PROPAGATING DAHLIAS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 235, 3 October 1936, Page 6 (Supplement)

PROPAGATING DAHLIAS.

THREE COMMON WAYS. Of the many ways of propagating dahlias, the three most common are seeds, cuttings, and by division of the roots. The two latter are the methods usually employed when dealing with named varieties, as seed cannot be relied upon to produce blooms similar to the parent. A packet of good seed will usually produce a great variety of colour. Seed sown in spring will produce plants that will bloom well the same season, and as there is always the possibility of raising a- unique and original variety a few seedlings are always an interesting item. The seed should be sown in a box of sandy soil. Sow thinly and cover the seeds lightly with fine soil. Cover the box with a pane of glass if it has to be outside; if a frame or greenhouse is available this is unnecessary. When the seedlings are in their second leaf they should be pricked out into other boxes, and as soon as large enough they should be planted out. Planting' out should not be done before November. To obtain cuttings, tubers that have been stored during the winter should be partly buried in boxes of light soil. If the boxes are placed in a greenhouse, frame, or warm position outside they will soon start into growth, and a number of shoots will be produced. Cuttings need not be more than three or four inches long. Cuttings may be taken with or without a heel. Those taken with a heel or small portion of the tuber attached, root better than those taken and prepared in the ordinary way. It should be remembered that if a portion of the tuber is removed with the cutting no more growths will be produced from that point. Therefore, if a lot of cuttings are required from the same tuber the cuttings must be taken with heels. A compost, consisting of very sandy soil, will be necessary to root the cuttings in. Two or three cuttings should be put round the sides of a fourinch pot. After inserting the cuttings they should be well watered, and then put into a frame or box covered with glass, and kept shaded and close until rooted. Allow a little air each morning for an hour or so to prevent damping, and in about three weeks they should be rooted. When this occurs more air should be allowed every day until the