Photos here as I can’t seem to add them to the original post.

OMG, that is quite the clump lol! After reading the subject line I was going to post that you could cut it into four quarters down the stem, but then I saw the picture haha! I'm not a dahlia expert, but I think you may have to sacrifice some of those tubers to get that thing apart! I don't see any other way around it, really.

You could wait till spring, and yes, the eyes would be more apparent, but I don't know that that would make it any easier to do the actual separation of those tubers.

I might suggest you post this to another forum - perhaps perennials and a forum local to wherever you are. There's not a lot of traffic on this forum, unfortunately.

That must have been one amazing plant! I can only imagine the blooms you got!

:)
Dee

Thank you, Dee! I’ll try the perennial forum as well! I agree there’s no way around losing some tubers, I just hope I don’t do anything that causes me to lose all all of them.
It is a gorgeous flower and I can’t wait to add more dahlias to my garden next spring! I don't have an ID, but it's a beautiful maroon color decorative.
Thank you again!

I wonder if that might be a Karma Choc dahlia. Like I said, I'm kind of a beginner, only seriously growing dahlias the last couple of years, but that was what I first thought of when I saw your photo.

Good luck with your separating. I don't think I'll ever grumble about separating my tubers again lol!

:)
Dee

@digger grandad Oh wow, amazing! I think you're right! It definitely looks like Karma Choc Dahlia and has a slight chocolatey fragrance when in bloom!! Thank you so much! :D

“ .....didn't realize it was necessary to dig up and divide the tubers.....”

You've done it now but if the plant was performing well I wouldn’t say it was feeling ‘neglected’😉. That clump is actually fairly standard sized for a healthy plant. For most garden jobs there’s no ‘necessary’ unless the plants start telling you they need something. Pruning and feeding are two classic examples where people think they must intervene because of some ‘rule’ when there’s no need. Once you’ve replanted the tubers don’t feel that you have to do anything to them again until the blooming looks like it’s starting to decline. You only really need to dig and divide if you want more plants. The dahlias are obviously very happy in your garden if they increase and overwinter in the ground unscathed. But now it’s done split them in the spring when you can see the eyes.

Since the OP lives in a climate where dahlias can safely be left in the ground over winter I still don’t think it’s necessary to lift them every year.

Omg linaria, I can barely see the eyes when I have the tubers in my hands, inches from my face as I squint! And you can see them in a photo? LOL! That's awesome.

Thanks for the link to the video. I've been overwintering dahlias for about five years and still feel a bit intimidated by the task of dividing, so I'm always on the lookout for articles and especially videos on how to divide and store (lots of differing opinions out there!). It does get easier each year.

Rosecestlavie, you're welcome for the (possible) ID. I can't take too much credit though - Karma Choc is one of the more popular, well-known varieties so it was more of an educated guess lol. Let us know how things work out!

:)
Dee

in my MI ... i HAVE TO DIG AND STORE THEM for winter.. because of my ground freeze ... im kinda surprised that you need to do that in z9 ... but im to lazy to look if up ... so the idea is.. when youre doing your own research ... is to try to find info that is more specific to your zone ... or even better a join a local garden club.. and find out from your new friends ...

that said ... many vigorous perennials.. need to be dug up every few years ... just to basically ... rejuvenate them ... the centers can get so congested that water and air cant move properly thru ... and eventually.. after many years.. you end up with a fairy ring or dead material.. and the live plant all around ... so you dig it all up.. remove the dead stuff.. and replant the vigorous young plants from the edge ....

now.. with this beast .. set it in shade for a week or so ... they are tubors.. basically like a potato ... lets it dry and shrink a bit ... and it might just show you how ans where to start breaking it apart ...

it is said.. to pull things apart.. rather than going in there with a chainsaw. or knife.. or ax ... plants tend to break apart so you dont end up cutting thru good material ... which might end up rotting and causing different problems ...

you might go as far as just throwing it around the yard ... its good stress relief ... lol .. until it starts breaking up .. i was once told by a hosta guru.. to just beat a clump of hosta roots against a tree ... until it broke up ... he claimed it released growth hormones in response to the stress ... ok ... lol .. regardless.. i never lost any form such ...

dont make this more complicated than need be ... and dont worry about it ... you might only have a couple hundred viable tubers there ,.. when it boils down.. so what if you lose 90 .. lol ... most of us wouldnt have room for that many anyway ...

ken

ps: if you do have more than you can use ... you can gift them to your new club friends ... between garden tours and trading plants.. thats the whole point of the club ....

