6 Methods for Germinating Dahlia Flower Seeds

6 Methods for Germinating Dahlia Flower Seeds

Dahlia flowers are one of the most beautiful and ornamental flowers you can grow in your home or garden. The vibrant colors, wide variety of shapes and sizes, and strong aroma are all reasons to have dahlias in your life! If you’re interested in growing dahlias, but don’t know where to start, here are 6 methods that will help you germinate dahlia flower seeds, so you can grow colorful blooms in your garden

6 Methods for Germinating Dahlia Flower Seeds

1) Soaking the seeds
This is one of two methods you can use if your seed packets didn’t come with instructions on how to germinate. To soak dahlia seeds, fill a container with warm water and place your seeds in it. They will float at first, but eventually they will all fall to the bottom of the container where they can absorb water and germinate. Soak your seeds for 24 hours before moving onto another method. If you don’t see signs of growth after a day or two, try moving on to another method. There are lots of them! You can always come back to soaked dahlia flower seeds later if you wish.

2) To sprout or not to sprout
The first thing you have to do when growing dahlias from seed is decide whether or not you want to sprout them. In some cases, dahlia seeds can be planted directly into moist soil. In other cases, however, it’s preferable to wait until after they have germinated before planting them outdoors or in containers. Here are a few different methods of growing dahlias from seed

3) The water method
Place your dahlia flower seeds in a shallow bowl of water. Place it in direct sunlight, making sure that it does not overheat. Make sure to change out all of the water every few days, and watch as your dahlia flower seed sprouts!

6 Methods for Germinating Dahlia Flower Seeds

4) The toothpick method
I think it’s fair to say that most people who have grown dahlias from seed at some point in their lives started them using toothpicks. This is one of my favorite methods because it’s easy and inexpensive, but also very reliable. To do it, you simply soak your seeds overnight, then plant them by pressing each seed onto a toothpick (dahlia or otherwise). Then cover with a moist paper towel.

6 Methods for Germinating Dahlia Flower Seeds

5) Direct sow into pots
Sow seeds directly into six-inch pots when your area has experienced its last frost. Your dahlia seedlings will require at least 14 hours of sunlight daily and moderate water to germinate. After three weeks, transplant your little dahlias outdoors to a sunny location once all chance of frost has passed. Alternatively, use a flowerbed or raised bed and plant three to four seeds per pot in early spring, approximately eight weeks before your last average frost date. Water regularly until they germinate. Once sprouted, thin out extra plants so only one or two remain in each pot.

6) Propagation pods
These inexpensive little pods are used to propagate dahlias (and other flowers) from seed. Each pod has six compartments, into which you can sow two seeds each. Once your germination pod is filled with seeds, it’s placed on a soil-filled tray in a warm location, such as on top of your refrigerator. The next step is waiting—but not too long: ideally, you’ll start seeing germination within one to two weeks after sowing. Just remember to keep an eye on your new dahlia plants because they need plenty of sunlight when they’re growing. These hardy flowers can be planted outside as soon as soil temperatures reach 75 degrees F (23 C)

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