Dahlia: tuber or seeds

I had been growing dahlia since last 15 years.  Usually i grows dahlia from cutting or seeds. Last 2 years i start growing dahlia from tuber. I found that seeds grown dahlia fare better than tuber in lowland tropic. Only 2 out of 8 tuber s sprouts, the other 3 had fungal rot which i think was due to high humidity.   Seeds grown dahlia also live longer and had time to form tuber and new plant. Nevertheless tuber grown dahlia blooming faster and nonstop for 1 year then died slowly of exhaustion (this is my theory), it will use up all the food stores in the tuber while no new tuber was formed.  I think the scenario is different in a cooler highland /mountain region.
The downside of growing from seed is you only know the type i.e. pom-pom, cactus, decorative etc but not the colour or whether it is double or single. Right know I’m waiting for 3 pots of seed grown dahlia to bloom.

From seeds

in anticipation

dahlia pom pom-still lush and growing

Something to cheer me up

I fertilize my flower in the evening after i come back from work, i use very weak fertilizer solution hence i'll feed my flower 2 to 3 times a week.  I was on sick leave since yesterday due to severe back pain (it is definitely not related to lifting anything heavy  like huge flowerpot!) which means that I’m bedbound for 2 days. It is very upsetting when there is a hitch in your plan and because i cannot admire my beautiful flowers.  Thanks to my sis for watering my plant and took photos for me.

At 3 pm today a postman cheers me up by bringing me a 5 kg package.  This is a second package from my very good friend Peter from Holland. Its content are gladiolus, crocosmia, montbretia bulbs calla and dahlia tubers.                

                 

various bulbs and tubers

I'll will try to get more lily bulbs for 3^rd package as 6 bulbs that he sent in the first package are sprouting

pink asiatic lily sprout

pink asiatic lily

white oriental lily

Casa blanca cultivar

 and my calla lilies are doing quite well too.  

5 tubers  in a pot; all sprouting

3 mixed  tubers

Lucifer

Black star

Dahlia

I have few variety of dahlia, i do not know whether growing dahlia in lowland tropic is a curse or a blessing.  Dahlia that i've grown from seed is more than a year old and from tuber is 9 months old and are still going strong. After i deadhead all the spent flower and smaller branches, i fertilise it, new shoot will grow and it will flower again, since energy is spent above the ground it do not think it has time to form tuber.The flower is also smaller than in temperate country because it has no resting time ( dormancy period)

Dahlia pom-pom from seed

dahlia pom pom in a cage

 

Dahlia Glory of Nordwijk: profilic bloomer

Dahlia Glory of Nordwijk: close up view

Dahlia kelvin floodllight from tuber

Progress of Kelvin Floodlight

It is a type of decorative dahlia which has a size of a dinner plate.

                                       This is the sprouting tubers. 

                                         A small bud of Kelvin Floodlight.

                            Finally the bud unfurl into a beautiful bloom.

          The bloom is only 15 cm instead and the colour is less intense. 
           Maybe next time I’ll be luckier