Dahlia tubers tend to be fairly sensitive, if you plant a couple that are dead or dying then you will be disappointed when they don’t even sprout. Usually, Dahlia tubers tend to die during the wintertime, although storing them is relatively easy but far too often small mistakes can kill off the tubers. Generally speaking, the two main causes of Dahlia tubers dying is too much or too little water, they either rot or dry out.
To determine if a Dahlia tuber is dead, you can rely on a few indicators. Firstly, check for any foul odor emanating from the plant. A strong, unpleasant smell is a clear indication of non-viability. Additionally, observe the texture of the tubers. A dead Dahlia tuber plant will lose its firmness and become soft and squishy. If you notice fungal mold on the surface of the tubers, this is another sign of their demise.
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Even if you live in a Hardiness Zone where you can overwinter your Dahlias in the garden, some of the tubers will still die. This is a natural process of the plant, some tubers simply die off and this lets the new ones grow and take the place of the old ones. Store bought Dahlia tubers tend to have a higher rate of being dead than the ones you harvest from your garden, provided that you were able to grow Dahlias successfully.
Although Dahlia tubers will survive for a relatively long time if they are stored correctly, but they do have an expiry date. Old Dahlia tubers that have been sitting on a shelf somewhere for months or even years are less likely to be actually alive. If your Dahlia tubers are not sprouting then check out my recent article Dahlias Not Sprouting ( Top 6 Reasons ).
How To Tell If Dahlia Tubers Are Dead?
To determine if dahlia tubers are dead or viable, there are a few signs to look for. Start by inspecting the tubers for any visible signs of rot, mold, or softness. Healthy tubers should be firm and free of any mushy or discolored areas. Next, check for the presence of healthy eyes or buds, which are small growth points on the tubers. If the tubers have viable eyes, they are likely still alive. You can gently press your fingers against the tubers to feel for any firmness or signs of life.
Finally, if you’re unsure about the viability of the tubers, you can perform a simple sprouting test by placing them in a warm and slightly moist environment. If after a few weeks, there is no growth or signs of sprouting, it’s likely that the tubers are no longer viable and should be discarded.
Foul Smelling Dahlia Tubers
The first thing that you need to do when buying Dahlia tubers is to actually smell them. If they have a foul smell to them, then they are definitely rotten, so in the best-case scenario, they will be good only for the compost pile. If you find a big clump of tubers and most of them look healthy but they have a slight smell to them then do not buy them, odds are that most of the tubers have already started to rot away.
If you are purchasing them online, then you should do the same, and if they smell bad then simply return them and ask for a replacement. If you want to know how long it takes for Dahlias to sprout then check out my recent article How Long For Dahlias To Sprout? ( Weeks Or Months? ).
Mushy Dahlia Tubers
One of the tell-tale signs that the Dahlia tubers are dead is that they are soft and mushy. Oftentimes this also comes with a foul smell but this might not be always the case. Soft or mushy Dahlia tubers are a result of two things, the tubers are either rotten or damaged. A lot of people squeeze the Dahlia tubers before they buy them, which is a good idea, if they are firm then they are good and if they are soft then they have gone bad.
The problem is that some people squeeze them way too hard, or the same Dahlia tubers have been already squeezed by way too many people which has damaged the tubers. Although some of these soft tubers can recover, but it is a gamble, on the other hand, mushy tubers are definitely dead.
Dried Out Dahlia Tubers
Dahlia tubers should have a nice full shape, if they look wrinkled and dried out then they are dead. Usually, this tends to happen for smaller Dahlia tubers, as they do not have a long shelf life. If you find a nice clump of Dahlia tubers, but a few of them are dried out then the healthy looking ones should still sprout. Although if some of the tubers are dried out then this usually means that they have been sitting in storage for way too long or that they have not been stored correctly.
In certain cases, these dried out Dahlia tubers can be revived but only as long as they are not completely dried out. If the tubers are large but have started to develop a couple of wrinkles then they should be able to bounce back once they are planted and watered.
Moldy Dahlia Tubers
If there is mold growing on the Dahlia tubers then they are definitely dead or at least dying. There is no way of saving moldy tubers so you should throw them away as soon as possible. This usually tends to happen if they are not stored correctly, either the environment was too humid or they have simply frozen during the winter. One moldy Dahlia tuber can infect the healthy ones, and these molds will suck the life out of the tubers, so make sure to throw the sick ones out.
Damaged Dahlia Tubers
When you are digging up your Dahlia tubers you might accidentally damage some of them. There is no point in keeping them and hoping that they will recover from the damage, the odds of this are really low. Even if the damaged tubers survive you will find that the plants that are growing from them will be relatively small, and the odds are that they will not flower for a really long time. Damaging Dahlia tubers can easily occur when you are dividing them, but if you have done the diving at the correct time then you should have plenty of tubers.
Dahlia Tubers That Do Not Sprout In 3 Months Are Dead
Dahlia tubers usually sprout in 2-4 weeks, although if the soil conditions are not ideal this sprouting process can take longer. With that being said, if you planted your Dahlias 3 months ago and they have not even sprouted then they are most likely dead. There are plenty of healthy-looking tubers that for one reason or another simply die off, either while in storage or after being planted, and the bad news is that they do not have any visible signs that they are sick or dying.
Dud Dahlia Tubers Are Fairly Common
It is fairly common to have a couple of dud Dahlia tubers, these tend to look healthy, have no smell, and are firm to the touch yet for some reason they do not even sprout. This can be extremely discouraging for people who just try out Dahlias for the first time and for no reason they do not grow. It has happened to me, out of 11 Dahlia tubers only two came up. Usually, this tends to happen when you buy them at a massive discount, companies will sell them off without even making a profit if they have ordered way too many.
Other companies will buy them in bulk and try to make a nice profit. When the tubers arrive at your home they might have been in storage for years, and transported across the country several times, even during the winter.
Key Takeaways
- You can tell if the Dahlia tubers are dead by smelling them, a foul smell is a clear indication that the tubers are rotting. Soft and mushy tubers are either damaged or rotten, so they are definitely dead. In addition to this, if the tubers are dry and wrinkly or they have some kind of mold growing on them then they are dead. Dud Dahlia tubers are the ones that look healthy but are actually dead, these will never sprout and usually just rot away in the soil.
- Dead Dahlia tubers are usually a result of poor storage conditions or damage.
- If you can overwinter your Dahlias in the ground then it is still a good idea to dig them out once every 2-4 years to check on the tubers and to divide them.
- Some Dahlia tubers can be duds, these tend to look healthy but once planted they never actually sprout.