Ultimate Guide to Collecting Dahlia Seeds

Dahlia plants offer various flower forms and can be used for collecting seeds efficiently for propagation even after wilting.

So, if you want to grow Dahlias from seeds, you need to harvest them first, and this article can be the perfect guide for you. 

What Do Dahlia Seeds Look like?

After eight months of planting, Dahlias can have beautiful flowers blooming throughout the summer and autumn.

The seeds remain attached to the flower head when you do not use deadheading in Dahlias after they have wilted.

You can take the help of the table below if you find seeds hard to distinguish.

The number of seeds you get might vary head to head as some Dahlias have around 4 to 5 seeds while some have 20 to 30 seeds.

When to Collect Seeds from Dahlias?

Dahlias undergo fertilization and start producing berries after reaching maturity within two months of blooming, around mid-summer.

If you find it difficult to recognize the perfect time, Dahlia shows specific signs that they are ready to shed the seeds.

• All the ray-like petals of flowers have fallen off.
• The pod color changes to light tan-green color.
• Flowers of Dahlias have wilted and have been drooping.
• The seeds have turned grey to dark brown and have ripened.
• Some of the petals have dried up, giving a dark brown color.

When you finish collecting the seeds, you might only focus on using them for the next growing season and beautifying your garden, but Dahlia has more to offer.

How to Collect Dahlia Seeds?

The seeds of Dahlia hide between the petals, so you need to be careful and wise while collecting them.

Also, you have to harvest the seeds indoors to prevent them from being lost by the winds but never do so on rainy days.

 Here are the steps to collect Dahlia seeds:

• Look out for spent flowers showing signs of drooping, and the petals turned to straw color.
• Use your hand to snip off the head of the dried flowers and the disc floret attached.
• You can also use shears or scissors to cut off the spent flowers.
• Put the heads over a plate and start rubbing off the petals gently.
• The seeds are hidden deep between the papery petals, so be alert while rubbing the heads. Place dried petals in a clear plastic zipper bag and shake it.
• Then separate the seeds from the group of petals.

You can also collect seeds if the cut flowers or the pods show symptoms of watery fluid from their flower head.

For that, cut the heads along with the stalks, and keep them in a glass containing water.

Let them dry out by keeping them in a warm, untouched place for at least four weeks. 

Let this video clear your confusion.

How to Store Dahlia Seeds?

You can store Dahlia seeds by letting the seeds attain full maturity for at least a month in the pods or flower heads attached to the plant body.

Take quick instructions if you are struggling to store!

• First, space the collected seeds in the plate and allow them to dry.
• After four to five days of drying, transfer the seeds into storage containers like plastic bags, paper envelopes, and jars since the Dahlias seeds are viable for only two years.
• To get the best result, try using the paper envelope as it allows the water to dry out and prevents the molding of seeds.
• Label the bags with a permanent marker with their harvest date to avoid confusion.
• Place the seed in a cool, dry place away from the reach of the water.

You need to keep the storage bag away from the reach of insects and pests. Also, avoid plastic bags as they capture moisture and lead to molding and decaying seeds.

Dahlia Seeds for sale

Do not panic if you are new to growing Dahlias or your Dahlias have failed to produce seeds.

Look at the links below to buy the best quality Dahlia seeds.