[muckbutno money]

Yes, Weeeed, seed grown dahlias will produce tubers. Not particularly large ones the first year, but they're there. As Splodger says, they'll have to be taken up for winter if you want to keep them going.

Thanks Trillium, I have grown some from seeds but as yet they are not strong/big enough to flower. I put some in a container - the next morning the bl***y snails had eaten the lot. Not to be beaten i put some more in and dosed the pot with slug pellets - now the little b*****s are leaving them alone!

[Wortle]

Hi, does anyone know where I can get dahlia seed for specific colours of exhibition type, not dwarf dalias. Thanks

[Trillium]

I'd expect your major seed suppliers carry them. Most have online catalogues. Or, do a google for dahlia seed suppliers and perhaps a specialist name will pop up.

[gobs]

Don't you need tubers for reliable colours, etc. ?

[Wortle]

Sure for reliable colours etc you would need to do tubers and cuttings etc, but I was hoping that someone could supply seed that while not uniform could give me a good chance of blood red doubles.

[pepper]

I don't understands the replies posted to the original question  
I grow Dahlias from seed every year as I can't be bothered digging the tubers up and storing them over winter. The plants I grow are always successful and are true to type shown on the packet. The plants I have left in the garden come up every year although they aren't quite as good as the first year originals -they are still fine

[WG.]

I don't understands the replies posted to the original question  

The question from July last year??

[gobs]

Sure for reliable colours etc you would need to do tubers and cuttings etc, but I was hoping that someone could supply seed that while not uniform could give me a good chance of blood red doubles.

I thought you wanted show quality! I sowed some red ones last year, I think from T&M and someone else also sells a mix of red shades of singles Bishops Children it's called.

But they were quite delicate and about 2 feet tall if that.

[pepper]

Oops, didn't look at the original date  :?
That will teach me to read through the whole thread

[WG.]

Oops, didn't look at the original date  :?
That will teach me to read through the whole thread

Or simply quote the post you are replying to!    

[Trillium]

Generally, tubers will give you bigger plants. And they're also easier to simply haul out of your cold space and stick into the ground when it's time. Seeds need thinking ahead and space to start, the latter is something not everyone has much of. I have little space for seed starting so it's devoted to necessaries like toms, melons, leeks, etc. But I don't mind digging up my tubers every fall and putting them into my cold cellar.

Purchased seeds and tubers are both true to type. The only variation is when you take seeds from your own saved tubers - these may have cross bred since they've not been isolated for seed purposes.

[Wortle]

I would differ, I believe seeds are always sold under "Dahlia variablis" and there are no F1's because you cant get the consistency required to get true to type.

[gobs]

I checked Wortle, it was T&M, they sell a lot of seeds, mostly mixtures, though.

[Wortle]

Thanks gobs, I had checked out all the seed merchants I could think of already as you'd expect. I guess I'll just have to hope that a mixed pack will throw up a lot of reds....
If any one does happen upon something more positive I be glad of the info. I did find one red tuber in wilko for £1 today ...if they get some more in at that price it might solve my problem, although last years Wilkos yellow roses all came up orangey red, but at least they were all the same colour!

[Trillium]

Commercially sold seeds do grow true to type, however, sometimes specific colours such as red are difficult to get in seed, just as black roses are hard to create. Whatever seed you get from say T&M, it will grow as shown on the package. What the problem on this thread seems to be is looking for red flower seeds, which like black roses, are tricky to find for the time being. At the moment only tubers for red varieties seem to be available.  If there is only a colour mix offered, then a supplier simply hasn't had enough requests for single colours to bother offering them. Another supplier might have singles....and red