Tuber Expectations

This is a very active time of year as everyone is trying to navigate various sales to complete their collections.  As we are members of several dahlia focused social media groups, we are seeing several posts as people are receiving their tubers from sellers all over the country.  These posts are often centered around various concerns from tuber appearance (form / shape), eye presence, viability, size, mold presence, and much much more.  We wanted to try and address our stance to various concerns prior to shipping.  It is not our intention to scare you, but instead to set realistic expectations so that you are comfortable with your purchase.  If you disagree with our policies and would prefer to cancel your order that is completely ok, our feelings will not be hurt and it is best for you and us that this is done as early as possible (prior to us shipping).  With that, please read the below and if you have any questions absolutely feel free to reach out.

Tuber Viability:

We divide and sell tubers strictly through the lens of the tuber being a DNA vessel for the purpose of growing a healthy dahlia plant (AKA viable tubers).  A typical tuber will have a body, a neck, and crown (where eyes form and the dahlia will sprout from).  The eyes may or may not be visible on the crown -  our tubers have been in cold storage since late November and the eyes that were present at dividing time can recess into the crown and become difficult to see and may not be readily apparent.  Typically eyes are most visible when the clump is initially dug up or when it starts "waking up".  The wake up period varies for each variety and can take anywhere from a week to several months (we have observed up to 3 months in some varieties that we take cuttings from). If your tuber has not started sprouting by mid-July we will gladly refund or provide a credit (usually at this point in the growing season we do not have tubers available for replacement).  

Tuber Appearance:

Our tubers come in many many shapes.  They will often not look like the idealized chicken drumstick that you  The shape is not something we are concerned with as long as we are confident that it is viable and has enough mass (larger than a AA battery) to provide a good start for the plant.  We've included many pictures of our tubers below so that you can see real life examples of what to expect.  Some have long skinny necks, some have short necks, some to the point where the neck is blended between the body and the crown. These are all ranges that you may receive; there is no difference in the plant health or bloom quality that will come regardless of what the tuber shape or size is.  They may come with dirt still attached.  These tubers are the roots of a plant, plain and simple, and once they are put into the ground the tuber appearance does not matter.  We sell both beautiful and ugly tubers, we keep "runts" for ourselves to plant out.  Many of our varieties produce particularly strange shapes as many unicorns are notoriously stingy tuber producers.  Chasing the most beautiful tuber of Czarny Charakter or Carolina Wagemans is often an impossible task.

One additional item that happens quite commonly (especially in transit) is the presence of surface mold.  Our tubers have been stored since November in a 45-degree cooler and as they go through the shipping process in much warmer temperatures it is common for surface mold to appear due to the change in temperature and humidity levels.  We will not replace or refund tubers due to the presence of surface mold, this is just something that comes with the territory for tubers and can be gently brushed off with a dry toothbrush.

Tuber Necks

We have observed posts on social media of tubers with peeling skin, dividing cuts into the tuber, crown, or neck area, or bendy necks - these are not "broken necks" - as long as the tuber body is attached to the crown, the tuber is viable. 

Tuber Size

Your tuber will have at least the mass of a AA battery which is big enough to make it through the storage and replanting process.  For the most part we divide clumps into individual tubers, but in some instances we may send two that are together or in some cases we will send a mini-clump.  The determining factor of whether you get 1, 2 or more is how much crown material is present.

Policy for Tuber Appearance - No Exceptions

We hope you have read this description of our tubers and are excited to grow your dahlias for this upcoming season.  Each tuber we send has been judged to be viable according to the descriptions above.  When you receive your tubers from us, you have 48 hours to contact us with any issues. If you have cosmetic issues ("I don't see eyes", "tuber is a clump and not a single tuber", "tuber had surface mold when it arrived", "tuber has peeling skin," "I don't think it's viable") then you may return the tuber at your expense for a refund.  After 48 hours you acknowledge that the tuber is now in your care and under your storage/planting plan.  

Accidents in shipping can happen, or we may miss something when packing tubers - we are all human and mistakes (although rare) do happen.  Please contact us with these issues and we will work with you to resolve them.

We believe strongly in providing good customer service and a good experience, and prefer not to litter our terms of service with "NOT" and "WON'T" - we tend to be good to work with, and appreciate your time in reviewing this page so that your expectations will be met and you have a great growing season.