Forgive me, Tomlinson, as I don't know how experienced you are. I am going to assume a second or third year enthusiast, as you seem to understand about cuttings. I will also assume that you are providing enough artificial light and have them bedded down in a moist good quality potting mix.

Typically the first cutting from any given eye will be thick. Once cut off, three or four new skinnier sprouts will come from around that cut stub you left on the tuber head within a week. (The thickest primary sprouts are often on the giant sized varieties.)

The are two possibilities of what's happening to your cuttings: it could be the naturally skinner secondary sprouts, or the tuber is exhausting its resources because it is a small/skinny tuber or it's rotting inside.

Without seeing and feeling the tuber, it's hard to know if the second possibility is what is going on. It is quite amazing, truth be told, how the skinniest, shortest cuttings can actually turn into good plants with the proper care.

I'm going to address the first possibility in a bit more depth, hopeful that this info will be more helpful then confusing.

It is the experience of many growers that the first sprout takes the longest to 'strike,' or root. Often the other sprouts cut afterwards will root first!

Some US show growers believe the best plant for show comes from that first thick sprout left on the tuber. Others, especially in the UK, believe that the secondary sprouts do better as cuttings for show then any tuber plant. Some UK growers advise in cutting/tossing the first sprout while still small, in fact, so you can get more sprouts from the tuber quicker. Obviously, there is a difference of opinion here, with no clear proof. My humble opinion is that a master grower can make anything with a spark of life into a magnificent plant: It comes down to personal preferences.

Hope this helps. If I am off base, please post images so we can help more effectively.

Cheers!

CC

Not off base in the slightest! Everything you said was super helpful. I probably get concerned about my dahlias more than I need to so it's just good to have peace of mind and know whether I should be snipping out weak sprouts and let new ones form or not (as now is the time for me to be planting out and I want them as far ahead as possible.)

I am a new dahlia grower indeed, this will be my second year and I am getting up around 300 plants now (including some huge cuttings I have had growing for a while). I have lots of space so am hoping to double the load next year so any information people are able to give me in greatly appreciated.

I think given your tips I will leave them alone and see what happens :) If they seem not to grow over the next few weeks I will let them start over!

Thanks so much for getting back to me and for all of the valuable and interesting facts!

Have a great growing season :)
Cody

Cody, just a thought... It might be better for your immature cuttings (that have rooted but are very small) to plant them IN THEIR POT into the ground. Make sure they get the premium spots that will be watered well, as they can't take in as much water through the pot from the surrounding soil. Even a 4 inch pot IN the ground will allow the plant to reach full size, and bloom while protecting it somewhat from the ravishes of pests. Even better, digging it out is a breeze at the end of the season, and you can leave it (dry) in the pot during storage. Next season these pot roots will give you lots of cuttings.

Try a few for kicks, and see what you think next spring. I'll be doing quite a few of these this way, especially on those varieties hard to keep overwinter.