When do you ship in the fall?
Shipping begins the week after the fall sale. I aim to have all orders shipped within two weeks of that date.

What if my tubers freeze in the mail (fall shipments)?
I do not add heat packs to shipments, but I pack boxes with insulating material to help protect tubers from temperature fluctuations. It is the purchaser’s responsibility to ensure that local weather conditions are suitable for receiving fall-shipped tubers.

MFF is not responsible for tubers that freeze in transit or while sitting in a mailbox. All orders will receive shipping information for tracking purposes.

Can you ship my fall order in the spring?
No. The fall sale is exclusively for fall shipment. I do not hold tubers for spring delivery.

What is your policy if you run out of a specific dahlia variety?
This is extremely rare. I only open my sale once I have accurate tuber counts. Since I do not do preorders for spring, there is no chance for storage failure to affect my spring sale. Prior to my spring sale, I will recount all of my tubers to ensure there are no disappointments with last minute cancellations. In the rare even this could happen, I will contact the purchaser to ask them how they would like to proceed.

Inspection Upon Arrival
Growers should inspect tubers within 2 days of receiving their package. If there are any concerns, please contact MFF right away. I am more than happy to help resolve issues!

If a package is left unopened for a prolonged period of time, MFF is not responsible for the state of the tubers.

Fall Shipments & Storage
Fall-shipped tubers are the responsibility of the purchaser to overwinter. MFF is not responsible for storage failure after delivery.

Documentation
MFF takes photos of every order before shipment as a record of condition and labeling.

Mislabels
In the rare event of a mislabel, customers may choose between:

• A refund, or

• A replacement tuber shipped the following fall or spring.

Failure to Thrive
MFF is not responsible for dahlia performance once tubers are planted. Many variables influence success—weather, soil, nutrients, and care.

• Tubers are shipped with a visible eye or sprout.

• MFF cannot be responsible for tubers that fail to sprout, rot, or underperform in the garden.

What are your sanitation practices?

• For cutting dahlias, I rotate between 6–10 shears that remain in a ~10% bleach solution.

• When dividing tubers, each clump is processed with a freshly sanitized tool.

Note: Tool sanitation is widely recommended in floriculture to reduce transmission of viral, bacterial, and fungal pathogens.

Do you guarantee virus-free stock?
I do not guarantee virus-free stock. However:

• I do not sell any stock that appears diseased.

• During the growing season, I cull (remove) suspicious plants.

• I use Agdia immunostrip tests to screen for common viruses.

• My field is inspected annually by the Iowa State Department of Agriculture.

Note: Many dahlia viruses can be latent or asymptomatic; practical management focuses on vigilance, testing, and culling.

What are your thoughts on disease (virus and bacteria)?
Disease is an expected reality in dahlia cultivation. A recent American Dahlia Society study tested 1,334 grower-submitted “healthy” stalks; nearly 90% tested positive for at least one virus.

I cull plants showing poor vigor, vein chlorosis, or signs of crown/leafy gall. Some infections remain asymptomatic, while others cause visible decline.

Note: Research shows high prevalence of asymptomatic viral infection in ornamentals; management requires ongoing monitoring and plant removal when needed.

I don’t have any other dahlias in my garden—how can they possibly get disease?
Dahlias can acquire disease from other plant species. Many common ornamentals, vegetables, and weeds act as hosts or reservoirs:

• Vegetables: Tomatoes, peppers, potatoes → viral and bacterial diseases

• Ornamentals/flowers: Zinnias, chrysanthemums, asters, sunflowers → viral hosts; roses, phlox → fungal diseases such as powdery mildew, botrytis

• Weeds: Thistles, ragweed, dandelions → viral reservoirs

Note: Cross-species transmission of plant pathogens is well documented, especially through insect vectors like aphids and thrips.