One of the most common Q’s we receive about our tissue culture rooted cuttings is, “Will they grow a tuber clump in the first season?” Here is your answer! In October 2024, from the thousands of our own rooted cuttings that we planted here at the farm, we are getting lovely, healthy tubers.
Bloomquist Dave was the very first of our rooted cuttings-planted dahlias we dug up this fall. And what a big tuber clump we found!
This clump is larger than what we’d expect from one season of growth from a rooted cutting, but given the vigor we know and love from BLQ Dave, it’s not a complete surprise.
These KA’s™ Keltie Rose tissue culture rooted cuttings have been in the ground since May. Now it’s October and here’s how they grew!
Bloomquist Philly was the third of our rooted cuttings-planted dahlias we dug up this fall. (See our “RootedCuttings” highlight bubble for footage of the first two.)
This clump is just about exactly what we’d expect from a rooted cutting after one season’s growth in our fields. It’s grown substantially from the baby cluster of fibrous roots ???? we planted in spring, but it isn’t made up of large tubers like a tuber-grown clump ???? would be. Sometimes (especially on the row-ends), our rooted cuttings-grown clumps are larger than this, and sometimes (especially when they’re extra-shaded, grown too dry, or grown in compacted soil), they are smaller. Summer growing conditions significantly affect tuber production. ☀️????