Dahlias in Florida

You dont need to lift them up unless you want to divide them. What they will need is regular watering once they have sprouted, also spraying them against powdery mildew every now and then will keep them healthy, well ammendended and good drainaged soil is a must in higly humid and rainy places like Florida.

They will come back, but you take a good chance at rot if you dont dig. Dont have to worry about drainage, as we are all sand.

good dahlias,

steve w

Thanks, steve!

Can you recommend a good source? I'd like to plant them en masse, could I get a package deal somewhere? I can't pay $4-$6 per bulb. And, do you recognize this variety? I saw it growing along a fence line at Dudley Farm, a state park outside of Gainesville that is an old restored farm from the 1800s...so I thought it might be an old heirloom variety, if there is such a thing.

http://photobucket.com/albums/v467/rlrichie/dudley%20farm/?action=view&current=dahlia2.jpg

Swan island has nice collections. Very nice camelias(sp) and ginger at dudleys. You might try lowes, hd and wallyworld this winter, when they stock their bulbs, see if you can find what you need for cheap. I just got some amarillis for $5.00 a pop at wally, i was pretty happy.

good dahlias(and gardening)

steve w
anthony,fl

Well, I got a mix of 25 tubers described as "mixed-bunch field" and "decorative and cactus" for $30 from Dolinski & Son in NJ. I planted them yesterday, about 4 inches deep in an area that is in the shade in the morning and full sun in afternoon. I put them in on their sides. Did I do OK? They were waxed. Is that normal?

I've never planted dahlias before. Can anyone give me an idea of what to expect from this kind of mix? How soon might I start seeing sprouts? Anybody familiar with Dolinski?

Thanks in advance!

My dahlia bulbs were planted 2 weeks ago, about 4 inches deep. It has been in the 70s and 80s during the day, and the 50s and 60s at night. I don't see anything sprouting. Should I be worried?

Becca,
Did you see any eyes or shoots on those tubers before planting? I believe the wax will erode away naturally and shouldn't be a problem. Someone posted last Fall that they preserve their tubers dipping in paraffin and no springtime removal is necessary.

It might be time to march up and down the planting row telling them FIVE MORE DAYS. FIVE MORE DAYS AND I'M DIGGING YOU UP, YOU LITTLE LAGGARDS. SNAP TO IT! SHOW ME THE SPROUTS! Maybe allow an extra few days for the wax to drop away. Then gently excavate, look for shoots and yell and them. If there aren't eyes or shoots showing it could be an exercise in futility to replant them.

I just can't wait around all month to see if there's going to be a big empty spot in the garden or if the tuber is going to produce. It sounds like your afternoon sun should be ample, maybe more than ample in Florida. If they grow eventually, you might want to watch closely for the need to protect with an umbrella from scorching PM sun.

Good luck with your dahlias

Depending on the variety, it can take up to 6 weeks to get sprouts. You are worrying way too early.

Every year I think a few are spent, only to find them coming up a month later than other types.

Digging them up will just set them back further, as you will damage the small rootlets that are being produced.

Poochella, I am talking to them, but coaxingly. Preston, thanks for reassuring me. I'll wait a couple of more weeks before I freak.

One is up! Just one, but it sure made me happy.

OK, five are up! What do I do next?

Celebrate. Protect from slugs if you have them. Celebrate some more. See the other post about topping and the link below. But first, celebrate the arrival of the little green guys! Well done.

Poochella, I did celebrate! And every evening when I get home, I go out and look at them and search for more. A couple of them are purplish or red tinted. Is this an indication of the color of the flower? I got a mixed bunch, so I don't know what I have (adds to the excitement). I have them planted amongst honeysuckle, red penta, butterfly weed, daylilies, red salvia and a few roses (mostly yellow) in a long stretch along a privacy fence. You can't see the whole stretch in this photo, but it gives you an idea...

I'm in Central Florida and and also planting Dahlias for the first time. I was apprehensive as none of the suppliers are in the Southeast. I thought that might be a hint on my success potential. My plants (not tubers) arrived the first week of April. I planted them approximately one half on each side of the front walkway. One one side they plants are 2' and on the other they are only 6". I can only assume the difference is the amount of sun they are receiving. I don't see any flower buds yet but all the plants look as healty as can be.

