in some vermiculite/perlite - found that some still rotted or were nibbled by mice etc. From what I’ve read, occupational hazard of lifting tubers, but less risky than leaving in ground if you are in a cold/wet area.

Any advice on what to do with the mini plants now would be be appreciated from any dahlia experts?

My Mum grew beautiful dalia's. She used to dig them up, trim them down and if a lot of tubours she would split them into two by using two garden forks and put them in middle back to back and pull. She would turn them upside down and store in shed in a box with paper scrunched up on top, then old blankets. They don't like the frost. No need to water them over winter, let them dry out. Then in spring, soak them with just the roots in a bucket of water overnight, about 4 inches, before planting. Plant with water. My Mum put slug pellets around hers to protect them as slugs love to eat the early green shoots. She had the same plants for over 20 years and they grew larger tubours each year. I think she split them every other year. They are easy to grow and make a bright garden show and can be cut for the house too.

Thanks - it sounds like your Mum was a fantastic gardener. Tips noted!

Some of my dahlias are six foot. 😍 they are special varieties though.

I leave half in the ground and lift half. The ones that I leave always come back, I mulch them well and they are in free draining soil. ( dahlias can rot)
If you lift them, ( after two frosts)they flower earlier, but you do need to be careful with them.

I've overwintered dahlias for the past few years. I leave them in pots outside until frost, after which they look like they've been gone over with a blowtorch. Take off all the black foliage and I put them in their pots in the greenhouse until I have time to lift them and let them dry off, although a better person than me would do them straight away. I keep them above freezing in the greenhouse on a dark shelf and dry but not packed in anything over winter, then when Monty reminds me I pot them up again.

Your tiddlers from this year may or may not survive. If you split tubers every bit has to have an 'eye' or it won't grow - odd loose tubers don't work.

Mine are lovely, lush and green but never flower as much or get as big as Montys because my pots aren't as big and I don't remember to feed them religiously every week. In fact next year most are going in the ground at my allotment to take their chances there.

I used to leave all my dahlias in the ground overwinter (Cornwall) and accepted occasional losses. The downside for me is that they are so slow to get going the following year. Now I lift them November-ish, shake off the soil and let them dry out for a week or so. Then I repot them in generous pots using fresh compost, but not watered. They sit in the poly tunnel until March then I start watering them and they come to life nice and early. I plant them out again in May and they do well. Can’t say they are as tall as Monty’s, but they are respectable. This works well if your garden like mine is over planted, and everything has to compete.

The other advantage is that its easy to take basal cuttings as they sprout, and there is time for these cuttings to perform well.

Here’s a couple of mine..
The pink and cream ones are huge❤️
The red ones are a shorter variety in my cutting bed.
I love them.
Still doing well for the end of October.

Sorry - just reread your post and realized I’d missed the point. When Ive grown dahlias in pots they need generous food water and sunshine to keep looking lush. Early cuttings treated well usually make enough of a tuber to overwinter, but I’ve found some of the smaller tubers, despite looking firm and healthy, fail to sprout the following year

Thanks all. Has anyone else had experience of having rooted cuttings at this time of year with minimal tuber?