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Learn how to collect dahlia seeds, and experience the anticipation of creating new dahlia hybrids in your garden.

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Harvesting dahlia seeds can be lots of fun. Each seed collected has the potential to grow into a brand new dahlia plant that has never been seen before.

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Dahlia seeds will not bloom true to the parent plants, and the plants that grow from the seeds will be new hybrids.

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If you allow the bees to fertilize the dahlias through open pollination, they will most likely develop pods with some seed. Bees are excellent pollinators.

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Each seed inside the dahlia seed pod is genetically different, and will produce a unique plant.

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You can save some dahlia seeds and try your luck growing them. The seeds may not produce a plant as beautiful as the parent plant, however you may be pleasantly surprised.

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Most often the resulting plants will have single blooms rather than doubles, with open centres, as these are dominant characteristics.

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If you have lots of similar plants together however, there is a likelihood that the bees will travel from one bloom to another, cross pollinating these blooms.

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After the fertilized dahlia bloom is spent, the petals start to dry up and then fall off. The pod itself begins to gradually close shut.

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Eventually as the pod matures and dries, it will turn brown and papery. The pod is mature at about six to eight weeks from pollination.

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Check on maturity of the seeds by pulling back the bracts, and if you see a large dark black or brown seed, that is an indication of maturity and readiness for harvest.

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Dahlia seeds can be difficult to find unless you know exactly what you are looking for and looking at.

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Dahlia seeds are long and somewhat flat in shape, with a slight narrowing at each end. They are usually dark brown or black when they are mature.

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Dry the dahlia seeds, then store them in a paper envelope, which will help to keep them dry until ready to plant.

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Try collecting and planting some dahlia seeds. You just never know what new dahlias you will discover.

For more information, see the tutorial!