I planted dahlias for the first time this season, after being told for years that they wouldn't grow in Central Florida. My experience put that lie to rest. I would rate them as having performed extremely well: They began to bloom in mid-April, and they're still healthy and floriferous mid-July. I'll share what little I've learned (and, if you want to read lots more, see my blog: centralfloridagarden.blogspot.com):
1) Plant them early. I planted mine in mid-February, around the end of the usual frost date. (Here in inland Volusia, we get frosts once every year or so, and then serious freezes every decade.) I should have planted them even earlier, since they take weeks (up to 6, as mentioned above) to show. So, plant them a few weeks before your frost date.
2) Plant them DEEP. All bulbs should be planted much deeper in Florida than elsewhere, because our soil is so unstable (deeper bulbs mean more support), and also because we CAN plant them deeper, since our tilth is so free. Deep bulbs are more drought-resistant, and more stable.
3) Mulch heavily. My bulbs grow in 6 inches of well composted pine bark mulch, with a fresh cover every couple of months. Mulch is everything in Florida. It makes all the difference for plants, moderating both the effects of torrential rain and our occasional dry spells. It cools the earth, and, as it breaks down, produces a wonderful planting medium. Yes, as woody things break down, they have a small effect on the available nitrogen. But you should be fertilizing regularly, anyway. Pine bark 'nuggets' is really the only mulch to consider: It's a byproduct of industry (paper mills) from farmed trees. It is totally weed free, and composed of a lot of lignan.
3) Don't bother pruning them. You'll read a lot about 'laterals' and how to produce the perfect blossom. Whatever. I want lots of blooms and have better things to do than to climb to the back of my bed and pinch off blossoms.
4) Don't bother staking them early. You'll read elsewhere that they need to be staked when they are planted as bulbs, and not any later, since you might damage the tubers. This is nonsense, and will make your garden looks silly. (Imagine a bunch of bare stakes in the garden.) I use small gauge bamboo stakes, and while I was careful when poking them in, I'm sure I hit a tuber or two. No damage done, so far as I can tell.
5) I bought my tubers, for a couple of bucks a package, from Lowes. They were essentially generic tubers, with a picture of the bloom on the tag. They've performed excellently in my garden, and while I'll probably drop some money on more expensive, mail-order tubers next year, I'll also buy a bunch of the cheap ones. I guess I'm saying that you don't have to search for expensive bulbs to have a summer's full of blooms.
6) Don't bother trying to divide the package -- just plant the big clump. You'll get inferior plants. (I know this from experience -- the bulbs I divided before planting are half the size of the ones I left whole.)
7) Finally, I'll say that I haven't spent much time or energy or money on my dahlias. The tallest plant is five feet, and it's produced no fewer than thirty, six-inch diameter lemony-yellow blooms that last up to a week in the vase. Lots of bang for very little buck and little hassle.

If you're interested in learning more about bulb planting, I have a long entry, with lots of pictures, at my blog, referenced above.

Hi Ill mannered, Nice post.

While i disagree on many of your comments and would not practice them(hard to move pine nuggets when your digging 100-200 roots, and you sure dont want to till them in) I will agree on two major points: that there are as many ways to grow dahlias as there are dahlia growers, and that they DEFINITELY can be grown in central florida, something i have been preaching for years. Glad to see and hear of your success.

good dahlias,
steve w
http://floridadahlias.isponline.ws/

Steve it sounds like u really know ur Dahlias! I was wondering if you have to cover them when we get a frost warning or let nature run it's course??

I'm glad to hear that dahlias will grow in Central Florida, since I planted a few tubers about a month ago. Mine are in a large pot close enough to one of our palm trees to get late afternoon shade. I was watering today and noticed that they've sprouted and seem to be growing well. I'll keep an eye out for mold, but we seem to get enough air movement to keep most of our plants from getting fungus-y. Frosts only happen about 1 or 2 times every winter. I just hope I didn't plant too late to get blooms this year.