I'm with floral on this. In climates where dahlia tubers can be left in situ over winter, there is no reason to dig and divide on any kind of schedule. They can be left in place for a number of years and I also would not consider the OP's clump overly large. Looks very typical for an established dahlia, IMO.

I live in an area where there are many small dahlia 'farms' that sell them as cut flowers both retail and wholesale. The only time they dig and divide is when they want to increase their crop, otherwise they are left in place indefinitely.

Here in New England, if a dahlia is dug up each year, (and they need to be as they rarely overwinter in the ground) there is no way that is a "typical" clump LOL!! Maybe for you lucky gardeners in the PNW or warmer zones, but not here. My biggest clump is about a third that size, with two stems at most, and those big clumps of mine are the ones where, in despair of finding eyes and figuring out where to divide, I would replant the whole clump in spring, which of course would then multiply and be even bigger when dug up in fall.

I understand what everyone is saying when they say it does not need to be dug up each year in zone 9, and honestly, if I lived there, I wouldn't dig up because IMO it's a PITA. However, my sincere question is, is it better to go ahead and dig up each year, (or maybe every two years) when the separating is easier? Kind of a preventative against these large intimidating clumps that form after say, five years and then need dividing? Just a theoretical question on my part, as I still have to continue to dig yearly or buy new tubers each year.

Ken, I'm not sure if dahlias can compare to hostas in the durability and toughness arenas. Personally, I am always concerned that one of those dangling tubers will break off the main stem without a piece of the neck, making it useless. I don't know if this is a valid concern, and maybe I'm being overcautious with my tubers... But I just remembered, a wise man once told me "don't let your tubers rule your life" LOLOL!!

:)
Dee

I woke up to your replies and am really enjoying them! Thank you all for sharing your suggestions and wisdom!

@floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK Yes! As the saying goes, don't fix it if it's not broken and nature rarely breaks on its own. Now I literally have to break it to fix it after digging it up! LOL

@linaria_gw Amazing! To echo @diggerdee zone 6 CT, I can't even spot the eyes with the tubers in my possession and you've managed to identify them by photo. Thank you so much for the visual aid and the Dahliaguy video, they were so helpful! I'm feeling much more confident that I can get some good viable fingers out of my clump.

@diggerdee zone 6 CT My dahlia definitely matches the description online of Karma Choc and now hearing that it's a popular variety makes me think it's even more likely to be it! I wouldn't have figured it out on my own, and am relieved to have a possible ID in case I lose my dahlia.

@ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5 Your reply made me laugh! I admit I considered throwing it out of a 2 story window to let gravity, and natural selection sort it out. And as you said, to relieve some stress. LOL I will attempt to move a few of the fingers Linaria marked up, and try your suggestion to leave the rest of the clump in the shade to shrink a bit. I did dig it up this year with the intent to share, and would be thrilled if I could get even 20 viable tubers out of this.. All I need is one (maybe two, since I'm a novice)! :-)

@garden kb We're in the same zone, so I feel better hearing this is normal! I did dig it up this year in part to share tubers with friends and neighbors who asked for them. I was starting to feel like quite the neighborhood dahlia expert from the compliments I received on my flowers! That was of course before being humbled by the task at hand...

Thank you all again for your insights! :D

Hey, don't let anyone know you're NOT the dahlia expert, lol. Play it for what it's worth and don't let anyone know you're looking it up on the internet haha!

You know, I wonder if it's possible to just replant the whole clump as is?? I have no idea of dahlia planting times in your zone (here I would have to overwinter it anyway (although not necessarily divide it) before replanting). I tend to think that since you have dug it up, you might as well go ahead and try to divide, especially since you would like to share the tubers, but I suppose sticking it back in the ground might be a viable option if it gets too overwhelming lol!

:)
Dee