3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
Many years ago while living in Wisconsin I, too, grew Dahlias. It was a heart breaking experience. Every time I thought I was safe to put my Dahlias in the ground, the Wisconsin weather had a surprise for me!!!
In 2007 we moved to southern Missouri. With just two months of mild winter weather, I'm ready to start gardening in March and can expect things to bloom into December. Some pansies bloom all winter long, even if we get a light snow.
I've started a Dahlia bed from seed, sowing directly into the ground in early May. I've also planted some "ready to grow" tubers in my beds out front. I'm pleased to say my seedlings are about six inches tall and doing well. I'll need to transplant some to thin out the pack.
At almost 69, gardening is not as easy as it used to be. I keep a cushion, and sit on an overturned bucket whenever I can. And with temps in the 80s for weeks already I do things a little at a time.
In the end, it's all worth it.
Here is a link that might be useful: My Garden Folder on Facebook
One of the things we might consider when using inverted tomato cages. Rather than bending the surplus legs to make tie down why no pick up a few plastic tent pegs and use them. At seasons end simply place them in a plastic grocery bag and store till next year, If you attach the metal ends permanently they will get in your way when nesting the cages for storage.. Another great idea from OSCARS LAB. Steve S.
I bend the surplus legs like J's not g's, so they come off and can be stored in the same way that Steve S describes. I have found that home depot or Lowe's tomato cages stack well. We stack them and store them in the woods. If they stay outside all spring, summer, and fall, why not have them stay outside all winter too.
I'm sure it would be fine with no pinching - but each time you pinch it gets bushier and more stems - that looks like a big dahlia 'bouquet' already. What variety is it? It is funny how their growth is different - some have that very full and robust foliage and some are much more delicate.
cindy, I dont know the variety, I know they are red in color. My neighbour gave me a couple of tubers she had dug up last fall. I thought I had actually killed them over the winter. We just had them in newspaper in the basement, along with a couple of canna lily tubers she also gave me, but looks like they survived as they are growing well so far. I can hardly wait to see the flowers!
It's the torrents of rain that get them every year where I am. I left about 15 in the ground I didn't care for, duplicates, or bad plants, etc. Two came back which surprised me, because the others were all tattered stalks with nothing but fibrous mush underground, as they are most years. I didn't think our 2009 winter was bad at all, certainly warmer than most.
I have overwintered dahlias for at least 10 years. I plant them about a foot away from my south foundation wall. I didn't like one, so I left it in the ground and it has come back for the 10 years. I started leaving others in the ground near the south foundation and I hardly ever lose one. This is in Rochester where it gets down to 10degrees most winters and very little sunshine. I am between z5 and 6 because of Lake Ontario.
Keski
The one thing I DON'T see posted is the fact that they just may not bloom!
3 yrs ago I ordered 8 tubers from a WA grower and 3 never bloomed, 2 never even came up. Last year, ordered 9 more (OR grower this time) and at least 3 either rotted or never grew. This year, another dozen ordered but one in particular has just sat and sat in the pot. It is not rotting, looks like the day I opened it but it simply refuses to sprout.
Because it may be a late bloomer, I am just leaving it alone (except to dig it up periodically to see what's wrong.
Sometimes you just can't do everything right or have done nothing wrong.
David
We must live in the same region, with all the rain. I am right on the WI/IL border.
Yes, I would bury the tuber right up to the first set of leaves (so the leaves are above the soil line). If it quite a stretch to the next leaf node I would clip it off at the first set so it will not flop later in life. I am glad that I don't have deer. It seems like every other critter but no deer thank heavens, nothing stops them, even their massive feet trample everything even if they don't take a nibble.
And there is no stupid questions! I learned by many experiments and doing what works for me best. There are probably 10 ways to plant your tuber, I just share what has worked the best for me over the years.
How fun that your veggy garden is planted, I love watching them mature and produce fruit, I still find it amazing.
Happy Gardening
Keriann~
Reminds me of my very first experience with dahlias. I moved into my very first house with a garden space in my 20's and my mother gave me a few tubers. They were in a 12x12x12 cardboard box, that got shoved under a table in a room that was going to become my studio space and were completely forgotten.