Hi,
I bought a pack of Dahlias from Home Depot for $1.99 about a month ago. I had tried growing some in the ground in the spring with no luck so far. I'm in Tampa by the way.

This time, I planted them (all at once) in a nice container and kept them inside. I planted them on 6/25 and believe it or not, I had sprouts on 6/29. Today is 7/13 and I have three different plants with the biggest being over 6 inches.

At this point I'm not sure what to do with them? Will they bloom indoors? Any advice would be great!

Thanks,
Dee

How much sun are they getting each day inside? They need at least 6 hours and then how tall are they going to get in the container? You really don't know until they grow and form buds.
I would divide the three into different containers and get them established and then harden them off one hour of sun a day outside until they can take sun all day. You need to be careful with the heat this time of year so growing them with shade part of the day will probably be best. Make sure you mulch them so the roots will stay cool somewhat compared to the air temp. When it cools down some in the fall you should get some good blooms. Check out the growing instructions for Southern Gardens at the Dahlia Society of Georgia website. It is a page under the menu item Dahlias that grow well in the South.

Thanks for answering Huey.

Actually, they don't get any sun indoors. I just measured them and they are all over a foot tall now. The tallest is a foot and a half.

I tried to put them outside for a little while and they all started drooping and some of the leaves curled up and died. It's just so darn hot here right now that even the shade is unbearable. Also, I'm afraid to separate them. Since the bulbs where all attached when I planted them, how will I know how to dig them up?

Thanks for any help!

Dee

Any body know about planting dahlias in SOUTH fla? I grew up in upstate ny and loved my mom's big dinner plate versions, but I have never seen them this far south. Any body have any success in zone 10? I'm near the beach so the summer temps actually stay pretty bearable.

hi

just purchased a home in Delray Beach Fl.

Was thinking of trying to dig up our dahlias from our Boston home and then planting in Fl for some spring color - does anyone know if this will work?

Armand

I can't be much help to you. But I had a person from Flordia come up here to visit her sister. I drag her over every couple of days to see my dahlias. She could not believe how big they were. She told me she was going to plant dahlias as soon as she got home.

I am considering planting Dahlias in my South Florida home, but have questions as to whether they will do well. I have read other posts regarding Northern Florida, but know that the climate is different. Is there anyone with experience in zone 10?
Thanks,
Lucky Liza

Dahlias are native to Mexico, so they should do fine in South Florida.

Cheers,
Russ

Lucky liza we will expect pictures and monthly reports. While I have you ,what is your favorite Dahlia and color? This is for my profile on peoples likes of dahlias.

message from Swain Island Dahlia

thank you for your email. Dahlias in general will all require the same care and conditions. But in a warm climate you will want to grow the dahlias and once they are finished growing dig them up and store them in a cool location 40-50 degrees for 2-3 months and replant them.

If you were to dig your dahlias that you have currently growing you will still want to store them for at a minimum of 2 months before replanting them to grow in Florida. For full growing information please click on this link -
http://www.dahlias.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=2#1 - Thank you.

I hope that I have helped to answer your questions. Please feel free to email back with any other concerns or comments.

If responding to this email please do not open a new email - just reply to this one.

Happy Dahlia Summer.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Gitts-Eubanks
The Gitts Family
Swan Island Dahlias

Dahlias aren't like tulips & daffs that require a "rest" in a cold or cool place. We have customers in South Africa & in California & Texas that leave them in the ground until spring, dig them up, divide them & replant them immediately. They have better luck "storing" them in the ground that way than digging them up & trying to keep them over the winter.

Over in Houston, I've invested heavily my first year planting the tubers. I'm attaching a photo that I took a couple of weeks ago of a sprout that was after about 6 weeks. I planted mid-late april. I plan to keep them in the ground the whole winter and see how that goes.

I planted a couple that might not work so well with the color scheme, but I'm going for it this year. I've got Kogana Fubuki, Tahiti Sunrise and a pastel mix of gladiolus and Oriental Lily Girosa in the front, and "Crazy Love," a Blue Moon mix of gladiolus and the Golden Lily of Japan for the back. We'll see, I may have planted them too late for our southern heat, but we'll see!!