When are dahlia tubers available for sale?

Tubers will be available for sale in late early spring. Until then they will be shown as ‘out of stock’ in the online store. You can be the first to know about when tubers will be on sale by signing up to receive news at the bottom of the homepage.

Where can you ship?

Shipping is available to all areas in Australia with the exception of Western Australia, Northern Territory and Tasmania due to biosecurity rules. If you purchase tubers with a shipping address in one of these states/territories, your order will be refunded.

How and when will my tubers arrive?

Tubers will be dispatched when there is a visible eye or shoot. There will likely be a gap between the purchase of tubers and shipping, as we want to make sure that you are receiving a viable tuber (a tuber that, with the right conditions, will grow). An eye is a swollen lump on the crown where the first shoot comes from. Eyes and shoots are different things: some tubers may be sent with a shoot, some with an eye. If a tuber has either a visible eye or a shoot, it is viable.

Tubers are sent in brown paper bags in storage medium, usually coir or sawdust. On arrival, open the box and bags and check the tubers to make sure that the tubers are still firm, and that the neck and crown of the tuber is firm too. If a shoot has snapped off during transit, don’t worry - this often happens and the tuber will send up another shoot from that eye. If it is too early to plant in your region, you can either transfer tubers into your own storage medium, or keep them in the bag in a cool place and check regularly.

Subtropical climates: plant late August to late December

Warm and temperate climates: after the last frost date, usually October/early November to late December. You can start them in pots about a month earlier in a greenhouse though, and plant them out once frost risk has passed.

Tubers can be planted in January but doing so means you won’t get to enjoy the flowers for long before frost or lower sunlight lessening flower quality.

How should tubers be planted?

Tubers are planted horizontally with the shoot/eye facing upwards if you can see it. Not to worry if not, the shoot will find it’s way to the light! Cover with a few inches of slightly damp soil/compost/potting mix and wait for a shoot to appear above the soil - this can taken a few weeks. Once the shoot is a few inches above the soil you can start watering as roots will have formed. Tubers contain the energy needed for a plant to shoot so unless you have very dry soil, there’s no need to water until the shoots appear as the tuber won’t be able to drink any of it - some moisture and warmth are needed to get the shoot growing though.

‘Pre-sprouting’ tubers has become popular recently but it is not necessary unless you need to know whether a tuber is viable before planting it in a garden bed. It won’t however reduce the chance of the tuber rotting from over-watering until the tuber starts to grow roots - which can be a few weeks after you see a shoot, given the tuber will use its stored energy supply before seeking energy in the soil via growing roots.

What fertiliser should I use?

At planting time or when you see shoots pop, add a pellet fertiliser and re-apply every 6 weeks or use liquid fertiliser as per the label every fortnight. For pellet fertilisers, I use Nutri-Tech Solutions Life Force Gold pellets or Neutrog’s Rooster Booster pellets. A very high quality liquid fertiliser for dahlias is Unknown Growth Factor by Natural Growth Institute - it is quite expensive though so I use it on plants that clearly need extra TLC, like some large decoratives that can be very hungry. Neutrog and Nutri-Tech also do great liquid fertilisers. They can be found online or in Bunnings and your local rural store respectively.

What should I do if there’s an issue with my tubers? What’s your refund/returns policy?

Issues on arrival: I always endeavour to send tubers that are viable: firm, intact and with an eye or sprout. If there’s an issue with your tubers on arrival, please contact me within 48 hours of receiving them at bluegumvalleyfarm@gmail.com. If you do not inspect your tubers on arrival and contact me within this timeframe to discuss an issue, I cannot take responsibility for their condition.

Please note: if there is an issue with a tuber on arrival (such as damage during postage), I can only offer a refund, not a replacement.

The tuber was not what I bought or was expecting: I pride myself on an accurate system of labelling, dividing and sending. In the very unlikely occasion that a plant isn’t what you ordered or expected, please contact me at bluegumvalleyfarm@gmail.com with photos so I can investigate and make it right where needed. If I deem the tuber to be viable (for example, if it has an eye), I can’t process a refund without the tuber being returned to me at the buyer’s expense.

My tuber didn't grow: When you receive firm tubers with eyes/shoots (viable tubers), you assume responsibility for their success in your climate and growing conditions. The most common reason tubers don’t grow is due to rot from overwatering, which sellers cannot take responsibility for. Tubers can be sensitive to wet conditions before they have an established root system, so especially if you are growing them in pots you should be careful to not overwater. Purchasing a water meter from your local garden/hardware store (usually $15-20) can help to prevent this.

My plant looks unhealthy: I make every effort to only grow healthy plants and remove those that are suspected of virus. If a plant is underperforming, first look at its environment to make sure it is getting enough food, water and sun, and that the soil is healthy. Unfortunately some viruses can lay dormant in dahlias and only show symptoms at times of stress (such as poor soil, pest pressure or low/too much water) or be transmitted by thousands of other carrying species once they arrive in one’s garden. For this reason, I am unable to refund plants that don’t thrive. If you are finding a significant number of plants are showing signs of stress or disease, you likely have an environmental issue such as low nutrient soil, incorrect pH or pest pressure which needs to be rectified in order to achieve healthy growth.

What’s up with the quantity limits?

Some cultivars are limited to one or two per person/household because they are in high demand. It is important to me to make sure that as many people as possible enjoy beautiful dahlias, so I reserve the right to cancel the orders of those who attempt to circumvent this rule - for example by ordering under different names.