In July I noticed something red under the table, and low and behold a dahlia had sprouted and flowered with no soil. water or sun, and was poking up out of the box!
Hi there,
I think it is in the nature of Dahlias to form tubers in order to survive in dormancy till next season. The size and number of tubers actually produced varies from plant to plant (well, genetics+ enviroment). In a book on breeding Dahlias was said that one criteria should be that a seedling produces a couple/ plenty of tubers.
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Dahlias seedlings form tubers in their first growing season. You can enhance the number of tubers by planting the seedling stem slanted/angular and covering some pairs of leaves (nodes) with soil. At every node should grow aditional tubers, provided the growing conditions are ok.
I hope that helps, if you have lots of space I would grow some from seed just for fun, have a nice summer, cheers, Lin
Thanks soo much, Plantlady, and Lunaria. I knew there was a complicated process to it, and than it can be done,( not that I want to.
I'm afraid I dont have enough years left to start such a process, but I'm so grateful to those of you who do, and let us enjoy your successes.
I would also imagine its like having a new baby, waiting to see what comes up!
According to Washington State Univ. most dahlias have virus. Sometimes when a dahlia is stressed by other factors the virus symptoms show. Some dahlias are affected very negatively by virus and these varieties tend to disappear over time as the stock gets diseased.
I love the single, open-faced dahlias because the hummingbirds are nuts about them around here. Since these are not often available in the horticultural trade, I have several that I selected from seed that are tall, bloom like crazy all summer, and in hummingbird favored shades of pink, red, and orange. The plants are totally covered in blooms all summer until frost.
I do have a few doubles as well, but I ditch those if they are too floppy and shy bloomers. I like "Seduction," a double two-toned purple that stands quite rigidly and flowers a great deal.
Phytomaniac, better to find dahlias later than never at all. They do pack a punch in a vase.
I want to stand up for the little pompons! No body likes the little fellows much, but to me they are a stunning pack of petals rolled into one petite package. I think they have value used in contrast to the larger blooms, in mixed bouquets, or standing alone in a little vase. There are some good ones out there in a variety of colors.
Uroboros, I bet your garden is zooming with hummingbirds. I don't care for the singles much because they don't hold up well when cut, but for a garden plant, yes, they have value too.
Right - I wouldn't worry about them at all. On those first warm sunny days - everything in my borders wilt including the perennials. It's normal and by nightfall they perk back up. As long as you have had them out and hardened them off reasonably before planting, I think they are fine.
Thanks for the input. Since I have some tubers in the same bed I want to refrain from watering as much as possible until those show.I have been getting similar mid-day wilting on a few of my perennials. Our weather has been crazy warm for this part of the country. This is the weekend that many people around here traditionally put out annuals, but we have already had many days in the 80's and 90's. I am expecting a bumper crop this year.
Hormone treatment was used in the greenhouses where the plants were forced. Also, it is usually best to purchase dahlia plants which were locally grown in your area, and not shipped in. Soil is always important. Go to a local greenhouse and ask if you can purchase Fafard perennial mix, or a similar blend. Miracle Gro is not a good choice. We have a local source for perennial mix which is considered "green." They recycle pine bark, leaf mulch, with less than 30% peat moss. The microbes in this soil is very high. We don't start fertilizing until the plant is beginning to bloom. One should be fertilizing the potted dahlias which are in bloom with a fertilizer low in nitrogen. There is one called "Blossom Booster. The ratio is something like this: 10-45-20. A good tomato fertilizer works as well. The key is weekly, weakly. Growers have also had great sucess using a green tea fertilizer.
Best growing to you; and, welcome to the world of dahlias. It is an addiction!!
Always bump up the plants. I gallon pot is too small. For your larger blooming dahlias, use a large size patio pot. I would recommend using a nice decorative pot for the smaller blooming dahlias with at least a five gallon size. This way, the plants do not become root bound and use up all the available nutrients in the soil.
Flower farmer is dead on!
And good soil is ALWAYS worth the investment for dahlias.
Let us know if the fertilizer and larger pots perk them back up to 'big' beauties!
keriann~